Neighborhood breaking news sites?

February 2, 2006 6:48 AM

I need an easy-to-sign-up mailing list for my neighborhood's breaking news.

I want to start a mailing list that would inform people by email of local breaking news. A Yahoo mailing list would be great but you have to practically write a resume to get a yahoo ID. And then you have to go through 5 "that username has been taken" and several other revisions before it is created. This is too cumbersome. I'm going to loose or piss off too many of my potentials. I need something really easy to sign up with.

I've looked at "neighborhood specific" websites. The stand-out was one by a school - I think it was MIT - which was good but it is all Flash-y and I live in a very rural area with only dial-up. So that won't work.

Any suggestions? A web-based wiki with email alerts would be perfect. But I'm open to any solution.

posted by 9000.68 to Computers & Internet (4 answers total)

A free blog (e.g. Blogger/Blogsome) with email notification (such as FeedBlitz or Bloglet) of new posts? Your neighbors would then have to sign up just the once via the blog and have new posts direct to their inbox.
posted by ceri richard at 7:36 AM on February 2, 2006

Get web hosting (for less then $10/month). Most places include mailing lists. Easy signup for your list members, and it shouldn't be too hard to set up the admin stuff.

Google: mailman hosting plans
posted by voidcontext at 7:41 AM on February 2, 2006

i-neighbors?
posted by Thorzdad at 8:25 AM on February 2, 2006

try upoc.com ?
posted by Izzmeister at 5:14 PM on February 2, 2006