Problems at Patch.com

That's a lot of work for $40k a year.

 

I've always maintained that the problem with hyperlocal is that eventually you run out of news.

This is taking it to an extreme, but consider a community with 40 people. You have a grocer, a barber, a farmer, an accountant, etc.

At what point are these people actually doing stuff that's newsworthy, and at what point are you just reporting on useless, mundane things? The all-Hyperlocal Daily baseball team is probably choosing 60 percent of an eligible population.

That's why I've never been drawn to this hyperlocal stuff. Let me know what's going on in the world and how it relates to me. I don't care very much to read 45 inches about the butcher who's been in business for 20 years at the age of 43.

 

Those poor, messed-up bastards! They are actually hiring more people! A true sign of impending doom!

 

Speaking from experience, and certainly not even just this last FanHouse deal, boy, is that true.

There was a very narrow time where AOL was THE innovator, had a great idea and led the way in the online industry, both in terms of access and providing popular content to users. And they've lived on that rep for a very long time.

But that time is long past, and their innovations and great ideas have been fewer and farther between, and if you look at the latest, I don't know, 10 years, they've had more misses than makes.

 

No doubt. I'm just saying that Cigar using the hiring of more people as a bad thing is kinda silly.

 

Knowing what you know now, would you leave your newspaper gig for Patch?

 

I dunno, man. Hiring unemployed or young, inexperienced people, OK, I'll give it to you. And that might be the majority of people taking a shot with Patch. Hiring people who already had jobs and gave them up for promises of great things and long-term security with FanHouse?

Yeah, it was a bad thing.

 

And that it clears.

 

I know a smart, aggressive 23 year old girl who just graduated with a Mass Comm degree from Cal State Fullerton and I'm hoping Patch comes to our neck of the woods cause she'd jump at one of those jobs.