Amar Ujala launches 2 more hyperlocal websites

The Hindi daily has launched websites for Jammu and Shimla to add to the existing ones for Lucknow, Chandigarh, Dehradun and Delhi-NCR.

Amar Ujala launched two hyperlocal websites in Shimla and Jammu last week. In an endeavour to expand its digital footprint, the Hindi daily has hyperlocal sites in the capital cities of six North Indian states so far.

The Shimla hyperlocal website was launched on July 15 and the Jammu hyperlocal website was launched on July 20. Amar Ujala had earlier launched hyperlocal websites for Lucknow, Chandigarh, Dehradun and Delhi-NCR.

Speaking at the launch, Vinod Verma, editor, digital and convergence, says, "Technology and a new generation have changed the pattern of news consumption now. That is a challenge for traditional media to change and a hyperlocal site is a small step to face that challenge." Hyperlocal sites are for the people of the cities and also for those who belong to a city and have migrated to the some other part of the country or the world.

All six hyperlocal websites are an integral part of the mother site www.amarujala.com and all of them can be accessed through most handheld devices.

The hyperlocal websites provide a mix of hard news (political, crime, bureaucracy and others), campus news, cultural and sports activities along with photo galleries and blogs. They also encourage citizen's journalism - users can contribute by sending news and photos from their surroundings. It empowers everyone to report on events, activities, cultural and social causes. Photographs of these will be incorporated in individual photo galleries.