Facebook Page: Division A
First place: Las Vegas Review-Journal
About this entry: The Las Vegas Review Journal recognizes that its Facebook audience is different from its reviewjournal.com audience and treat it as an independent platform, utilizing polls, photos, video, questions and graphics to make the page stand out. Staff members regularly ask for feedback on stories, post polls and solicit photos and videos for their page. They take a very personal approach to Facebook, replying to comments and posting stories with personality, and doing so has made them highly successful online.
View online components: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
This is clearly a team effort. The Las Vegas Review-Journal obviously put a great deal of time and effort into Facebook. The results are extraordinary-in the quality of the product and the reaction of the community. Really good job.
Second place: Cape Cod Times
About this entry: The Cape Cod Times uses Facebook to connect with readers and generate story ideas. They regularly solicit reader ideas for the Cape Cod Top 10 feature – asking readers to vote on different topics – such as where to get the best lobster roll – that are then showcased in their print editions. They have also utilized the social media platform to find same-sex married couples for our story about the 10th anniversary of legal same-sex marriage, to cover a significant snowstorm, and to share breaking news of three Afghan soldiers who had gone missing from a training mission at Joint Base Cape Cod.
Follow Cape Cod Times on Facebook here
Third place: The Providence Journal
About this entry: The Providence Journal’s Facebook page is a lively combination of news, sports, features and photo posts that has accounted for a large portion of traffic to its homepage. They frequently utilize polls to encourage reader engagement and often find leads from reader comments.
