Local area blogs

[INeedThatForkOff]

I'm keen on the idea of starting a blog about my local area, aimed at both local people looking for reviews and ideas for things to do, and visitors to the area. I have a young family, but I want the appeal to be wider than that, so as well as family days out and events I'd want to include posts about local businesses and services.

Initially I want to write simply for enjoyment and to celebrate some of the great things going on and independent businesses thriving locally, but I think there is potential for generating income too.

Does this sound like too much of a jumble? Can anyone direct me towards similar please?

By businesses, by the way, I mean leisure, food and retail.

Two of my local blogs:

Twickermum - family stuff only, very popular

Twickerati - one of my favourite blogs, written by a local business owner covers events, new businesses, significant events, council activity, with a bit of wry commentary thrown in. My first stop for anything going on in the area.

2INeedThatForkOff
All the family magazines are made this way. With one difference - most of the articles over there are sponsored. As for website fore those magazines - some are better some are not so good, most do not allow comments hence no way to ask Q and get A...

Look at this one: www.mums-dads.co.uk/ - made on Wordpress, arrange as a blog.

As for competion - Families-On-Line (franchise, they cover all the country, more likely you've got a local one. In our school we've got Primetime. I think it's franchise as well but not as widely spread (my friends from other city do not have it).

When you do it - pay attention to convenience of events. Where I live now - it's hard to find local events on-line. The best way - getting hard copy of local Families-On-Line and looking through...

Thanks for the suggestions and advice. I know what you mean about how finding events online can be tricky too.

In my situation it's not the finding. Google gives me several sites straight away. But info over there presented in bizarre way and looking for events on certain day takes a lot of clicks (they sorted by "themes" like theatres, museums, fairs... , so you have to look through all these sections), on the other site, it's not wordpress or some dissent SMS it takes ages to load. It loads all the hidden perks - like flashing images and sliding menus - only after that it shows the text, then every time you "read more" - the same story.

Sorry for the details. It's just I'm channeling my frustration.

Great idea- can only wish you every success!