The initiative called ‘Your East Lancs’ covers almost 20 local communities, primarily villages. Paul Cockerton, the web editor, believes the potential is there to grow to over 100 local sites.

A dedicated community journalist has been recruited to help train and liaise with local correspondents who are given restricted access to the paper’s content management system.

At least three correspondents are required before the paper gives the go-ahead for a new community site to be launched.

The contributions from the local correspondents cover community news, views, photos and videos produced by local residents.

The current community sites cover Barnoldswick, Barrowford, Blackburn town centre, Burnley Wood, Colne, Corporation Park, Eccleshill, Foulridge, Great Harwood, Haslingden, Hoddlesden, Huncoat, Mellor, Padiham, Pleasington, Ramsbottom and Rishton

Your East Lancs has been driven by the editor Kevin Young who is keen for the paper to be seen as the focal point for the communities it serves. The perceived competition is other local newspapers and local council web sites. However, with over 330,000 unique visitors a month to the web site plus the paper’s paid daily sale of 32,488 (ABC figure for the six months ended June 07), the paper believes it has sufficient firepower to ensure its local sites establish market leadership.

There are currently no plans to sell advertising alongside the sites but it hasn’t been ruled out. Cockerton told How-Do the paper was essentially recreating the old village parish pumps – online.

Other Newsquest titles are now believed to bee exploring how best to address local communities online but the Telegraph’s initiative is much further down the line.

www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/your

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Comments (1)

1  By Mr Osato , on 17-09-2007 20:49 How best to address local communities online? How about employing more journalists instead of begging for contributions from the readers? Report