EDHAT ONLINE COMMUNITYEntrepreneurship & the Community WebDecember 6, 2009USC Annenberg

Presented by: Peter Sklar

Peter Sklar

• MA in Statistics from UC Santa Barbara• 80’s – developed POS software for PCs• dot.com years

– started early Internet mapping company– created and sold web design tools– designed and developed user interfaces– built an online community for web

developers

• 2003 – started Edhat Online Magazine

What is Edhat?

• Santa Barbara community website

• Started in 2003 with fun, original, local content

• A loyal following of people who love Santa Barbara

• In 2006, Santa Barbara News Press imploded

• Today it’s citizen news, public news, aggregated news, and collaborative news

• A place to discuss issues, share photos, ask questions, share expertise, and connect to others in the community

Market Leader

• More hits than any other website in town

– radio stations

– newspapers

– television stations

• We get 1 million hits/month in a market of only 200,000 people

• Local and repeat visitors

• Alexa Rank of 49,703

Keys To Our Success

• Persistence and dedication

• Fresh content all day long

• Always have the scoop

• No story left behind

• Happy and quirky

• Focus on readers, not advertisers

Citizen Ed

• What is up?

• Emergencies

– Zaca Fire, Gap Fire, Tea Fire, Jesusita Fire

– School Lockdowns

• News no one else covers

– Conflict at Botanic Garden

• Sharing & Caring

• Adding elements of traditional journalism

Readers Want To Talk About

• Should people be allowed to take dogs to restaurants?

• Cell phone etiquette at Coffee Shops

• Can the County cut down my Jacaranda tree?

• Should teachers take vacation days before Thanksgiving?

• Best type of space heater to buy

Revenue Model

• Local advertising

• Voluntary paid subscriptions

Advertising

• Traditional advertising

– not our primary goal

– no pay for promotion

– no Google ads

• Social Media Marketing

– We’d rather have businesses be a part of our community than have them be outsiders selling to our readers

Paid Subscriptions

• We sell community, not content

• All content is available to all users no matter what their status

• Benefits of paid subscription:

– No guilt!

– Chance to win tickets to local events

– Identity on the Edhat Comments Board

The Identity Experiment

HYPOTHESIS:

• Identity is an important part of community

• People will pay for it

RESULTS:

• Trolls got mad and left

• Paid subscriptions increased 33%

• Some people didn’t care

Summary

• Edhat is a major media player in the Santa Barbara market

• Edhat is friendly, accessible, and non-elitist

• Edhat is Community

• Edhat is unique

• Our readers love us - we’re counting on them to support us