SOUTH DAKOTA STRAIGHT TALK

Owners of MySiouxFalls.com have suspended operations of their media website. In July when this new Sioux Falls media went live I commented at Another Nail in the Coffin.

MySiouxFalls.com was an inevitable development. Whether it is resurrected, more commercial attempts are going to be made to distribute news over the Internet for profit. Consumers are getting their news and information in different ways than their parents. Television, newspapers, radio, magazines, cannot just rely on the old model. Every media must have an online component. National and local outlets are struggling to find the right formula. I further posted on this in my inaugural post on Keloland.com at Hello KELO.

I applaud Joe Prostrollo and the owners at MySiouxFalls for their attempt to provide a balanced news approach. Unfortunately their business model was not right or it was undercapitalized and thus did not allow the model adequate time to gain viewer ship and thus paying sponsors.

My Criticism – Overall MySiouxFalls did not differentiate itself from existing media. Even though they were solely distributed over the Internet, essentially they were just web television - perhaps because television news production is the background of its management team.

There is opportunity to build viewer ship with niche marketing. There is little media coverage for many interest groups - for example, Sioux Falls Youth Soccer, High School and local College athletics, Sioux Falls Stampede, the South Dakota Symphony, local business coverage, activities of the many non profit organizations in Sioux Falls and the list goes on and on.

People who are interested in these activities thirst for more news coverage that the existing media is not giving them. The Internet media can relatively inexpensively gather and deliver this news and there is financial reward in doing so.

I would also reassess the advertising model. The 10-second video ads on MySiouxFalls are very disruptive. I prefer having visitors to the site register (even if names are not given but other demographic info is) in some fashion and yes leave a cookie so that targeted ads will come on screen when specific readers come on the site. For example Keloland.com does not predominately use the more intrusive video but rather advertisements that let the reader opt into the advertiser’s website or simply let the viewer contact the advertisers.

Other Comments – I did particularly like the Friday business feature, a video, on MySiouxFalls. The best was the approximate 5 minute interview with First Premier Bank leaders, Miles Beacom and Dana Dykhouse telling their side of the story about First Premier’s lending practices. Interestingly ArgusLeader.com is using more video more effectively. Just today they have a very nice, though short, interview with School Superintendent Pan Homan about school attendance.

As regards the Argus Leader organization, they are experimenting and trying. I particularly think several of their associated websites www.BrandonInfo.com, www.siouxfallsmoms.com, and www.pheasantcountry.com are the type of approach successful new media will have to incorporation

The market of course is the final arbiter and so often happens, the road to success in given endeavors is paved with the bones of the explorers and inventors. MySiouxFalls.com was a good effort. I hope they can find a winning formula, if not thanks for trying.