The other problem with this strategy is that SEO-wise, some local paper (in Pennsylvania or where ever) will never be in the coveted Google triangle of the top five search results unless a reader plugs in “Tiger Woods” and the name of the town where the paper — not the news — is located. And who would do that. So they end up promoting content that isn’t local and that few people outside their immediate area will see. So how does that help to build an audience?

Plus … it ignors what Jeff Jarvis calls the “mass of niches.” To me, putting all your efforts into the “big-hit” national topics that lots of media are covering ignores the fact that to build a strong local audience means appealing to the deeply interested but small groups of niche readers. These niches build up into a larger audience in time.

One funny thing is that this is the kind of thing traditional media criticizes bloggers for: Nothing original, just a series of links to others’ work – and typically (the story goes) with a decided lack of testicular fortitude that’s demonstrated by unwillingness to take responsibility for problems (since the work came from elsewhere). In fairness, it’s entirely possible that this kind of crap is a direct offshoot of those blogging worst practices. Regardless, communities deserve better in terms of both content AND taste.