The 5,000-buck hyperlocal design

It happened again: I heard a tale of a laid-off journalist who spotted an unmet need – a community that was no longer being covered the way it should be. So she decided to launch a neighborhood blog. Terrific!

Then came the thud: She’s already hired someone to take care of all the technology and design. For only $5,000. And she’s thinking like a businessperson – she bargained him down to that.

I joked about this a little the other day. But, really, it’s not funny.

Journopreneurs have a tough enough time doing all the things they need to do to launch a site, and figure out how to make a living at it. I want to scream when I see people so intimidated by Technology (cue dread-inspiring music) that they blow cash they could use on freelancers, marketing and another month’s mortgage payment.

I don’t blame the design and tech shops – they have a tough life, too. But if you want to be a hyperlocal or niche-site operator, learn the about technology. You don’t have to write code (God knows I don’t) – but you at least need to understand enough to know you don’t spend $5,000 on something you could easily do for $500.

I offer some-more practical advice – not just more harrumphing – over on the GrowthSpur blog. (Fair warning: There’s a pitch in there for GrowthSpur’s partnership services.)

1 comment so far ↓

#1 Picking a CMS | Tom Davidson on 01.21.10 at 4:33 pm

[…] ranted a couple of times already about how journopreneurs need to make smart, inexpensive choices – […]

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