BenitoLink

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1. What is your project? [1 sentence] BenitoLink is a bi-lingual, hyperlocal online information hub connecting residents of rural San Benito County, Calif. to each other, surrounding communities, and beyond.

2. How will your project use mobile tools and approaches? [2 sentences] Via smart phones and tablets - increasingly more popular, affordable and accessible than traditional laptops or desktops - BenitoLink will enable residents to stay informed on local events, politics and news. We’ll keep it free, easy to use, and published in both English and Spanish.

3. Who will use it and why? [1 sentence] We envision everyone - 50,000 residents and their networks - using it: from farmworkers in the field, to stay-at-home parents in the park, to Silicon Valley commuters, just 45 minutes north, in their cubicles, all logging on daily to learn about what happening in their community.

4. Please list three ways they would learn about your project. We will promote BenitoLink via social media, word of mouth, and a local marketing campaign. 

5. What connections have you made, or will you make, with others [communities, organizations or networks] about your project? [2 sentences] We have spent the past 24 months conducting an in-depth visioning process including 18 Listening Sessions with more than 800 residents and 30 community organizations (private, non-profit, and public.) Across the board, the consensus was that our county needs - and will support - a reliable and quality source of information. 

6. What part of the project have you already built? [1-2 sentences, feel free to include links] We have raised $75,000 to date and commissioned a team of developers of a similar site, www.therapidian.org, to design our site. We are in the process of hiring contributors, creating content, and establishing standards for BenitoLink.com to ensure regular,  original content will be added daily. 

7. What does success for your project look like? [1-2 sentences] Success would be a lively, online community that reflects the diverse culture and community of San Benito County. We hope to be a model for other communities that are looking to fill the void of a lack of reliable, local information and will share what we learn with others. 

8. What resources do you need to succeed? [1-2 sentences] We need a foundation of 2-3 years of funding to establish ourselves as an integral part of the community and develop long-term revenue sources, such as memberships and/ or subscriptions from people who find value in the site. We are hoping for a grant of $150,000 from Knight to help us do this. 

Additional details: BenitoLink.com plans to launch in the Fall of 2012
Please list who is on your team: Julie Morris, award-winning journalist and Executive Director of VIsion San Benito County, a project of the Community Foundation for San Benito County; Mark Paxton, former editor of McClatchy Newspapers’ Hollister Free Lance newspaper; Bob Reid, local artist and writer; Kathy Bisbee, Executive Director of Community  Media Access Partnership (CMAP); and Leslie David, documentary filmaker and reporter. 
Expected number of months to complete project: 36
Estimated Project Cost: $300,000
Name: BenitoLink.com 
Twitter: @SanBenitoLink
Email address: cvsbc@cffsbc.org
Organization [if applicable]: Community Foundation for San Benito County
City: Hollister, California
Country: United States
How did you learn about the contest? Medial Learning Seminar, Miami, FL 2011