It seems as though you know that hyperlocal businesses have not done well in the past. What is the unique thing you bring to the table that might save you from their fate?
1) Better unit economics via user-generated content creation. I'm not paying per-market salaries like Patch (though I'm not reaping the benefits of labor of a dedicated professional, either).
2) A native ad product (sponsored photo/link) which local businesses understand, because they're already creating the content for existing social media.
3) A content model based on a form of media which people enjoy both consuming and creating, rather than zoning board recaps and the crime blotter. I'm not denigrating either of those - I enjoy both - but like a lot journalism they are costly to produce relative to their travel.
Nextdoor is a private message board, which is an ideal environment for people who enjoy message boards and the type of conversations they engender, while the unit of content on Placewire is a photo. I believe this enables a different type of conversation and will engage a different set of users.
I think Facebook groups are typically used at micro-local (eg. a city block) scale and it's perfect for sharing information in that context. I'm not sure how that maps to a neighborhood. Do you have any firsthand experience?
I also plan to circulate content in a less geographically siloed way than these quite private platforms.
In what sense is Nextdoor a private message board? I don't see Nextdoor as being more private than other social media networks. (Genuinely asking, not trying to shoot you down!)
In that it requires address validation. So "private" per se is wrong, sorry, but nothing within a community is intended to travel. Placewire is happily promiscuous. Thanks for the question.
2) A native ad product (sponsored photo/link) which local businesses understand, because they're already creating the content for existing social media.
3) A content model based on a form of media which people enjoy both consuming and creating, rather than zoning board recaps and the crime blotter. I'm not denigrating either of those - I enjoy both - but like a lot journalism they are costly to produce relative to their travel.