Looking for some free advice on how to build the audience for your independent local news site? Northwestern Univ. journalism professor Rich Gordon is seeking local news publishers who would like a team of students to produce a detailed report about their site, with suggestions for building audience.

In Gordon's class, Journalism and the Networked World (which starts in January), students study links, search engine optimization, social media and online communities. Each student will be assigned a content-based local news site, assess how well that site is using these network-based audience-building tactics, and recommend improvements.

To volunteer, fill out this survey.

If your site is selected, you'll need to give your student team access to your Google Analytics and Facebook Analytics. You'll also have to be interviewed by the students. In mid-March 2014, you'll receive a report (typically 20-30 pages) analyzing your site and recommending improvements for building your audience.