Hyperlocal sites such as EveryBlock, Outside.In, PlaceBlogger, and Patch are attempting to fill the void left by closed down dailies, with varying degrees of success, paidContent reported.

While hyper-local sites attempt to cover local news by employing journalists to cover police blotters and school board meetings, they also depend to a certain extent on news that comes from the struggling newspapers they are trying to replace.

Such sites are struggling to find their place between major and local print media, who either are establishing similar sites (such as The New York Times community sites) or who already cover local events to a great extent.

paidContent advises hyper-local sites to carefully consider who they invite on board, suggesting it be better to hire local reporters who are more likely to "integrate themselves into the neighborhood."

These sites are not immune to the same problems their print counterparts are seeing. During this global recession, advertising revenue has dropped even at the local level, making the future of hyper-local sites almost as much of a gamble as the future of print media, paidContent reported.