Up Close and Personal: Ex-Patcher Tells How He Went Independent

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Michael Dinan was senior regional editor for Patch in suburban Connecticut when he — along with hundreds of other editorial staffers — was terminated in January as part of Aol’s deal to sell most of the community news network to Hale Global. After the blow fell, he turned around and set up the independent site New Canaanite within days — and expanded it to a collaborative network in suburban Connecticut shortly thereafter…

New Patch Owner Hale Running Company in ‘Lean, Entrepreneurial Mode’

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“There are lots of potential models, and there’s no reason to be ideological about finding the right match between models and communities,” says Hale. “The best thing for hyperlocal journalism is a sustainable business model.”

Openings and New Hires at Angie’s List, Resolution Media, Kenshoo, Sensis

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Every two weeks, Search Influence’s Kelly Benish — who knows practically everyone in hyperlocal — covers some of the latest job changes taking place in this dynamic industry. In this week’s edition, jobs at AOL, Yahoo, Google, VendAsta and Street Fight.

Street Fight Daily: OpenTable Buys Ness, Chicago Cabbies Sue Uber

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.OpenTable Buys Ness, Tests Mobile Payments (TechCrunch)… Chicago Cabbies Sue Over Unregulated Uber, Lyft Services (Bloomberg)… For Yelp, an Expanding Push Into Politics (Hill)…

AOL’s Armstrong: ‘We’re Not Giving Up on Patch’

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Aol’s tenure as Patch’s sole owner may be over, but Tim Armstrong, the company’s chief executive, is not giving up on the hyperlocal network just yet. During an interview on CNBC Thursday morning, Armstrong said that the company has retained a significant stake in Patch and called reports that the company “jettisoned” the struggling property to Hale Global incorrect…

Openings & New Hires at Moz, YP, Kenshoo, and Telenav

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Every two weeks, Search Influence’s Kelly Benish — who knows practically everyone in hyperlocal — covers some of the latest job changes taking place in this dynamic industry. In this week’s edition, new jobs at Trending.info, Internet Marketing Ninjas, VendAsta, AOL, and Daily Press…

The Patch Saga, and Its Implications for Local Media

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Aol’s decision to unload its struggling hyperlocal network earlier this week may not have been unexpected, but the distressed property’s fire sale does carry with it some broader questions, even as many local media companies have recently started to see signs of reinvestment…

Openings & New Hires at Kenshoo, GateHouse, Local Corp and Search Influence

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Every two weeks, Search Influence’s Kelly Benish — who knows practically everyone in hyperlocal — covers some of the latest job changes taking place in this dynamic industry. In this week’s edition, new hires and jobs at Daily Press, AOL, PAGE Cooperative, and more…

Street Fight Daily: AOL Unloads Patch, Handybook Buys Exec

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.…. AOL Unloads Most of Patch Local-News Site (Wall Street Journal)… Handybook Buys Exec in a Deal for the On-Demand World (New York Times)… Jack Dorsey Says The Receipt Is Untapped “Canvas” And “Publishing Medium” (BuzzFeed)…

Street Fight Daily: Uber’s Surge Pricing Stays, AOL CEO Speaks About Patch

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.Uber CEO: Surge Pricing Is Here to Stay (Wall Street Journal)… AOL CEO Upbeat on Adap.tv Business, Patch Partnership (USA Today)… Yelp seeks Washington clout after rapid rise in Silicon Valley (The Hill)…

Street Fight Daily: AOL Winds Down Patch, Twitter Tests ‘Nearby’ Feature

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.AOL Chief’s White Whale Finally Slips His Grasp (New York Times)… Twitter Test Shows ‘Nearby’ Tweets (Wall Street Journal)… Amazon Said To Launch Pantry To Take On Costco, Sam’s (USA Today)…

Winding Down Investment In Patch, AOL Writes Off Millions

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AOL revenues fell sharply in the third quarter due to large writeoffs related to the continued challenges at the company’s hyperlocal news network Patch. During an earnings call Tuesday, the company said it took a $19 million charge due to recent restructuring costs at the hyperlocal media division as well as a $25 million charge related to non-cash asset impairment, or decrease in the valuation, of the project…

6 Strategies for Patching Up Patch

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To meet the promise he made to shareholders, AOL’s chief executive Tim Armstrong is in the process of cutting staff and other costs at Patch in the hopes that his network of hyperlocal sites will be profitable by the end of 2013. But just making short-term cuts to hit profitability might not be the optimum choice. Patch also has to plant seedlings for mid- and long-term benefits that the company can reap 6-12 months from now…

Openings & New Hires at Patch, Groupon, Flickr, Search Influence and More

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Every two weeks, Search Influence’s Kelly Benish — who knows practically everyone in hyperlocal — covers some of the latest job changes taking place in this dynamic industry. In this week’s edition, new hires at Square and Groupon, and job openings at Street Fight, AOL, Yahoo, BuzzTown, Yext, and the Weather Channel…

Street Fight Daily: Millennial Media Buys Jumptap, Gannett Merges Agency Business

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technologyMillennial Media Snaps Up Jumptap For $193 Million (AdExchanger)… Gannett Dives Deeper Into Agency Business With ‘G/O Digital’ (AdAge)… To Square Up To Foursquare, Yelp Now Lets Users Post Reviews Directly From Its Mobile App (TechCrunch)…

AOL’s Armstrong: 1/3 of Patch Sites Currently Have ‘Viable Business Model’

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On an earnings call Wednesday, AOL’s CEO Tim Armstrong said that the remaining 600 or so sites are split between properties that are on their way to viability, and sites that will likely not reach profitability by the end of the year. The news comes as AOL works to bring the closely-watched hyperlocal media network to run-rate profitability by the end of 2013, a commitment that Armstrong says the company still plans to meet…

Openings & New Hires at CityGrid, Google Wallet, Groupon, and more…

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Every two weeks, Search Influence’s Kelly Benish — who knows practically everyone in hyperlocal — covers some of the latest job changes taking place in this dynamic industry. (Plus, scroll down for jobs on offer now.)

Street Fight Daily: Facebook Reportedly Circles Waze, Klout Dips Into Local Commerce

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.Reports: Facebook Is Buying Social Mapping/Traffic App Waze For Up To $1B To Court Mobile Users (TechCrunch)… Klout Dips into Q&A and Local Commerce with Launch of New Questions Feature (GigaOm)… Trulia Agrees to Buy Real-Estate Software Maker Market Leader For $355 Million (Wall Street Journal)…

AOL Chief: We Will Use ‘All Means Possible’ to Get Patch to Profitability by Q4

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AOL’s hyperlocal media network Patch has rolled out its redesign from a handful of pilot communities to around 100 markets across the country, Tim Armstrong, AOL’s chief executive, said during an earnings call Wednesday morning. The move comes as AOL focuses in on Patch’s model, pushing the closely-watched hyperlocal news network to reach run-rate profitability by Q4 of this year…

Openings & New Hires at Groupon, Street Fight, PaperG, AOL & more

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More folks on the move: PaperG hires Brooke Frederick away from Bizo; Weather Channel poaches from Digital Broadcasting Group; SoundCloud brings on a Nokia executive and the job openings abound, including a plum sales position at Street Fight. Also: good opportunities for product managers and sales execs at Groupon, AOL, Oracle, Signpost and more. Plus: juicy insider tips on who’s looking to make the jump!…