Creating an online community is a great way to get in front of residents in your target market 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Below is a link to a long video (42 minutes) from InmanTV about building your niche online.  The speakers provide tons of great advice about building a niche, developing a business plan, engaging consumers and becoming a neighborhood expert.  Most of the content relates to blogging, but it also works for interactive neighborhood websites.  It's long, but if you have the time you will get a lot out of it.

If you’re interested in growing your business this way, I’m happy to provide suggestions on how to get started.

View the InmanTV video at: http://www.inmantv.com/?p=122.