Community Engagement

This group’s recommended:
1. Draw community bloggers under the newspapers’ online site.
-recruit community-based bloggers and engage the readers in the selection.
-provides exposure to the bloggers and also expands the links of the papers to other online sites.
What I like about this idea is it incorporates the community almost in a job-like basis with the paper. There are several sports websites already doing this, and MLB.com was basically started this way. It is important to have very specific guidelines for the bloggers so it does not get out of hand. I think the creation of these pages needs to be done in the most creative manner possible to attract readers and encourage the bloggers to treat their site seriously. I also think this idea opens doors for young reporters like myself who are looking for a foothold in the journalism world.

2. A simple search mechanism. Getting more traffic to the website is obviously the key. Some online news sites, such as http://www.grist.org, utilize search words very well. This will require a decent amount of consultation with staff in order for this to be plausible and effective. The monthly report showing changes will be essential to drawing advertisers and should be given adequate attention.

3. Neighborhood connections. Creating a network of newspaper opinion communities. I think this is a great idea, if other papers are willing to participate. There are so many ways to ask for help, advice or brainstorm ideas with other papers. I do think this could get political if some corporate newspaper owners don’t like the idea of papers getting help from one another. This is a very proactive idea, and would take a lot of time and coordination to work and operate successfully.