Major American newspaper partners with blog

The Seattle Times, one of America’s most prominent daily newspapers, has clearly come to realize the growing importance blogging in the media world and as such, has decided to strike a partnership with a local blog, in order to get a more grassroots perspective on community developments. Blogs are often most successful if they either focus on a niche topic, or if they serve a specific geographic community. In the case of corporate blogs, the ones that have a clearly defined theme and offer relevant news in a specific industry can catch on quickly with readers, especially when they are included in the Google News feed.

The Seattle Times decided to partner with the West Seattle Blog, as well as with Next Door Media, a firm which publishes a handful of other blogs. But this West Coast daily newspaper is hardly the only major media outlet to join hands with the blogosphere in recent months. Fischer Communications, for example, runs local radio and television stations, but will now also publish up to 43 blog-style websites, each heavily focused on local and neighbourhood news.

Thanks to this agreement, the Seattle Times will share its content with these blogs, as well as link and promote the posts that appear on partner websites. As such, the partner blogs will enjoy much greater exposure than ever before. Both the Times and the blogs will also look into how they can help each other increase their advertising revenue. This partnership is a clear indication that traditional print media now takes blogging so seriously, that it is willing to enter into substantial financial agreements with the most accomplished bloggers.