Outside In

I have just read a piece on Daniel Finkelstein's Times site entitled is this the new Faccebook?

This new Social media software called "Outside In",which works like this

the site is ultimately about a new kind of experience. You sit at a computer and type in a street address, or a neighborhood name, or a zip code -- perhaps for your own home area, perhaps for a place you're visiting or interested in -- and within seconds the screen gives you a glimpse of all the textured, real-world issues and conversations and news unfolding in the location you've entered. Not just restaurant reviews or upcoming concerts, but the broad, bustling range of information flowing through a lively neighborhood: complaints about the local school; rumors of a new bar opening up next week; a crime report for a mugging the night before; a promising open house this weekend. Up to now, only the most connected local experts in any neighborhood could keep up with all these evolving conversations. outside.in is designed to let you see it all in seconds.

Could this actually be the the ultimate in Micro Journalism giving the consumer at his finger tips the access to all the local news and forums?

Not yet available in the UK but surely only a matter of time?