Major Media Seeks Structure for Online Citizen Journalism, User-Generated Conten

May 21, 2007 - Neighborhood America's media customers collectively have expanded their use of user-generated content and online citizen journalism campaigns in response to viewers' demand for increased opportunities to interact with their favorite programs and like-minded individuals. Neighborhood America is the trusted leader in enabling structured digital communities for organizations seeking to engage and interact with the public.

The need to dynamically engage audiences, and filter, manage and provide structure to the ever-expanding digital dialogue between network and viewers, has led many of the top networks to turn to Neighborhood America's solutions to provide the scalability, functionality and expertise to bring user-generated content campaigns to life, quickly.

"The online media landscape has changed dramatically in the last few years due to the maturity of online user behavior, commerce, and technologies," said Rachel Happe, analyst, IDC Research. "Users are consuming a larger percentage of their entertainment through online and mobile channels and increasingly, major media brands are using sophisticated Digital Marketplace infrastructure applications to create appealing, interactive, and social experiences around their content."

"Media companies value organization and structure in audience engagement, as these qualities project thoughtfulness and purposeful community building with media audiences," said Kim Patrick Kobza, CEO, Neighborhood America. "Neighborhood America's solution provides the organization and structure elements to ensure that the audience's voice is heard, all the while fostering a strong sense of trust between the media and citizen participants."

Scripps Networks (HGTV)

During the first six weeks following the launch of HGTV.com's "Rate My Space," Scripps Networks saw nearly 20,000 new members engage in more than 100,000 discussions, uploading 7,000 spaces for review, inspiration and rating. Page views for the community geared toward design enthusiasts skyrocketed to more than 10 million and continue to grow daily.

Rate My Space provides design enthusiasts a structure to share design concepts or ask for design assistance through the publishing of images that showcase their homes. The early success of HGTV.com's social network indicates the enormous draw of a structured community that fosters continued conversation among this passionate, engaged audience.

CBS

Since 2006, CBS has utilized Neighborhood America's technology to power its online viewer engagement program for the network's evening news program. During the debut of "The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric" in September of 2006, Couric encouraged viewers to log onto CBSNews.com to help her establish a nightly signoff phrase. CBS received, managed, and reviewed more than 40,000 responses in the first 48 hours. Neighborhood America's hosted solution provided CBS the power to collect, filter, sort and manage effectively the thousands of submissions received without compromising the network's technology infrastructure.

In addition to its ongoing online citizen journalism campaigns, CBS recently announced its Springboard initiative, a nationwide program designed to encourage student journalists to apply online for a summer internship program. Springboard provides a unique forum for applicants to submit user-generated content that is not only evaluated by the network, but is also published, shared and critiqued by fellow community members. Students are asked to focus on one of three current news themes-global warming, the work of a local "social entrepreneur" or a profile of an Iraq War veteran-and respond with a 1,200-word written essay or two-and-a-half minute video report. One student whose work is well-received in the Springboard community will be chosen to participate in a summer 2007 internship program with the "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric."

FOX News

Launched in March 2007, FOX News' uReport enables viewers to participate in citizen journalism campaigns for their favorite FOX News programs, including "The O'Reilly Factor," "Hannity & Colmes," "On the Record with Greta," and "Studio B." Most recently, in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre, "Studio B" and its citizen journalism platform became instrumental in reporting on the national tragedy as it unfolded. The initial launch was so successful that uReport has recently been expanded to include seven additional programs.

Neighborhood America's technology allows viewers to submit content through an online platform as well via mobile device, enabling individuals to act as field journalists. As a result, viewers engage with their favorite television programs and feel as if they are part of the newscast. Subsequently, Fox News is expanding its coverage, publishing

approved user-generated content on-air, thus creating a more comprehensive and interactive broadcast experience.

ABC News

In 2006, ABC News partnered with Neighborhood America to manage audience interaction from "Be Seen, Be Heard," a citizen journalism initiative launched by ABC News. Citizens sent their questions and concerns to the President who viewed and answered them on air with George Stephanopoulos.

The initiative has expanded and ABC has incorporated citizen engagement in a majority of its on-air news stories throughout multiple programs. Viewers submit content online or via mobile device in response to current news events including global warming, Iraq, and the 2008 election.