Not so local anymore...did our Patch die?

Sometimes good ideas happen, but don't turn out so well.  Patch is the third iteration of an online community newspaper which just didn't seem to make a go of it here in Seal Beach.  When they first came to town, I was excited and enthusiastic because "Seal Beach Daily" had been a year experiment of an authentically local, intensely focused online media outlet.  It failed due to a lack of ability to monetize the site, yet had created a whole new dimension of community discussion.

Looks like Patch has the same problem - too much overhead and not enough advertising support.  So, what do they do? They cut staff.  That is exactly the wrong thing to do from my standpoint as a consultant.  Thomas Edison said, "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." I fear that is precisely what happened with Patch Los Alamitos - Seal Beach.

Human capital is the only thing that made Patch authentically local.  The editor was my neighbor, their regular stringer reporter was my friend and regularly attended planning commission and City Council.  I guess Patch made a decision that wasn't what they were going to focus on.  So what exactly makes them different from turning on CNN or the LA Times website?

The information will be less authentic, less local and certainly less personal.  In our era of growing connectivity, we may be able to virtually cover a huge geographical territory, yet that doesn't mean we will be able to serve or engage with that community.

As a blogger, though one not as active as some others, these changes make me less interested in focusing my finite resource of time to Patch.  Why would I when they have depersonalized the very connections that made me want to blog for them in the first place?

Will I continue to contribute? Sure, assuming they still allow me to do so.  I only hope they realize that these cuts are not the way to make good local relationships happen.  Perhaps there will be a change of direction again. What do you think?