About

My name is Shields Bialasik and I’m a full time hyperlocal journalist making a living and publishing my own hyperlocal newspaper and website called LocalsGuide.

Back in 2006 I had an idea of using a social network to generate social media that would then be published into a monthly print newspaper. This quickly entered me into the world of hyperlocal blogging, community networking, and citizen journalism.

I created this blog as a way of sharing some tips, techniques and successful models I have picked up along the way. I hope you find what I have to say interesting and I look forward to your comments and feedback. – Shields Bialasik

—————————————–
2007 Interview on Hyperlocal Networks:

MK: What do you think the biggest mistake people are making is when they are approaching the hyperlocal equation.

SB: I really see two serious issues. The first issue is that local is treated in isolation when in actuality there is no such thing as an isolation…. unless that is you live on a remote island or iceberg. My point being that people travel and you need to look at the hyperlocal equation more from the point of view of how people move and where they move to.

The second issue I see is simply about engagement. If you just think about what hyperlocal means you need to consider two aspects. The first aspect is intimacy because this implies that you get to at least know a little bit more than you might than if you were taking a top down approach.

The second aspect of this is that with this intimacy you also achieve some sort of reality. So two things have now occurred. You have now engaged your audience with reality and intimacy. You no longer see ants, but rather people.

Most hyperlocal portals offer a sliced view of the community which is a close up, but lacks the reality, and intimacy which mimic society… thus creating literally no engagement.

MK: What role does engagement play in hyperlocal.

SB: Everything… if you can’t engage, you can’t get the proximity and access you need to create intimacy and thus deliver reality.

This is the problem with mainstream media’s approach to the hyperlocal equation. They create engagement out of negatives.

You let them upclose and personal to your life and then they exploit you!
Are they really gonna improve your life?
Do they Care?… of course not they are out to SELL a product!

So how you engage people on a hyperlocal level will not only dictate the quality of media you are able to deliver but also the sustainability, participation and acceptance you will receive.