About the Issaquah Press
I grew up on a little hill called Cougar Mountain, in the vicinity of Issaquah, Washington, where I also went to High School, did plenty of swimming in the community pool, and generally loitered away my youth. I was first exposed to the Issaquah Press during my ambling about in this booming but still quaint Seattle bedroom community. So, this local newspaper, a subsidiary of The Seattle Times and around for well over 100 years, has, like so many small pint papers, taken itself beyond its 16,000 plus circulation and on to the web (for more, see the About page at the Press). Now, The Issaquah Press is by no means a major production, but, like many small town print outlets, the Press stands to gain from the death of old media through hyperlocalization, assuming it approaches the concept wisely (see: hyperlocal blogging). By my estimation, this little newspaper is doing a lot of things right in its print edition. This especially includes its video presence and integration.
Presence and Integration
A video, hosted at Blip.tv, from the Issaquah Press
I like what the Issaquah Press is doing with video. While the production value is not particularly on par with that of major media outlets, the content appears to accurately reflect the interests and values of the community the Press serves. The paper appears to be regularly uploading new content, which is also a plus, showing that they are taking web video seriously. The UGC or “amateur” aesthetic found in the videos rings of sincerity, and the “you are there” first person impersonal approach of the narratives is engaging enough. In terms of article integration, the videos are, naturally, placed with the appropriate stories, giving readers with slow connections opportunities to do that old-fashioned thing people call “reading the article”. However, videos can be found on a separate page through a very handy link to “Photos/Videos” in the menu bar. (Side Note: Love that they’ve built their site on WordPress, too!)
What Really Works
Well, for one, the videos are short! Short is good! But what I most love about what the Press is doing with video is the way that they are hosting their content on social video sharing sites, mainly Blip.tv. This is a wise move for a number of reasons: it saves on storage and hosting costs, it puts their content in a social space where it becomes discoverable (and share-able) independent of the Press’ website, and it forgoes many of the complaints some people might have about video integration at larger newsmedia sites (for example, postage-sized videos on private hosting using outmoded streaming technologies).
What Needs Improving
I cannot think of too much that I would change about what the Issaquah Press is doing with video. Perhaps my only suggestion would be to hire a seasoned videographer/journalist who knows how to pack a punch with limited resources. Maybe that person could lend a touch more “professional journalism” aesthetic to the videos, especially if clips are only going to be posted ever-so-often like they are currently doing. If that is the case, there is time to hone this content down and give it a glossier feel. Granted, I haven’t watched all of the videos, so I can’t entirely say for sure this is all that necessary.
Conclusion: All-in-all, I’d give the Issaquah Press’s foray in to the world of web video, in terms of hyperlocality, an A+.
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Tags: Issaquah, local newspaper, new media, newspapers, old media, video