Another Newspaper Makes the Right Move on Message Boards

by Dan Ward

Kudos to the Northwest Florida Daily News in Florida’s Panhandle for addressing the concerns of many (myself included) about hateful message board comments that are cloaked in anonymity.

I was reading an article in that paper this morning, and saw this message to readers:

Reader Comments

From the editor: Many of you have expressed concerns about some of the harsh anonymous comments from readers. To remedy that, we are introducing new features. You can create your own blog, publish your news and share your photos with the community. Once you fill out a simple form and leave a verifiable e-mail address, you can set up your profile page. It will display all of your contributions and allow you to track issues and easily connect with others.

We want our site to be a place where people discuss and debate ideas that foster stronger communities. We built this for you. Please take care of it. Tolerate broad thinking, but take action against obscene or hateful material. Make it a credible and safe place worth preserving and sharing.

That last paragraph should be required reading for newspaper executives.

AIGA Re:Solutions Part 1, Building Your Presence Online

by Dionne Aiken

The Orlando chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) held their annual Re:Solutions Day Conference this past Saturday. The roster included professionals from different fields and backgrounds that covered a diverse array of topics. The Result: an engaging and enlightening experience with valuable and relevant information to benefit individuals, creatives and business professionals on a whole.

One of the speakers, Alex de Carvalho, talked about building your online presence and brand by engaging your online community and connecting with them through shared experiences. He simplified this process into a 5-Step Pyramid:

We took a very similar approach for this very blog which was recently honored by the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) with an Image Award, Judges’ Award and the biggie … a Grand Image Award.

When we started Taking Aim, we began to establish our presence by consistently blogging about relevant and insightful topics working to engage our readers and initiate online conversations. With each post, we began to build a following – and credibility – while establishing an online identity for Taking Aim.

We began with only 50 views a month almost two years ago.  Now averaging many, many more views than that per month, we’ve used it as a tool to build our online reputation, and in effect our authority and influence.

This formula for building your brand works.  Following these steps and connecting with your audience’s shared interest is the formula for success in establishing your presence online.