By Patrick Tepoorten
With my editor somewhere between Grand Forks and home this Tuesday morning, it falls on me to play editor this week and fill her rather large shoes (figurative, not literal). As such, I thought I would use this space to bring readers up to date on some of the exciting things that are happening with the Post Review online.
The internet allows newspapers to embrace many types of media, offer a host of interactive options, and frees news from the constraints of weekly publication. We are trying to make use of all of these features to enhance our news coverage and create divergence from the weekly publication, making both relevant in different ways.
What’s different about online? Well, our revamped comment section allows for greater freedom for readers to offer commentary on news stories, columns, and letters. Already it has created lively and responsible debate and we are hoping that continues and participation increases as we move along.
The Post Review is on the cusp of taking that interaction a large step further as well, with the impending launch of Post Review Community Talk, and interactive forum that will allow readers to forge the debate concerning the issues that affect them most. We are looking forward to seeing what you have to say.
Another way we are taking advantage of digital media is in the use of video. Over the last year we have produced over a dozen videos ranging in topic from hard news to sports, from community events to concerts.
MyCapture, found on the Post Review home page, allows readers to browse and purchase photos, including many that did not appear in the weekly print edition. As we move along, we will be posting more and more of our extensive photo library at MyCapture.
Watch for new polls as well. The Post Review updates the home page with a timely poll when the mood strikes, and online readers have already spoken on weighty topics like their favorite Easter candy (who could forget the meteoric rise of jelly beans last week) and television show. Rather than a hard news function, it is our goal to keep the poll a little cheeky, which readers seem to enjoy.
Last but certainly not least, we are updating the home page on a mostly daily basis with breaking news. Some, but certainly not all, of the stories contained in this week’s print edition, were published online before the print publication. If stories break, it is our goal to bring them to you in as timely a fashion as possible.
And readers have responded. It has been exciting to see the Post Review Web site become a go-to place for news and commentary, and not just in our coverage area. Readers are coming from all over the county, and even further, to get the news and interaction they want, when they want it.
As that readership increases, so do the opportunities to take advantage of unique advertising options. We are reaching a larger and larger audience every day; that’s good for business.
The Post Review online may not be for everyone. Like many, I like to hold that paper in my hands. But I also like to be able to find important stories quickly, throw in my two cents, and see what others have to say. Online offers that, making it not a replacement for the newspaper, but a wonderful compliment to it.
So stop on by. The coffee’s fresh, as they say, and the news and commentary even more so.
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