July 22 Webinar preview: Motivating, measuring civic knowledge and action

Mission-driven organizations must show evidence that their work is making a difference. That means defining success, identifying specific metrics and tracking them over time.

Survey: Despite progress, revenue remains key challenge for news start ups

My independent survey of news start up publishers earlier this year underscored the progress many of these organizations are making - 27 percent reported growing revenue as an area of success. But revenue is also where the challenges lie.

The Vault: Easier access to local government contracts in New Orleans

Last week, The Lens (a nonprofit community news venue) unveiled a new tool to increase transparency around government business in New Orleans. The Vaultis a library of more than 5,300 contracts signed by the city of New Orleans.

Survey: News start ups don't spend enough money on making money

Online local news start ups are devoting significantly more resources to creating content than they are to raising money to pay for it - and that may spell trouble for longterm sustainability.

Internet trends 2014: 3 highlights for community engagement

Each year, one of the world's most astute tech prophets -- Mary Meeker, partner with the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers -- offers observations on current and future internet trends. Her 2014 predictionsoffer some relevance to digital options for community media -- especially about the fast-ascending dominance of mobile communications and the mobile internet.

While her insights are geared mainly to a business audience, and most of her statistics are global, the trends Meeker identifies often apply strongly to North America.

Civic hacking this weekend: Community engagement, empowerment opportunity

This weekend, at 123 events in 103 U.S. cities, more than 11,000 people will gather to prototype ways to use technology and public data to help solve problems and create opportunity at the local, state, and national levels. The National Day of Civic Hacking (May 31-June 1) represents a unique opportunity for community foundations and community news publishers to foster strong connections with local people who have precisely the skills needed to successfully execute digital community service and engagement projects.

Civic hacking this weekend: Community engagement, empowerment opportunity

This weekend, at 123 events in 103 U.S. cities, more than 11,000 people will gather to prototype ways to use technology and public data to help solve problems and create opportunity at the local, state, and national levels. The National Day of Civic Hacking represents a unique opportunity for community foundations and community news publishers to foster strong connections with local people who have precisely the skills needed to successfully execute digital community service and engagement projects.

Survey: Independent local online publishers rely heavily on ad revenue

Independent local online news organizations remain highly focused on generating revenue through local ad sales, according to a new survey. Only a handful of the for-profit organizations reported significant revenue from other sources.

Community foundations and internet success: 5 tips from the field

The internet offers a stunning, sometimes daunting, range of opportunities and pitfalls for foundations, grantees and other organizations seeking to engage local communities. A recent philanthropy conference session featured a conversation on these themes -- and yielding key insights and lessons.

To measure the impact of news, let’s start from the beginning

Measuring the impact of work by community journalism startups and public media newsrooms is important. We're beginning to develop ways to actually do that. They will be the focus of a free KDMC Webinar May 13.