EveryBlock launches in Chicago

Earlier this week, EveryBlock.com launched in Chicago as well as San Francisco and NYC. While I can't directly benefit from this new Web site, I do like the idea and think it's something Chicagoans should give a try.

What is EveryBlock? Simply put, the site aggregates information -- including news, public records and even Craigslist-style personals and lost-and-found listings -- and presents the data visually over a map. You can find relevant information to your location. Just type in your address, zip code, neighborhood, etc. and instantly it all comes up.

EveryBlock creator Adrian Holovaty calls this "geocoding," but don't label it "hyperlocalism" he says in an interview with Poynter:

To be honest, I prefer to avoid using that word, as it has become meaningless. Some people use it to refer to neighborhoods, while others use it to refer to entire suburban areas. But I think the concept of address-specific news is important because, well, people tend to be more interested in news that happens near them. It's as simple as that!

You might remember Holovaty from his prior work for ChicagoCrime.org, which took information gathered from Chicago Police Department's CLEAR Geographic Information System and mashed it up with Google Maps.

Chicago papers could take a lesson from Holovaty's geocoding projects. Start investing in journalists that don't just know how to write a lede, but can also code. Start up web projects that provide a level of utility for individuals, not just a product that paints with a broad brush. Integrate these directly to your web product and develop advertising that's targeted around it.

The problem with most newspaper companies is that they don't innovate. They're playing catch-up to the curve. Meanwhile, they're missing a huge opportunity to capture online advertising revenue from great ideas like EveryBlock. Obviously, EveryBlock isn't meant to replace the Tribune or Sun-Times, but rather it act in a supplemental role. And it's these online-only initiatives that will make their news product become an information product, diversifying their options for advertisers to choose from. This is how you exploit the Internet for revenue, not just repackaging your newspaper online.

When it comes down to empowering individuals with information directly related to them, their neighborhood and, literally, their block, it's becoming more and more obvious that traditional news organizations are simply not up to the task. Or maybe they just don't think it's important. Honestly, I'm not sure which is worse.

(Cross posted to Nerdlusus)