However, many schools and towns already have Web sites, making community publishing a tough sell, according to Michaud. Michaud wants to push school officials who initially passed on the option to reconsider once critical mass builds beyond the 700 Maine groups now online. To wire grass-roots groups, start with umbrella organizations. In Cleveland, staffers won permission from the Lake Erie Girl Scout Council to offer the service to far-flung troops. The Record in Hackensack, N.J., partnered with the Archdiocese of New York, bringing all parishes into the fold of njcommunity.
Youth sports offer a lucrative opportunity.
Every community-publishing service has far too many groups that initially post information, then let their site linger untouched. While no one considers community-publishing ventures profit centers, many seek sponsors to defray expenses. With a preponderance of youth sports and school sites, be careful about pushing advertising too aggressively, execs caution. In Cleveland, staffers blocked a brewery's banner ads from the community portion of the site. But less tangible paybacks include opportunities to tie community publishing to the print edition.