Published: June 06, 2009 09:19 pm      

MARREN: Become a follower, make us your friend

This week started with great shock — nationally, internationally and very much locally. General Motors declared bankruptcy. Now, the shock wasn’t that great because everyone knew the auto company was struggling, but the official announcement really hit home for everyone, especially those who worked for GM or Delphi.

Who would have thought that in anyone’s lifetime, GM would be out of money?

Not even close to being as shocking — I wouldn’t attempt to make such a comparison — the Union-Sun & Journal started delivering news and information through Twitter and Facebook this week.

Who would have thought the announcement that Kitchen World— a Lockport icon — would be moving out of Lockport and into Amherst would hit your cell phone or Twitter account, even before the daily newspaper was rolling on the presses?

I never saw it coming, and I’m younger than a lot of our readers, who are probably reading this wondering what Twitter or Facebook are. I’ve grown up in a technology-happy world, yet I never would have figured cell phones, Web sites and newspapers would mesh.

For those still trying to catch up ... Twitter is a Web site that allows user to follow or be followed by other individuals or organizations. Basically it’s possible to keep people up to date on you or your company 24-7. Twitter allows for 140 characters per “tweet” update. Quick hit information, which actually works great for us, since we’re in the business of headlines.

We post headlines, with a link back to lockportjournal.com for the full story, and people can get the information right on their cell phone or at twitter.com/lockportjournal.

Facebook is basically the same idea, but that’s coming along a little slower than Twitter. As most of you know, Facebook — the social networking Web site that allows people all over the world to communicate — has many bells and whistles. Twitter is 140 characters, no photos or video, simple as that. Facebook has many, many applications.

All we’re looking to do is post story links, again, back to our Web site, and get some followers out of it.

The US&J isn’t the first to use Facebook or Twitter as forms of connecting with readers. Most major media companies are on. As far as community newspapers go, especially because of staffing levels, there aren’t many using these sites. We saw it as a necessary addition.

As the digital age evolves, we need to be part of it. Twitter and Facebook make that possible.

If we can deliver the most local of community news, which you value in newsprint and ink, to your computer or cell phone, we’re satisfying our customers. Now, we’re hopeful that whetting your appetite will entice you into a paid subscription, since we don’t give it all away for free.

You won’t get your kid’s dean’s list announcement or wedding announcement on our Twitter or Facebook accounts. We don’t even put that stuff on our Web site.

You’ll get the breaking news and features that we’re working on or finished, but there’s a ton we still need to deliver to your doorstep.

A main reason for doing this is the popularity among young people when it comes to Twitter and Facebook. There’s nothing more popular. Well, maybe the Jonas brothers or something like that.

Bottom line: Young people are on Twitter and Facebook. Their hometown newspaper needs to have a presence.

We’ll be on, delivering the news, and hopefully they’ll get it that way. In time, these young people will get older and even this technology will pass them by. At that point, hopefully, we’ve pleased them with our dependability and credibility, that they pick up our hard-copy newspaper and make it a part of their adult life.

I know — lots of wishful thinking going on here.

The thing is we need to be in the Facebook and Twitter game if we’re going to survive in the newspaper industry. We’re not just newspapers anymore. We’re magazines, we’re special sections, we’re “tweets” and “wall posts.”

We do all of this to satisfy your craving for news.

Tim Marren is the managing editor of the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal. Contact him at Tim.Marren@lockportjournal.com or 439-9222.