Online "newspapers" have audience reach far beyond their tradtional borders, which are limited by hard-copy delivery distance. Metropolitan papers often acknowledge geographical differences within the delivery market by printing "localized" versions. The Washington Post just took localization to the next logical step: differentiating between "local" readers and its national/international audience. The home page now changes for each reader, a function of the zip code used when registering. The Post says that about 80 percent of the 8.5 million monthly readers of the website are from outside of the DC area. This localization may be one way to increase advertising revenue by better meeting the needs of local advertisers.

Tags: convergence, media