Technically Philly stories that were picked up by others

When I hear from community members, readers and casual observers of the topically-focused, community-orientated Technically Philly news site I’ve helped grow over the past 14 months or so, I hear about it being a platform.

Yes, we offer the coverage on the city’s technology policy and trends in the region’s digital divide like no one else in the market, but increasingly I’m told about our value as a voice box for the growing cluster of startups, innovators and technologists who are calling Philadelphia home.

It struck me that someone ought to be tracking the stories that we find that bubble up through larger regional and national publications. It’s a role we very happily play, both for the city and for the companies and leaders we cover.

Below, some of the more notable examples, a list I hope to update in the future, if only for my own curiosity.

Chris Bartlett and his Gay History Wiki

We first covered his presentation at Ignite Philly, and then I followed up with a TP profile, which offered enough substance to be capped by a CityPaper cover story. While that was happening New York Times reporter Guy Trebay contacted me to put him in touch with Chris for his own profile, noting TP as his source for the tip.

Randy Schmidt and Lose it or Lose It

We caught wind of the Philly developer’s new Web-based project in which users bet on themselves losing weight and ran a feature.

When CW Philly reporter Nicole Brewer came asking for suggestions for a New Year’s trend story, we knew just what to suggest and weren’t surprised when it ran on CBS 3.

Brad Ericson and 3SecondReceipts

The Drexel University teenager was using social media to boost his candidacy to become Entrepreneur Magazine’s College Entrepreneur of the Year, an award he won, but traction in the region seemed decidedly less consistent.

But the award and his startup company that created a point-of-sale system to bypass cash registers and create digital copies of small-purchase receipts, saving money on ink and paper, made him more than worth of a TP feature. From there, through a partnership with Metro, I placed a Q&A with Ericson into the city’s highest circulated daily newspaper.

Not long after his face was plastered on a Philly.com Philadelphia Business Today podcast segment.

Andrew Rosenthal and Happier.com

After being pitched on the idea, I profiled Rosenthal and his freemium Web site offering practical steps for people seeking to live a happier, more fulfilling life. Later, he landed a front-of-book piece in Philadelphia magazine.

There are an increasing number of Phillymag examples. Other than say, our contest for a new city logo and then their story on the “blogosphere” criticizing the logo, we’ve started offering a weekly column in a content partnership.