9Neighbors Data on Independent Local Content

When we started working on 9Neighbors a few months ago, we were a little concerned that we wouldn't be able to find enough independent content to highlight on the site.

There was no need to worry. Check out the data below, a report on the distribution of the types of items indexed on 9Neighbors in January.

Of the more than 25,000 local news items we indexed, over 70% of them were independently produced. That's over 18,000 photos, videos, stories and other missives about our communities produced by individuals for their own reasons. All of that competes with traditional media for the community's attention.

Whatever you think of their quality and relevance, these videos, photos and blog posts represent the things people are talking about in communities around Boston.