I feel a need to apologize. I was called to work full-time hours at a Sacramento hospice organization this week, and I've had to get up bright and early to get ACN's daily updates and Facebook posts done before a full day at work. I've had to do "The Great Catch-Up" in several arenas, so I greatly appreciate your patience in bearing with me. Yes, I do sleep...in increments. Plenty of coffee consumed this week, too!
Amador Community News' popularity has grown by leaps and bounds these past few months, and as a staff of one, I very much rely upon you, the community, to keep me posted on what's happening in your neck o' the woods. ACN is your community e-news blog, and for the past seven years, I've taken this job very seriously. Communication is so important, and though ACN isn't distributed through a print publication, together we have been able to get that information out through some very powerful means - Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, Google+. Thank you so much for your help and partnership in being that "word of mouth"
As I go through these growing pains (again), and given this past week's busyness, I'm needing to make some changes and "requirements" in order for me to streamline my processes in getting your information and announcements out in a timely manner. Please read the points below, as these will greatly help me with that goal!
1. Announcements are FREE on ACN, but please, please, please use the following format:
TITLE OF EVENT - DAY, DATE, TIME, LOCATION (address!). Write a BRIEF description of your event. CONTACT information (name, phone, email, web site, social networks, etc.). Copy and paste your announcements into the body of an email, or you can also Facebook message me, facebook.com/AmadorCounty.
2. Assign one (1) person in your group or organization to be your point person for media, press, promo, etc. Have that person send press releases, announcements, posters/flyers, etc. to carol@newsamador.com, so I can communicate with them directly. Before sending them, please look them over for spelling, grammar, correct information, layout, etc.
Send your information/materials in the following manner:
- Press Releases and Announcements - Write in or copy and paste your content into the body of a fresh e-mail. Please do not send me PDF or DOC files anymore...some files I can open, but some of them can't. I've been spending a lot of time having to reformat your content into a blog format, so doing this will help me a LOT...and get your information out there faster!
- Posters/Flyers - Please send as a JPEG image from now on (no more PDFs). It is only $5/month for flyers and posters, or $50/year for unlimited postings on ACN. I can e-invoice you, just send me a valid, direct e-mail address to you, your treasurer, finance director, etc.
- Ad graphics (for supporting advertisers only) - Send as a JPEG (no PDFs) or HTML code to embed. If you have ads in other publications or newspapers, feel free to send those on to me, carol@newsamador.com. It doesn't matter the size, just send me what you have, and I'll work with them. If you have a YouTube commercial, send me the URL, or the HTML code to embed.
Also...include my e-mail, carol@newsamador.com, in your organization's email groups to receive newsletters, press releases, etc. That way, I can receive your information automatically, along with everyone else!
3. Facebook. You are free to share Amador County-related community news on ACN's Facebook wall, such as:
- Breaking news, traffic, crime, emergencies, etc.
- Lost and found
- Animals needing shelter/homes (APAL Humane Society is a supporting advertiser), however, there IS a Facebook group, "Amador County Animals plus", if you would like to join them. I share their posts from time to time.
- Photos or YouTube videos of community events
- Facebook Pages - You may share any announcements on your organization's Facebook page if you are a part of a community group/organization, school/student sports or arts, or a government agency with news/announcements/public notices pertaining to Amador County. Pages which are shared that are advertising in nature will be deleted (unless you're a supporting advertiser. Only supporting advertisers can post their promo on ACN's Facebook wall.)
NOTE: Please do not send me a Facebook event invite. I receive a ton of these every day, and I simply do not have the time to go through each one and extract the information out of each one. Please use the format I provided in #1 above.
The above three points should help me out tremendously, thank you! One last thing...
I am in the process of creating a referral incentive program. If you are interested, please contact me, carol@newsamador.com, and I'll let you know the details. I feel it's the least I can do for all your help in spreading the news about ACN, and for being such loyal readers!
I say this all the time, and I'll say it once more, Amador County...thank you for your support of Amador's community media!
Carol Harper
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