Over the last few months, I have been delving into the world of social networks. I had heard so much about how many users there were out there that I thought it was something I needed to try.
I created profiles for Colorado Runner on all of the more popular sites: MySpace, Athlinks, Runner Space, etc…
But, the two that I found to be the most useful to both myself, and hopefully our readers were Facebook and Twitter.
Facebook
Facebook is probably the most heavily used social networking site on the planet. It definitely helped me connect with numerous old friends from years past, but it has also allowed our magazine to have its own voice. With our fan page, you can upload images and videos, post messages to the wall, and see the latest feeds from Colorado Runner. I have also sent out some special invitations to our fans that are not available anywhere else. So, if you have an account on Facebook and enjoy reading Colorado Runner, be sure to look at our fan page. Just search Colorado Runner and you will find us!
Twitter
Twitter is another one of the new web applications that is beginning to really get hot. With this application, you can let people know what you are doing in short snippets (140 characters or less). Initially I looked at this as nothing more than a glorified text message. But, then it hit me! What if I created a Twitter account for Colorado Runner and posted an update each time a new article was put onto our website? We try and update the regional headlines on our website a couple of times per week. But, we also have national headlines that appear almost every day. So, with a little work I figured out how to feed our website headlines into Twitter. This means that people who follow us will get an instant update when a new regional or national news item or feature is posted on our website. It also will include a direct link back to the story.
We also are using Twitter to update folks about the races produced by Colorado Runner Events. These updates will include any late breaking weather changes, entry informaation, etc…
If you are already on Twitter or are interested in looking into it, be sure to look us up! Twitter.com/ColRunner
Happy trails!
Derek