Archive for July, 2009
July 29th, 2009
I recently heard of Aardvark, which is the Ask Jeeves or Ask Amy of social networking (well, Facebook for now). It basically expands your network by letting you ask questions to not just friends but also friends of friends– and receive quick, specific answers. Wham! Two responses in five minutes.
This is how the site says its free service works:
Aardvark first analyzes incoming questions to determine what they’re about – questions might be about topics like herbal medicine, Restaurants in Kansas City, Ninetendo Wii, etc.
Aardvark then searches through all of the people in your network who are available over IM or Email to find the right match for you for that topic. Aardvark considers…
- related topics in peoples’ profiles
- how you’re connected to people on Facebook
- who you trust about related topics
- your history of training Aardvark
- people who share your favorites (for taste-related questions)
- people in the right location (for location-related questions)
- other mysterious factors…
I feel like I get enough support on my social networks (hey, Rockford Woman alone has its 300th user signed up). But it could be worth a shot.
July 27th, 2009
Today, Rockford Woman is kicking off 8 weeks of giveaways to encourage people to sign up for the site and make a habit out of sharing their thoughts/actions.
Each week, Monday through Sunday, anyone who posts a status under “What Rockford women are doing” will automatically be entered. I’ve approved about three dozen users since yesterday alone, and I love seeing all of the women sharing today. Our community has topped more than 250 members in the month since we’ve launched.
This week, you can win a black and white bracelet from Beads and Reeds. Check back each week!
July 27th, 2009
Want to win two tickets to see former American Idol contestant David Archuleta when he’s in town Aug. 6?
Take our American Idol quiz to be entered into a drawing for tickets to the show at the Coronado Performing Arts Center.
The best part? Enter as many times as you like until the contest ends Monday, Aug. 3.
July 23rd, 2009
First the Rockford Register Star started a Facebook fan page. Now I’ve got one going for Rockford Woman, and we’re just shy of 250 fans already.
Watch for links to “What you need to know,” editors’ news picks like this from July 22, as well as items of interest to women in the Rock River Valley.
You can also follow Rockford Woman on Twitter. And rrstar.com is stepping up its tweeting, too.
Why are we doing this? It’s just one more way to reach you and make it easier for you to get your news and information, since a growing number of you spend time on social media.
July 17th, 2009
David Shedden at Poynter has a blog called Transformation Tracker. He uses it to track changes in how news is financed. There’s a lot of information out there. This post, his latest, talks about how we will — or won’t — survive without newspapers.
I don’t know exactly what the newspaper industry will look like in 10 years. I am willing to bet there won’t be many daily printed papers. I’ve heard talk about dailies going to twice weekly or weekly print products that break down and analyze the news of the week. I’ve even heard my boss talk about one day being able to get the day’s news on a 25-cent disposable hologram. Time will tell.
July 15th, 2009
Longtime readers of rrstar.com will remember we used to have an updates box at the top of our home page. We re-launched that feature this morning. It’s called “Latest News.” In it, you’ll find, well, the latest news on weather, crime, construction and more. In the well directly below the updates, you’ll find the important news of the day.
We’ve already gotten an e-mail from reader Art Krenzer in Garden Prairie. He wrote: “It’s great to see the Latest News area back on your Website. Keep up the good work!”
Thanks, Art. Appreciate the feedback.
July 13th, 2009
When I am looking for something on the Web, my first instinct is to use google. Today, I decided to try bing, Microsoft’s search engine. Not bad. Google is still tops for directions but bing spits out results in a more organized fashion. For more comparisons, check out this video by New York Times tech guy David Pogue.
July 12th, 2009
Today, we concluded our seven-day advertising campaigned called “The Facts. Our Future.”
Each ad appeared on page 4A with a message from Register Star President and Publisher Scott Bowers that started with this:
For more than 154 years, we have been the Rock River Valley’s leading news, information and advertising source. I am committed to our future – in print and online. We are neither dead nor dying. It’s time to state that clearly, to set straight the half-truths, and reassure our readers and advertisers we are here for your and our future.
The seven separate messages were:
1. Our “diversified portfolio” makes us more than a newspaper, broadens our audience and drives results for our advertisers: Unlike our competitors, Register Star Media’s portfolio is not limited to one or two products. We have a diverse lineup that includes: the daily and Sunday Register Star, rrstar.com, Rockford Woman magazine, BusinessRockford.com, HealthyRockford.com, The Weekly, Boone County Weekly, RockfordWheels.com and RockfordHomeOnline.com. We also include RiverView Printing, which has increased its commercial printing volume since the launch of our new offset press in May 2006.
2. Seven days in print and always online: Here now. Here in the future: We publish the Register Star seven days a week. We will continue to publish seven days a week. We will continue to develop our Web sites. We are a viable business. We have weathered the economic declines in the Rock River Valley.
3. More adults read the Rockford Register Star today than in 2005: Seventy one percent of adults read the Register Star over the past seven days. That’s 189,100 adults 18 and over – an increase of more than 8,023 readers since 2005. On an average Sunday, we reach 57 percent of the adults in the market, an increase of 12,279 readers. Almost three of every four adults is a Register Star reader. Our readers mirror the diversity of the Rock River Valley. They are young and old and in-between. It is not true that “only old people read the Register Star.” We deliver a diverse and extensive audience every day. No other medium comes close.
4. RRStar.com is the most powerful news and advertising Web site in the Rock River Valley: We reach more than twice as many online users in a typical month as our local online competitors. RRStar.com is by far the leading local Web site in terms of past-month reach. The nearest competitors reach only 10 percent of the market in a typical month. The chicagotribune.com reaches only 5 percent. RRStar.com’s “sister sites” include RockfordWoman.com, BusinessRockford.com, HealthyRockford.com, RockfordWheels.com and RockfordHomeOnline.com.
5. Television and radio cannot deliver audience and results like Register Star Media: No single television station reaches more than one in three adults – in any time slot. No radio station reaches more than one in 10. The Register Star will reach almost one in two adults with its average weekday reach of 45 percent – greater than the reach of any single television or radio station in the market.
6. We connect advertisers with their customers – and get results for both: Almost six of 10 adults in the market say the Register Star is their primary advertising source for the stores where they shop. More adults consistently turn to the Register Star than to other media for advertising for vehicles, real estate, groceries and jobs – making the newspaper and rrstar.com the primary source for advertising in the Rock River Valley. Over the past five years, over 1,140 Rock River Valley businesses have invested consistently in advertising with Register Star Media, placing ads every year since 2004.
7. We make a difference. We get results. We are what you know. Now and in the future. These are remarkable times that challenge the men and women of the News Tower. We know and accept our responsibility to serve the Rock River Valley as the leading information source that empowers our community, while never compromising our principles. We hold our elected officials and our community leaders accountable. We demand that they do the public’s business in public. We give voice to those who are the least among us. We care for our customers and ensure they get the results they expect. We value each reader – in print and online. We stumble at times and we admit our mistakes, learn from them and move on. We strive always to do the right thing – now and in the future. Whether we do it in print or do it in holograms, we will remain the leading information source in the Rock River Valley – now and in the future.
Each was concluded with this:
We are number one in the country in combined newspaper and online reach. We reach 87.6 percent of adults 18-and-over in Boone and Winnebago counties. That’s almost a quarter of a million people.
July 10th, 2009
Assistant business editor Isaac Guerrero noted the nice photo of the News Tower on the Rockford Area Association of Realtors site. Looks like Waterfront time.
July 6th, 2009
We’ve got this online now that packages the weekend’s local and national news in one place. We’ve got everything from Rock River Bank’s closing to readers’ Fourth photos. And, of course, there are links to continual coverage on retired Tennessee Titan QB Steve McNair’s homicide and Sarah Palin’s resignation as Alaska’s gov.
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