Insights from Patch and Block by Block to ramp up – and fix – the local ad revenue model. Plus new thinking on networks on and offline for improving contributions, connections and impact.

<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/10/business/media/homicide-watch-web-site-venture-struggles-to-survive.html?_r=1&amp;src=recg" target="_blank">Innovation in Journalism Goes Begging for Support
</a>Writing that “the existential dilemma confronting media will require new answers” the NYT’s David Carr wonders why an innovative site won buzz but no money.

<a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2012/08/metrics-metrics-everywhere-how-do-we-measure-the-impact-of-journalism/" target="_blank">Metrics, metrics everywhere: How do we measure the impact of journalism?
</a>A law changed? Or a long comment stream? “Ideally, a newsroom would have a…database connecting each story to both quantitative and qualitative indicators of impact.” You can start smaller.

<a href="http://streetfightmag.com/2012/08/29/6-strategies-for-encouraging-user-contributions-on-hyperlocal-sites/" target="_blank">6 Ways to Encourage User Contributions on Hyperlocal Sites
</a>Tap into the 40% of adults who say they are “local news participators” with phone numbers, active personal outreach, and asking for what you want.

<a href="http://amyjobrown.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/the-patch-experiment-dont-drink-the-kool-aid/" target="_blank">The Patch experiment: Don’t drink the Kool-Aid
</a>A thoughtful analysis of the Patch prescription by an ex-insider. “The journalism is not broken…the sales side of the business is very, very, very broken.”

<a href="http://www.netnewscheck.com/article/21282/at-precipice-hyperlocals-face--realities?utm_source=NetNewsCheck-rss&amp;utm_medium=latest-news-feed&amp;utm_campaign=latest-news-feed-At-Precipice-Hyperlocals-Face-Realities" target="_blank">At Precipice, Hyperlocals Face $$$ Realities
</a>Report from Block by Block 2012: “If ‘community’ was the hyperlocals’ old mantra, ‘revenue’ has now elbowed up to be a new one."

<a href="http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/188217/smaller-news-websites-depend-more-on-social-media-for-traffic-than-larger-sites/" target="_blank">Study: Smaller news websites depend more on social media for traffic than larger sites
</a>Intriguing data and creative visualizations map publications’ interdependencies across one local news ecosystem.