Outside.in is a new Google mashup site that aggregates blog postings and other relevant information geographically. Change the zip and the content changes automatically. Drag the map around and the content changes as well. Pretty slick.
Check out this Seattle site for example. Outside.in displays recent blog posts written by local residents. The conversations are from people who actually live there and write about it, so the site has instant credibility. You can sort the posts and events by topic, including real estate – so the topic breadth is considerable as well.
By drilling down deeper into pressing neighborhood issues like crime, schools etc. Outside.in can become an excellent place to research a neighborhood, your own or perhaps one you’re considering moving to.
I even found a number of blogs I’d never even heard of that write about my neighborhood using the site. Very cool.
You can subscribe to RSS feeds from each neighborhood to stay on top of what’s happening. This is much better than the local newspaper that shows up periodically on my doorstep.
By registering for as a user, you can add your own blog as a source and to their blogroll for each neighborhood. For real estate bloggers, especially blogs that focus on particular geographic areas, adding their voices to this mix could be especially rewarding.
In my post, Everybody’s Going Local, I suggested that Realtors look for local advertising opportunities on the Internet. There’s no advertising on the site currently, but I suspect these opportunities might arise. Keep an eye on Outside.in
