Passionately local: Blogging about your own backyard

Blogging is an opportunity to reach a worldwide audience, but with Tenth To the Fraser, Briana Tomkinson and her collegues have narrowed their focus considerably, targeting specifically the city of New Westminster. Being so narrow in focus has opened up a lot of opportunity for them, from being the best source for civic election coverage (visitors skyrocketed that weekend) to connecting with elected officials and other local luminaries, to simply feeling more connected and informed about the community. In highlighting local news on their blog and on Twitter, they are not only raising their profile but also that of the city as a whole. As proud New West boosters, they couldn't ask for more.

Note: As part of the talk, Briana envisions addressing how to make hyperlocal coverage interesting, the role of placeblogs in the media ecosystem, and using Twitter and Facebook to connect with other locals and to grow your audience.

Presenter: Briana Tomkinson

Briana says:

I'm a longtime blogger and social media strategist with Fjord Interactive. I've been blogging since 2003 as breebop on a variety of sites. My latest is Tenth To The Fraser, a hyperlocal blog about the city of New Westminster. I Tweet as Tenth To The Fraser and as breebop. I have worked online my entire career, first for Hollinger Digital as a web editor for the Province and Vancouver Sun (prior to and past CanWest's acquisition of the company), then for Telus as a mobile content specialist and web editor, and finally now Fjord Interactive, which is a division of Cossette Communications.