The Asbury Park Press has established a section of its Web site called “DataUniverse,” which consists of searchable databases of public records, such as public employee salaries, criminal convictions, crime reports and property assessments. In five months since DataUniverse went live in December 2006, it generated more than 25 million page views.
DataUniverse is the subject of the most recent Audience Building Initiative case study from Prof. Rich Gordon of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
The Audience Building Initiative series of case studies showcases both operational excellence and initiatives that have successfully increase audience for newspaper Web sites. Past studies focused on "Spotted" from Morris Communications and blogging at The Spokesman-Review.