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Google has quietly begun testing a new hyperlocal news platform called Bulletin
Google LLC’s latest social media experiment is a hyperlocal news service dubbed Bulletin that could pit the search giant against Facebook Inc., as well as many other smaller players.
Word of the platform hit this morning after Slate picked up a YouTube video from a Nashville-based blogger who was invited to a private product launch. Google representatives at the event described Bulletin as a mobile-first website that acts like a native app and will enable anyone with a handset to share local news. According to a website that the company has set up for the service, posting updates is meant to be as straightforward as it is on Facebook or Twitter.
Google is currently testing Bulletin in Nashville and Oakland. Both happen to be cities where the company offers access to its high-speed Google Fiber Internet service.
The search giant envisions users publicizing developments such as weather changes, high school sporting events and street closes. A post can be paired with an image or a brief video clip to provide a view from the ground.
Bulletin might have the potential to create some extra competition for Facebook, which many people rely on as their main channel for consuming hyperlocal updates online. There are also services such as Nextdoor that are specifically designed to let share users developments happening in their immediate area.
Another party that would feel the effects of a serious attempt by Google to move into hyperlocal news are regional publishers. That’s especially important since they could potentially be key to helping Bulletin get off the ground, which the search giant has apparently taken into account. During the Nashville product launch, a representative said that the company will work with local media organizations to help them adopt Bulletin.
The pledge comes as Facebook pilots a new News Feed feature that likewise aims to help small publishers by creating a dedicated section for local news. Yet it still very much remains to be seen if Google can seriously challenge the social networking giant. After all, its previous attempts to establish a foothold in this segment have had poor results.
Image: Google
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