New Web site promises coverage of all things local in Hendersonville

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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There’s yet another new entrant on the scene of local, community-specific Web sites today. I don’t know why these sites are popping up all of a sudden, but people are definitely seeing opportunity.

Several years ago, folks called these “portals” (still do?). The idea, which many newspapers adopted in their early Internet days, was to offer complete local coverage and brand it by community. Some newspapers kept this strategy, while others moved on.

So one of the first Web site urls that the Asheville Citizen-Times operated under was something like “CarolinaMountains.com.” The Hendersonville Times-News went the portal way several years ago, with its Web url now “BlueRidgeNow.com.” 

More recently, we’ve seen sites like AshevilleNow pop up. These community aggregators are doing what newspapers do, without the newspaper.

But speaking of Hendersonville, we now have Hvillescoop.com. It debuts today and, I have to say, looks pretty slick. It’s asking citizen journalists to join in with original content, while promoting other general news and calendar functions, just like a newspaper. 

Here’s what Hvillescoop says about itself:

Hvillescoop.com is Henderson County’s community website – a place to share news, announcements, events, photos, tips and just plain old helpful information with neighbors and visitors. Learn more about Henderson County people, places and businesses. Contact us with your ideas and suggestions, we’d love to hear from you.

Hvillescoop is produced by Planet Zeus Media, the same company that puts out Bold Life and Verve magazines. Both magazines have a solid presence in the Hendersonville community, with Verve also extending into the Asheville area. Bold Life is always packed with local advertising and, to my eye, targets the older set, which is smart for Hooterville, which is packed with retirees. Verve’s glossy pages, slick layout and focus on women squarely targets the female demographic. 

So what’s the target with Hvillescoop.com? The Hendersonville-Times News might want to take notice. And anyone else thinking about creating a local Web portal should also check it out, because I think there’s definitely potential to replicate this idea around Western North Carolina. You could have a Sylvascoop or a Brevardscoop or, dare I say it, an AVLscoop.

Yikes. I better get busy.