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EDHAT ONLINE COMMUNITY Entrepreneurship & the Community Web December 6, 2009 USC Annenberg

Join Edhat, the Santa Barbara community website that offers fresh and local content, discussions, and connections to fellow residents. Get the latest news, share photos, ask questions, and engage with the vibrant Edhat community.

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EDHAT ONLINE COMMUNITY Entrepreneurship & the Community Web December 6, 2009 USC Annenberg

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  1. EDHAT ONLINE COMMUNITY Entrepreneurship & the Community Web December 6, 2009 USC Annenberg Presented by: Peter Sklar

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. Revenue Model • Local advertising • Voluntary paid subscriptions

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. 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

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