Philip John

  • Great for @4iP! “The remit of Channel 4 will also be updated … including the web”

    The remit of Channel 4 will also be updated so that it includes the provision of public service content on all media platforms, including the web via guardian.co.uk This was posted via web from Philip’s posterous

  • Getting serious about hyperlocal, part 1: Legal issues

    More and more as things progress with The Lichfield Blog it’s becoming apparent to me that hyperlocal has a real part to play in the changing local media landscape. So it’s time to get serious and look at what we need to do if we’re to make a serious contribution to local media. There are…

  • I probably would pay for individual articles, Mr Harding.

    Pledging to “rewrite the economics of newspapers”, Harding said the Times would charge for 24-hour access to that day’s edition of the paper alongside a subscription model, but dismissed the idea of micro-payments for individual articles. via guardian.co.uk I don’t like the idea of pay walls and there’s no way I’d pay a subscription or…

  • Tools for hyperlocals: OpenlyLocal WordPress plugin

    I’m starting to develop a range of tools for hyperlocal sites, taking advantage of the extensibility of blogging platform, WordPress. My first effort is using the fantastic OpenlyLocal site and all the data provided in raw XML. So far, I’ve built the bare bones of the plugin, an admin page to select the local authority…

  • If you run a hyperlocal, or you’re interested in #opendata, e-mail your MP about this

    That this House calls on the Government to ensure that transport timetables for rail and bus operators are made freely available for re-use, using an open standards format, thus enabling voluntary and commercial organisations to publish the data on their own digital platforms. via edmi.parliament.uk This Early Day Motion (EDM) asks parliament to promote the…

  • Court ruling could be good news for hyperlocal

    Newsquest says the High Court judgement clarifies for the first time that newspaper websites hosting user-generated content are, subject to certain conditions, protected from liability. (holdthefrontpage) This is potentially very good for hyperlocals and community bloggers who are hosting comments. It suggests that we do have protection from defamatory statements. However, it’s still not crystal…

  • Why I don’t think journalists need business skills

    There’s tons of talk around hyperlocal and local media at the moment and some of it is about the kind of skills journalists need*. Not being a journalist, I’m looking at it from a business perspective. We have a good system with The Lichfield Blog. Ross is the journalist, that’s what he does – he…

  • £72.50/mth ain’t bad for The Lichfield Blog

    What started as ‘suck it and see’ exercise is now generating over £70 in ad revenue each month for The Lichfield Blog. With 7 out of 8 ad spots now taken up on the blog I’m wondering whether there is some money to be made here… We’ve made very little effort to actually tell people…