david arkin tips: opinion content on facebook

BEST PRACTICES: FACEBOOK OPINION PAGE LIKES BY DAVID ARKIN GATEHOUSE MEDIA/NEWS& INTERACTIVE Studies show that readers are big fans of opinion content on Facebook. Here are are some areas where community newspapers can make opinion content work in the Facebook "like" world. 1. Street Talk: Many newspapers on their opinion page still feature a few mug shots and quotes from random residents on a single issue. It's been a popular print feature for years. Consider posting one of those mug shots, teasing to a story on your website with all of the responses, while asking your Facebook readers if they agree with one of the street talkers? 2. Guest columns: Post a guest column, ask your Facebook friends if they agree, and invite them to do it better than the columnist you posted, by being a regular guest columnist. You could do the same thing with letters to the editor. Easy encouragement to get user generated content and at the same time getting folks to start talking about the content in the column. 3. Cartoons: Most daily papers still publish at least one cartoon a day. This one's easy. Post a cartoon - not every day - but maybe once a week, that's really controversial and pose a good question to your Facebook friends on whether they agree or disagree. 4. Things we like: Many GateHouse Media newspapers run a feature on their opinion page called "3 or 5 things we want to see happen next week." In the feature, they list things they are hopeful for next week. That might be attendance at a high school game or a specific kind of decision at a council meeting. It's quick and fun. This kind of content has great Facebook liking potential. Pull out one item and ask your Facebook friends if they want to see this happen too and why. Clearly, editorials and analysis is powerful "like" content as well, but harder to come by these days at smaller newspapers. If you have it and it's controversial or thought provoking, post it on Facebook. Newspapers should take a good hard look at what's in their opinion lineup today and figure out what content would have life on Facebook on a consistent basis. The ideas listed above work if you can create interesting questions and use pieces of the content to engage interest. Not many of your "friends" are going to "like" a headline like this "check out this week's street talk." But they will "like" something like this: "Mary Smith says building a third high school is a waste of money. What do you have to say?"

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Page 1: David Arkin tips: Opinion content on Facebook

BEST PRACTICES: FACEBOOK OPINION PAGE LIKESBY DAVID ARKINGATEHOUSE MEDIA/NEWS& INTERACTIVE

Studies show that readers are big fans of opinion content on Facebook. Here are are some areas where community newspapers can make opinion content work in the Facebook "like" world.

1. Street Talk: Many newspapers on their opinion page still feature a few mug shots and quotes from random residents on a single issue. It's been a popular print feature for years. Consider posting one of those mug shots, teasing to a story on your website with all of the responses, while asking your Facebook readers if they agree with one of the street talkers?

2. Guest columns: Post a guest column, ask your Facebook friends if they agree, and invite them to do it better than the columnist you posted, by being a regular guest columnist. You could do the same thing with letters to the editor. Easy encouragement to get user generated content and at the same time getting folks to start talking about the content in the column.

3. Cartoons: Most daily papers still publish at least one cartoon a day. This one's easy. Post a cartoon - not every day - but maybe once a week, that's really controversial and pose a good question to your Facebook friends on whether they agree or disagree.

4. Things we like: Many GateHouse Media newspapers run a feature on their opinion page called "3 or 5 things we want to see happen next week." In the feature, they list things they are hopeful for next week. That might be attendance at a high school game or a specific kind of decision at a council meeting. It's quick and fun. This kind of content has great Facebook liking potential. Pull out one item and ask your Facebook friends if they want to see this happen too and why.

Clearly, editorials and analysis is powerful "like" content as well, but harder to come by these days at smaller newspapers. If you have it and it's controversial or thought provoking, post it on Facebook.

Newspapers should take a good hard look at what's in their opinion lineup today and figure out what content would have life on Facebook on a consistent basis. The ideas listed above work if you can create interesting questions and use pieces of the content to engage interest. Not many of your "friends" are going to "like" a headline like this "check out this week's street talk." But they will "like" something like this: "Mary Smith says building a third high school is a waste of money. What do you have to say?"