First of all. If you are reading this without reading the other two posts in the series. Please go back and read them. They are here and here.

With that accomplsihed, here is where I am coming from. Online newspapers have reduced themselves (due to competitive pressure) to essentially an interactive blog and maybe a forum mixed in powered by a national newsfeed. The VALUE ADD that they provide is local journalists adding color and commentary on local news and local events. They charge for this by selling ads to local businesses. How is that different than this? (It is just a shell at the time of this writing…)

Looking that business model over for a second, why would a professional services provider like a mortage broker, or real estate agent or other service professional be interested in BECOMING the online newspaper or in participating in a group set out to do the same? Why wouldn’t they become the OWNER of said online newspaper rather than RENT it from others? The links that this site builds and the online authority it creates are THEIRS.

Because the margin could be NICE…and the barriers to entry have shrunk to where it CAN be done. That’s why.

“Never pick a fight with a guy who buys ink by the barrel.”

Yes that’s true. But why not SUPPLANT them?

They are still inherently inefficient since they still have full time “reporters” and “editors” and much of the cost structure associated with them. Most of them (to save development costs) have outsourced their classifieds sections and other sections of their online “paper” to other entities or groups, who derive their income from charging readers and charging for ads as well.

The bottom line. Bloggers (by and large) fact check just as well as regular reporters and their biases are typically disclosed anyway. That is not saying that bloggers are anywhere near par. It is saying that traditional MSM has gotten very lax in this regard.

RADICALLY SIMPLIFIED VERSION OF MY BUSINESS MODEL

What I have put together in Southern Indiana is a SMALL BUSINESS NEWS COOPERATIVE. We will happily have local journalism students contribute stories in exchange for a piece of our monthly advertising take. Regular contributors also get journalism experience that they can take into the industry.Small businesses can be listed in our service directory for a small annual fee. Ads on the front page are a bit more and are monthly.

There are a ton more details about HOW this works, but time and space limit the full description of it.

The basic shell of what I am starting is already up. Much more work needs to be done including the addition of FREE classified advertising, a MODERATED forum, a business directory and a welcome guide. I have already partnered with several content providers and their stuff will be going up in the next couple of days.

HERE’s the COOL part. Do you live in a small town? Do they have a less than adequate online newspaper presence. Would you like to OWN rather than rent your online presence? Here’s your chance to get in without limited monetary investment (like $0!).

Give me a call. I will partner with you (if we are a good fit) and handle ALL of the technical details and help you get it set up and get you trained on how to add local news posts as well as advertisements. I will be a partner in every sense of the word. You recruit the writers and generate the content. We split the proceeds.

If you are interested in this concept, let me know. It is just one of many that I am willing to work on as a partnership with qualified individuals. Seriously. Give me a call for the full details.