Ravings from the editor
Daily News editor Geoff Dougherty blabs about journalism, the Daily News and assorted other subjects
Is money worth as much as you think?
By Geoff Dougherty | Jul 06, 10:33 AM
It looks like Backfence.com is closing up shop in many of its communities.
Backfence had a lot going for it, including smart executives and millions in venture capital. But ultimately the business plan -- opening a slew of Backfence-branded community journalism sites across the country -- was a tough sell.
About 18 months ago we talked with the Backfence folks about combining our efforts. But could never get our heads together, mostly because I felt strongly that local sites need local identities. They need to look, feel and run like they've got local people behind them.
It's scary to see Backfence go. If they couldn't make citizen journalism work with a couple million bucks, why should we be confident of making it work with a couple hundred thousand?
On the other hand, perhaps there's benefits to being small and poor. I guess we'll find out.
Backfence had a lot going for it, including smart executives and millions in venture capital. But ultimately the business plan -- opening a slew of Backfence-branded community journalism sites across the country -- was a tough sell.
About 18 months ago we talked with the Backfence folks about combining our efforts. But could never get our heads together, mostly because I felt strongly that local sites need local identities. They need to look, feel and run like they've got local people behind them.
It's scary to see Backfence go. If they couldn't make citizen journalism work with a couple million bucks, why should we be confident of making it work with a couple hundred thousand?
On the other hand, perhaps there's benefits to being small and poor. I guess we'll find out.
Tagged: media
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