以下を訳せ　（ワシントンポストプレスリリースより）

washingtonpost.com Achieves New Level in Local Reporting with Launch of LoudounExtra.com

New Site Leverages Digital Technology to Produce Hyperlocal Media Content; Provides Unmatched Depth of Information for and from Community

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--washingtonpost.com, the award-winning news and information Web site, today unveiled LoudounExtra.com, a site providing unparalleled, in-depth coverage of community-level news and events for Loudoun County, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C.

Geared toward local residents, businesses and organizations, LoudounExtra.com solidifies washingtonpost.com's leadership as an innovative online publisher and signals its foray into producing customized hyperlocal content.

Making use of user-generated content - including multimedia forms - to enhance traditional reporting, LoudounExtra.com is a vibrant, comprehensive resource that encourages visitors to drill deeply into the latest news, events, sports, local amenities and shopping deals in Loudoun County.

"We envisioned making an impact in the hyperlocal arena for quite some time," said Jim Brady, Executive Editor, washingtonpost.com. "Our approach was to make it the very best, right from the start. With LoudounExtra.com, we've brought to the most local level conceivable the core characteristics of washingtonpost.com: quality journalism, multimedia, reader engagement and involvement, as well as useful information databases."

Among the exciting features to be found on LoudounExtra.com are:

• Multimedia player for local content, especially user-generated;
• Searchable databases of events, restaurants and local institutions;
• E-mail- or SMS-based reminder services; and
• In-depth coverage of area school sports.

In addition, LoudounExtra.com offers advertisers efficient and effective ways to reach consumers literally right where they live.

Enhancing Reader Involvement

The homepage presents a large multimedia player screen for display of user-generated photos and videos that contribute to the site's strong sense of community. Area residents are encouraged to submit stories, videos and photos via the "You Submit" section, with the chance of their photos featured on the homepage header.

Other elements designed to foster a dialogue with and among readers include interactive polls and blogs customized exclusively for Loudoun communities. Housed under "Your Thoughts," readers are invited to participate in polls and compare their voting results to fellow contributors. "Living in LoCo," a blog for the community by a washingtonpost.com writer who is also a Loudoun County resident, serves to engage readers on relevant local issues and includes a blogroll of other blogs around the county.

"When conceptualizing LoudounExtra.com, we wanted to provide truly engaging content while making a site that involves and belongs to the community as a whole," said Rob Curley, Vice President of Product Development. "To us, LoudounExtra.com goes beyond the bells and whistles of community-publishing tools. It represents a real partnership with local residents."

Easy to Find Something to Do, Someplace to Go

LoudounExtra.com touts an exhaustive local events calendar, which is searchable by event category, keyword(s), age limit, cost, date and time of day. Additionally, event reminders can be sent by text message or e-mail at designated times. For example, one can opt to receive an hourly reminder up to twelve hours before the event, until its start.

Similarly, LoudounExtra.com offers a distinctly comprehensive online restaurant guide. Like the local events calendar, the restaurant guide is searchable with advanced criteria options including whether a restaurant offers delivery, is vegetarian friendly, is locally owned, accepts reservations or call-ahead orders, offers outdoor seating, and what forms of payment it accepts, among others. Users can also search for restaurants with extended hours of operation, ideal for those with late-night appetites.

The detail of the restaurant guide extends to maps of restaurant locations and photo galleries, as well as the unique ability to transfer information to mobile devices, such as cell phones and iPods.

"The ability to locate and process information quickly is an important element of today's evolving, real-time media landscape," Brady said. "With that in mind, LoudounExtra.com strives to provide content when and how readers want it, regardless of format or delivery method."

Users of the LoudounExtra.com search feature can also locate a place of worship using defined parameters, such as region, denomination and keyword(s). Search results return a description and history of the venue, clergy contact information, service dates and times, and the availability of babysitting and/or school programs, alongside photos and a virtual tour of the organization's interior.

Know the Score When it's Made

Fans of high school sports will enjoy LoudounExtra.com's meticulous coverage of local teams and players, including season outlooks, team rosters and statistics, game schedules with links to accompanying stories and photos, coach information and player profiles. Maps, photos and 360-degree views of school athletic stadiums allow users to preview seating arrangements and observe the field from specific seats.

About washingtonpost.com

washingtonpost.com is the award-winning news and information Web site of the Washington Post. It offers world-class journalism, a remarkable blend of traditional reporting and innovative, multimedia content that provides an unmatched level of depth and texture to breaking stories as well as features, plus unique ways for reader to engage with the site, its capabilities and content.

One of five online properties published by Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, washingtonpost.com is the recipient of the first-ever Emmy for original video journalism online and has won numerous other awards, including an EPpy Award for Best Overall Newspaper-Affiliated Site, several Digital Edge Awards, a 2007 National Journalism Award for Web Reporting, National Press Photographers' Association Best of Photojournalism Award, and three consecutive Edward R. Murrow Awards for Overall Excellence for Non-Broadcast Affiliated Website, among others. According to the 2007 Project for Excellence in Journalism, washingtonpost.com is a "High Achiever" as an online news site, earning strong marks in terms of branding, content customization, multimedia and user participation.

For more information, please visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/.

About Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive

Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive (WPNI) is the online publishing subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE:WPO). Its mission is to create truly interactive platforms that offer unmatched user experiences by developing editorial products with world-class reporting, multimedia features and award-winning content.

WPNI's news and information sites, which include washingtonpost.com, Slate, Newsweek.com, Sprig.com and Budget Travel Online, inform and encourage conversation and debate while reaching millions of unique and active users each month. WPNI properties' long lists of awards include the first-ever Emmy for original video journalism online awarded to washingtonpost.com, as well as National Journalism Awards, Pictures of the Year International Award, several Digital Edge Awards, multiple Edward R. Murrow Awards and White House New Photographer's Association Awards, among others.

The company is headquartered in Arlington, VA.

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/index.jsp?epi-content=NEWS_VIEW_POPUP_TYPE&newsId=20070716005203&ndmHsc=v2*A1184583600000*B1184646938000*DgroupByDate*G22*J1*N1000001&newsLang=en&beanID=2133606841&viewID=news_view_popup

解説

　インターネットコンテンツの特徴である広域性の対極にある、非常に狭い居住地域でなにが起こって、居住者、来訪者の日常に影響のある重要な情報とは何なのか、その試金石な試みが、ワシントンポストの関係するＷＥＢサイトで企画されている。

　いわゆる紙ＭＥＤIAの危惧は、広告を事業主体とするサイト事業者と、そのパイオニアでもある新聞社の、ビジネスモデルの類似性とＮＥＴＭＥＤＩＡの散逸したコンテンツへの利用者の飽和、すなわちいわゆるインターネット上に有益なものの存在の稀有議論のアンチテーゼとなりうるか、しかし、世の中にはにたようなことをやろうとする人がいるものだなあと、貴之はオモイマシタ。

　ちなみに原文は中級中学生レベルなので、読めない場合、ＮＨＫの講座でもやることをおすすめします（シャカイジンのみなさまへ）。