Are more councils beginning to use hyperlocal sites, and will this usage increase in the future?
I do not see councils as ‘using’ hyperlocal sites because they are not there to interfere nor moderate/own the hyperlocal websites. They hyperlocal websites belong to citizens and they are the ‘users’ of hyperlocal websites. Councils are unofficial contributors to useful information that can help citizens within that particular area. So you can view councils as being just another member of that community sitting side-by-side with citizens, reaching out on citizens level without any barriers or judgements. This type of engagement will hopefully break down the barriers or walls that currently exist between councils and citizens and increase citizens trust towards local authorities. At this moment, there are a few councils beginning to ‘engage’ with hyperlocal sites, but each are using different strategies or methods for those engagements. Its important to mention a very important research currently being carried out my London Council that you can find here http://www.londoncouncils.gov.u
