AOL’s Patch aims to add 400 more sites over next six months

AOL’s Patch – the biggest network of neighbourhood blogs in the US – has announced plans to accelerate its growth rapidly.

Warren Webster, president of Patch, has said that the network plans to add another 400 hyperlocal sites, over the next six months, bringing the total to 500.

This means that Patch will be hiring around 500 more reporters, from 20 states.

Webster also said that Patch is choosing towns to expand in, based on factors such as average household income, how often citizens vote, and the ranking of the local high school, along with characteristics such as a “vibrant business community” or “walkable Main Street”.

Although each community site features advertising, with local companies able to buy banner ads and business listings, the network has said that it hasn’t been focusing on revenue. Webster said: “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.”

Although Patch won’t say whether its sites are currently profitable or not, it has says that it costs 1/2th the amount to run a Patch site compared to a daily newspaper – even when costs such as delivery trucks and printing presses are taken out.