CULLMAN —
To say that websites like Facebook and MySpace have changed the way people communicate would be an understatement. The advent of social networking is arguably the biggest jump in communication and connectivity since the proliferation of e-mail — and as mediums expand to everything from cellular phones to tablet computers — there is no slow down in sight.
Here at The Times, we’re trying our hardest to keep up with how the community wants to communicate — and launched a Facebook last year to post stories, and keep in touch with readers.
Well, just a few weeks ago, we hit a milestone. When we established the account, our basic intent was to get something out there, and figure it out along the way. After several months, we learned a lesson: Facebook has a friend limit, and we hit it.
We set up our page as a personal account, which has a 5,000 friend limit, and we’re proud to announce we have maxed it out!
So, now we’re transitioning to a different account with no friend limit — and that’s where you come in.
If you’re already our friend, then I encourage you to click over to our new page and “Like” The Times. If you’re not yet our friend (or stuck on our request list unable to be added because we’re out of space on the old account), you can find our new page by searching Facebook for “The Cullman Times,” then hit the “Like” button at the top.
It’s that easy, and then you’ll be greeted with the latest local new stories and updates (breaking news, weather closings for schools, etc.) right in your news feed.
The impact this medium could have really struck me last weekend — just as the blizzard was setting in — while news editor Amanda Shavers-Davis and I were posting weather updates from the office, and were answering questions immediately on the page. The local EMA used its Facebook account to the same effect, and it has really provided a new level of interaction.
We’d eventually like to build our new account up to well over 5,000 friends — so next time you’re online, be sure to look us up.
‰ Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 220.
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The Facebook effect
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