From what I remember of The Smart Local when it started out, there was a lot of content being produced by different contributors who write for the purpose of expressing themselves. There was a system which generated points for them and it was a platform for them to showcase their content whatever it may be. In that sense contributors were rewarded for engaging readers and it gave them motivation to write. The perks of hosting all these contributors is pretty clear, The Smart Local became a site more youngsters would visit, with lots of content being generated and pretty much for free.
However, this system could have been somewhat messy and from then till now things have changed. No speculation on why but if you are an active reader of their site, you would have realised that at present they have a very clean site layout.
What I think? This change might be a way to control the content that is being produced. After all, advertisers and clients like a site that has a clean and professional look. That brings me to my next point. Online content nowadays aren't produced just for fun or expression. It takes time to write and as much as it might just be a hobby, few will turn down the opportunity to write and be paid for it. Be realistic. Make the best of every opportunity and that's exactly what The Smart Local did, monetise their site after gaining readers.
That said, their content is still relevant to the young and us, Singaporeans. Food, travel, things to do, it's stuff that we want to know about. Look at this article for example.
Would you ever see such content being produced elsewhere? Probably not the most interesting content since it has nothing to do with food, Singaporeans' favourite but hey, it is definitely all about us. Ok, I have to admit that seeing an image with words from 5 languages in 1 sentence sparked off some of my linguistic knowledge. It is organic content that's for sure and there's even a video included. In my opinion, that's the new direction that The Smart Local is taking if you haven't guessed it by now. Videos. Jump on the band wagon if you want to attract a larger following, videos are the new thing. Go post videos on your blog, Youtube, Instagram, Snapchat and you might just be the next up and rising star.
