Competing on user engagement, connecting with readers to push stories  forward, and a CEO learning the value of community news. Plus an  initiative to end an information "ghetto."

<a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/morning_roundup/2012/08/huffington-post-relaunches-general.html" target="_blank">Huffington Post relaunches General Mills’ ‘Live Better’ website
</a>A GM site with a Huff Post staffer “selecting stories" reveals  advertisers' deep push toward branded content. Would doing this locally  offer revenue opportunities or risk trust and transparency?

<a href="http://www.netnewscheck.com/article/20401/user-engagement-is-digital-mantra-in-mich?utm_source=NetNewsCheck-rss&amp;utm_medium=originals&amp;utm_campaign=originals-User-Engagement-Is-Digital-Mantra-In-Mich-" target="_blank">User Engagement Is Digital Mantra In Mich.
</a>A useful use case for local publishers anywhere: The fierce  competition to engage community in a place where "news doesn’t break so  much as pace itself to the rhythms of heartland American life."

<a href="http://socialcapitalreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/MURROW-RURAL-INFO-INITIATIVE.pdf" target="_blank">The Murrow Rural Information Initiative
</a>Finding itself in “a digital state with a rural information ghetto,"  Washington State University plans citizen training, a “Murrow News  Barometer” and teaching the value of local news.

<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/community-relations/the-washington-post-launches-crowdsourcing-platform/2012/08/01/gJQAYm6fPX_story.html" target="_blank">The Washington Post Launches Crowdsourcing Platform
</a>What's the purpose behind your outreach? The Post’s stated goals go  deep - aiming to create "a place for people to come together and address  a variety of challenges and thoughtful topics."

<a href="http://streetfightmag.com/2012/08/02/daily-voice-ceo-on-profitability-were-far-closer-than-our-competitors/" target="_blank">Daily Voice CEO: We’re ‘Far Closer’ to Profitable Than the Competition Is
</a>Almost a year into leading a NE hyperlocal news network, Zohar  Yardeni's big takeaway: “I am learning how people feel about community  news. I underestimated the role it plays in people’s lives.”

<a href="http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/03/google-takes-political-online-ads-local-allows-campaigns-to-target-congressional-districts/?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29" target="_blank">Google Takes Political Online Ads Local, Allows Campaigns to Target Congressional Districts</a>
As political campaigns target ads ever more local with Google, how might local publishers get a piece of the political ad buy?