AltadenaPoint.com is the First LION Publisher to Join Locable

AltadenaPoint.com, formerly AltadenaBlog.com, is the first publisher member of the Local Independent Online News Publishers to join the Locable Publisher Network.

Timothy Rutt continues to run the site as an independent in operations, content and purpose while benefiting from the technology, coaching and active support provided by Locable.

We recently asked Timothy a few questions about why he joined Locable and what suggestions he has for others considering running a local community site:

"I had been exploring some changes on the  site for a number of years -- our old platform was fine for the first three or four years, but the technology has changed and we stretched our platform to its limit. The blogging platform we were using was never designed to do what we are now doing and it was time to find one that had better capability and was more attractive.  Also, mobile is where the industry is going, if not there already, and our existing format looked hopeless on a mobile device... This is not a hobby, it's a profitable business."

What did you find in looking for alternatives?

"We had been exploring options for several years, but never found anything satisfactory.  The options were also a little too hands-on -- The quotes I received for website design services were quite expensive, but It's also not a good use of my time to learn a whole bunch of code to be able to design a website and fix malfunctions.  What I need is an easy-to-use, extremely functional CMS and somebody to scream at if it's not working.  Locable offered us a dynamic, attractive, reasonably-priced platform that we could use as the foundation for our re-branding.  "

Is there anything specific about Locable that was attractive to you?

"In a blogging format that we had used, new news pushes out old news -- more than once, a really hot and important story got pushed down by a lost dog notice.  Now, we can classify and prioritize our stories, and the "carousel" keeps the important stories at the top in a dynamic way.  And if you're wondering about a lost dog, there's a place to go to look without scrolling through a bunch of news items. 
Also, Locable has spent some time thinking about revenue possibilities in terms of advertising, promotion, and up-selling the business directory -- we need to exploit the property more than we have, and they offer some interesting ways to do it."

Do you think other independents would benefit from talking with or working with Locable?

"I think if you're one-person or two-person show and the idea of spending hours customizing your own website gives you a headache, Locable offers an attractive,  turnkey solution that gets you online, and leaves you to devote your energy to your primary strengths -- reporting news and building your business."

Is there anything you'd like to share with someone considering launching their own site?

"I think the most important part of getting into an online news site is to find out what's NOT being done, do it, and be the very best at it.  My site was started because the local daily paper, in the town next door, had given up on covering anything in our town except violent crime. Nobody was covering our town council.  Local crime and fires never stirred any media interest.  We have an amazing cultural community here, and nobody knew about it except insiders -- and even they didn't know about many of the other artists, musicians, food artisans, etc. that were doing great things here in town.  If you're in a small town, your territory is defined -- if you're in a larger community, find the slice that people want to talk about but is being ignored.  But I think -- particularly for a small operator -- determine what you're good at and what you're not good at, and find a solution for the latter so you can concentrate on the former."

If you currently run a local site, you're thinking about starting one or you're an ex-Patcher looking to parlay your local skills into something profitable that you can own please contact to Schedule a Program Demo.