Tim Bursch

This is a guest post by Josh Becerra. Josh is a social entrepreneur and internet start-up guy. He is the co-founder of localtweeps.com and buythechange.com. Josh is also part of a Minneapolis Co-working space called The 3rd Place. Check it out. You can follow him on Twitter @joshbecerra.

Today I was sitting in my neighborhood coffee shop as my neighbors filed in to get their cup of Joe before heading into the office. What amazed me is how everyone standing around waiting for their order was glued to their phone. They were probably checking email, reading the morning news, updating their status on Facebook or Twitter, or becoming “Mayor of Lori’s Coffeehouse” on Foursquare.  Nobody was actually talking on their phone…they were just mesmerized by the glow.

This got me thinking about how these days my Twitter stream and Google Reader is filled with research, reports and studies where analysts identify the top trends for 2010. Buzz words like “Hyperlocal”, “Interactive Local Media”, “Mobile Local Media” seem to be on everyone’s top trends list – and rightly so.  Location and geo-targeted advertising has been an elusive revenue stream. But the mix of technology, usage and advertiser trends is pushing the pace of change. Today I can walk down the street with my smart phone in hand and know what businesses are around me, who has something on sale and who is offering coupons.  Using the same technology I have the ability to geo-target my friends so I can always keep track of the people I know.  So what about the people I don’t know – but might want to get to know better – my neighbors?

It seems most people think about hyperlocal in the context of “an individual’s relationship to the people, places, and things that are located around them at any given time via geo-targeting.” So here are my questions:

Is there room for a second definition of hyperlocal as “an individual’s relationship to their neighbors and neighborhood?

And does anyone else care besides me?

Update: Correction- The 3rd Place is in St. Paul, MN

Tags: hyperlocal