AOL is set to launch 500 new websites through its Patch platform, in a move that will see the company edge further into the content generation market.
Patch has established itself as the largest network of community-specific blogs on the web since it was purchased by AOL last year. It already has 100 local sites, but AOL plans to add a further 400 by the end of this year.
500 extra reporters will be hired across 20 US states, covering stories on a range of subjects relevant to their local community. According to The Guardian, this will make Patch far and away the biggest new employer of full-time journalists in the United States.
Reuters report that AOL will spend $50 million (£32 million) on setting up the new sites, and the rapid growth is thought to reflect the company’s desire to shed its image as purely a dial-up Internet service provider.
Jon Brod, one of Patch’s founding members, believes that the need for a community-focused service like Patch is greater than ever, as traditional media sources continue to shift their attention towards global matters.
“That is the need Patch is filling”, Brod told Reuters.
Patch president Warren Webster explains that the main aim of the service is to provide quality journalism for local people, but hinted that the site may become an important tool for marketing and generating revenue.
He told The Guardian: “Our philosophy from day one was that the first priority should be to build an engaged audience through journalism.”
“The second phase is to leverage that audience for local businesses that want to target customers. We’re at the beginning of phase two now,” he added.
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