YourHub ‘sobering case study’ about what happens when newspapers plunge into hyperlocal

Street Fight
Tom Grubisich traces the growth, decline and relaunch of YourHub, the Denver-area hyperlocal effort that signed up franchises around the country when it launched in 2005. YourHub, now run by The Denver Post, has a mix of content from users and staff, but Grubisich describes the citizen journalism as “weak” and notes that some stories are simply press releases. The managing editor responds that community managers will hold meetings for residents to talk about stories and learn about journalism. “What happened in Denver is a sobering case study about metro newspapers and what happens when they plunge into hyperlocal,” Grubisich writes. “While the Post has fixed some of YourHub’s worst flaws, it hasn’t created anything like well-connected electronic town squares throughout metro Denver.” Would YourHub survive if Patch moved to town? || Related: Analysts say AOL could be profitable if it ditched Patch; Bluffton Today shifts to twice-weekly publication