Hyperlocal Gun For Hire

Philip John is a freelance Wordpress consultant, hyperlocal blogger and local media commentator. He helps run the community news web site, The Lichfield Blog and is the founder of hyperlocal platform, Journal Local.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you first got involved on the internet?

I’m a 25-year old ginger bearded geek who loves Lichfield and the web, in a nutshell. I got into the web when I got my first PC, aged 13 and ended up teaching myself web development.

In your bio you talk about ‘doing things right’ talk a little bit about this in regards to cohesive marketing strategies?

Many people look at the web as a marketing channel but don’t apply the same marketing principles. ‘Doing things right’ is simply about applying those same solid marketing principles, like researching your market for example, to the web. Doing so helps to create a solid foundation for any marketing activity online, avoiding unnecessary wastage in time and money.

Talk a little bit about your experience in the hyperlocal arena?

I got involved with The Lichfield Blog just a couple of weeks after it was started by a local ex-journalist. I immediately saw the potential for the site to provide a valuable service to the community and set about donating my expertise to keep it going. Since then I’ve been plunged into the world of hyperlocal where I’m seeing countless examples of volunteer efforts to report the news in their community, and also the ongoing maturation of hyperlocal and it’s potential place in local media as a whole.

Are you also a programmer?? and gun for hire?

I taught myself web development technologies including HTML, CSS and do a fair bit of PHP coding. This is mostly focused around creating Wordpress themes and plugins, either for clients (as a ‘gun’ for hire) or just for fun – because I love doing it!

How are you involved with the Lichfield blog… tell us a little bit about what it is and how you came to work there?

I stumbled across The Lichfield Blog one night and after a few comments and tweets there was a Lichfield tweetup which really set the ball rolling on TLB as a community-run site. I donated my technical skills and then went on to guide the direction for the blog’s future along with my now colleagues. The Lichfield Blog is a completely volunteer, not-for-profit venture run by people living and working in Lichfield aiming to provide news and information to residents of the City of Lichfield and the surrounding district.

What do you think about wordpress for launching a hyperlocal website? Pro… Con…

I’m a big Wordpress fan. It’s a very powerful system that enables anyone to create a professional looking presence on the web and adapt it to suit their particular requirements, backed up by a global community of thousands of developers like myself. As powerful as it is though, it can be a little daunting and isn’t as intuitive as it could be which makes it harder for the less web-savvy out there. Being as flexible as it is there are many ways to achieve the same aims – some better than others – and that can be costly. With a little guidance and/or mentoring though, it can be the one-stop shop for any hyperlocal site. Oh and IMO, despite it’s downsides, nothing beats it for hyperlocal sites – that’s why Journal Local is built on Wordpress.

Google decides to hire you to develop google local… list five things you would do?

1. Make sure I get share options!
2. Build a new, simpler yet more powerful platform from the ground up.
3. Make sure meaningful monetization is just a few clicks away, acknowledging the efforts of publishers.
4. Be a complete resource for all local news and information, but keeping true to the principles of the linked web.
5. Create an engaging presence, not just a broadcast ‘this is what we have, take it how you will’, but an interactive experience that feeds back to the communities it serves.

Five idiot mistakes you run into frequently in your line of work?

I’m not keen on using ‘idiot’ – let’s just say ‘common mistakes’.

1. Treating SEO as if it is the be all and end all of online marketing.
2. Teaching yourself HTML – you can create a much more engaging and powerful web site in minutes using existing online tools. HTML is for web developers – you don’t need to know how to build a barcode scanner to work at Tesco.
3. Not asking for help, advice or ideas – there are tons of people out there willing to share, please just ask!
4. Not sharing – great ideas spread when you talk about them.
5. Forgetting about the end goal – always begin with the end in mind.

Tell us about your Ethical Web Philosphy?

The Ethical Web Philosophy was born out of my (by now obvious) frustration with SEO. Just a couple of years after co-founding an SEO agency I came to the conclusion that despite being one of the ‘white-hat’ agencies, SEO in itself is not an ethical practice. It neglects the user, is aimed at seducing the search engines and demands huge ‘maintenance’ fees to deliver results long term. The correct philosophy to have about conducting yourself on the web is just the same as offline – treat your stakeholders (customers, partners, suppliers etc) in accordance with correct principles and values. Google’s motto is “don’t be evil” which is a great start, and can be supplemented with values like respect. This is the essence of the EWP and encourages site owners to behave responsibly on the web, for a better web.

Is hyperlocal marketing like David vs Goliath?

Haha, no. There is one thing that all hyperlocals have in common – the passion to serve their community, and deep down that is what all local media is there to do. There is no battle between old and new, offline and online; just a desire to serve the community.

You also provide hyperlocal consulting what skill sets do you bring to the table that give you an edge?

Oooh, good question. Okay, my experience with The Lichfield Blog is a great start – having helped manage that community site myself I can identify with many of the issues hyperlocal site owners will come across. My deep involvement in the hyperlocal scene means I am aware of the common concerns and needs of site owners and have already found solutions to many of those. My foray into local media in general has given me a greater understanding of the greater picture and where hyperlocal could fit into that, too, which is a very exciting area!

Tell us a little bit about the town you live in… is it me or is the UK leading the hyperlocal revolution right now?

City It’s a lovely little place which I liken to a seaside town in the midlands – it has that relaxed, gentle feel about the place. Everyone is friendly and being the size of a small town you’re generally only one degree of separation from everyone which makes it really easy to meet new people. The UK is kind of leading but from a grass-roots perspective. There’s plenty going on in the US but most of what I see seems to be existing media companies rather than community-led efforts. Of course, it’s easier to see what’s going on in the UK so I may be missing goings on across the Atlantic. There’s no doubt that there’s a ton of visionaries in the UK hyperlocal scene though.

What’s the coolest hyperlocal project you have been involved with recently?

There’s too many! I love watch Josh Halliday is doing with SR2blog and you can’t help but take notice of Rick Waghorn’s Addiply. I’m a big fan of OpenlyLocal, too and the hyperlocal directory that Chris has created. I’d say OpenlyLocal is the one I’m most excited about because of the possibilities and ideas that are buzzing around my head from it. An honorable mention also has to go to Democracy Club, which if you haven’t signed up to yet, you should!

Any new sites or hyperlocal services we should be keeping our eyes on?

Obviously there’s Journal Local! I’d keep an eye on Addiply through Rick’s blog, Out With A Bang and expect to see some good stuff coming out of Grounds which is being driven by the very switched-on Andrew Brightwell. It’s a bit more media-oriented but watch out for Future of News West Midlands and the associated UK and Brighton groups, too – these should produce some really exciting discussion.

Any last thoughts or comments?

Yes, actually. If anyone reading this is thinking about starting a hyperlocal, or getting involved, just f-ing do it! You’ll be surprised at how rewarding it can be!

Thanks and great blog!
Phil

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