Newspapers/social networking?

January 16, 2009 6:14 PM

Can anyone point me to newspapers that have set up real social networks—not just registration, not just social media features like commenting or bookmarking, but real online communities where people post profiles, make connections, share news items, maybe form groups around news interests, and interact in other ways.

The only ones I'm aware of are at the Bakersfield Californian, and TimesPeople at the NYTimes (which is still pretty rudimentary and in beta). Any others? Any experiences with newspaper social networks appreciated as well. Thanks.

posted by beagle to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

I think the Yourhub.com might be part of this. Haven't used it myself but they claim to be this.

YourHub Denver
posted by Octoparrot at 7:58 PM on January 16, 2009

I am not sure if this is what you're looking for, but the St. Paul Pioneer Press had a board system that led to something like this. The annual Winter Carnival Medallion Hunt has quite a following and a community sprang up on the boards. The paper later changed their board system and the community actually migrated to a new site. and is still going strong. In this case, though, the networking occurred due to a common interest rather than by direct influence of the newspaper.
posted by cabingirl at 10:03 PM on January 16, 2009

http://savannahnow.com
http://www.lawrence.com/
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:18 PM on January 17, 2009

The WSJ.com site is the only newspaper website I know which offers real online communities. The Journal Community is where people post profiles, make connections, share news items, and form groups around their interests.
posted by Paleoindian at 7:18 PM on January 25, 2009