A Summary of What’s Working

  • Find the right people to work with. (Matter)
  • Hackers, hustlers, designers and storytellers are all necessary to transform an idea into a company. (Matter)
  • Partnering with local businesses, including bookstores, newsstands, markets and coffee shops can provide a distribution network for independent newspapers. (SF Public Press)
  • Begin with an “architecture of openness.” (SF Public Press)
  • Partner with organizations doing what you’d like to be doing and you’ll learn how it’s done. (SF Public Press)
  • It is possible to produce a sustainable news product without advertising. (SF Public Press)
  • Individual Donors and Foundation Support are both vital. (SF Public Press)
  • Paid membership programs can provide a revenue stream and increase community investment on multiple levels (SF Public Press)
  • Nonprofits will often choose other nonprofits for partners.  (SF Public Press)
  • Producing “niche news products aimed at specific, interest groups” continues to be a successful strategy (GeekWire)
  • “You’ve got to work your butt off.” (GeekWire)
  • It is sometimes necessary to leave old media organizations — they are not built to foster entrepreneurial endeavors — and build it independently. (GeekWire)
  • “You have to have five or six mini business connected to your editorial business” in order to generate enough revenue. (GeekWire)
  • It’s important to learn how to be a good beat reporter before you add running a business on top of reporting. (GeekWire)
  • “Investors need to share the vision of the entrepreneurs. And it helps if they bring expertise to the effort.” (GeekWire)
  • In the future there will be live eyewitness video available whenever any news story breaks. (AP and LiveU)
  • It is now possible to stream 1080p HD video using equipment that rents for $2k a month. (AP and LiveU)
  • It is possible to bond your laptop’s wifi connection with one or more cellular connections to increase bandwidth using software. (AP and LiveU)
  • Developing a UGC component to any new endeavor will massively expand its editorial potential. (AP and LiveU)