Boston.com has expanded its successful hyperlocal network of Web sites, Your Town, to two more Massachusetts communities -- Arlington and Dedham. See www.boston.com/yourtown/arlington/.

The sites were added Jan. 14, and Arlington content has included links to YourArlington.. In December, Boston.com celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Your Town community sites, which first launched with the Newton site.

Throughout this past year, Your Town has continued to build upon its success by expanding to a total of sixteen community news sites now active: Arlington, Brookline, Dedham, Framingham, Hingham, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Natick, Needham, Newton, Norwell, Scituate, Somerville, Waltham and Wellesley.

“The Your Town program continually exceeds our expectations for audience engagement,” said Robert Kempf, vice president, product, for Boston.com.  “The ability to aggregate information from a host of different sources – from local news to pertinent information down to the ability for residents to get something as simple as a street light or pothole repaired – has helped each community actively embrace its respective site. These sites are far more than news sites; they’re vibrant, active online communities.”

The locally focused sites provide comprehensive news and information from The Boston Globe and Boston.com, while also aggregating content from other relevant local media and information sources.  This means that readers are able to find the essential information they need in one convenient spot.

“The Your Town operation has made our coverage of area communities even stronger. We are delivering highly targeted, highly relevant and highly local news, reflecting the Globe’s continuing commitment to community journalism,” said David Dahl, regional editor, The Boston Globe.  “Each Your Town site is designed to serve as a digital town center and provide residents with the latest community news and information reported by Globe and Boston.com town correspondents.  The correspondents work with The Boston Globe's news staff to cover topics that are important to local readers, such as town politics, budget cuts, school athletics, and town events.”

Over the past year more special editorial features have been incorporated into all of the Your Town sites, including:

    • See, Click, Fix: interactive maps that can be used to report public works problems, such as potholes, and broken street lights.

    • “Things To Do” Event Listings for each community.

    • Discussion Boards and access to local blogs.

    • Guide to Your Town: Detailed information about community services, schedules, issues and town history.

"Small- and medium-sized businesses are gravitating to the Your Town platform to target customers in the specific communities that matter most to their businesses,” said Jim Bodor, director of product development for Boston.com.  “By using the innovative Flyerboard ad units on Your Town, as well as more traditional online advertising, local businesses are finding ad products on Your Town that are in line with their budgets and needs.”

Each of the Boston.com Your Town sites can be accessed via the main Your Town portal at www.boston.com/yourtown.

Residents of other towns not currently part of the Your Town program are encouraged to request inclusion for their towns by going to the main Your Town portal at www.boston.com/yourtown.

For information about advertising in a Your Town community, contact Stephen Gardner at 617-929-8797.

About Boston.com

Boston.com is one of the most visited regional portals in the U.S and is wholly owned by The New York Times Co., a leading media company with 2008 revenues of $2.9 billion, which includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers and more than 50 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com.  The company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.