By Scott Carlson
Welcome Laura!
Rolling into 2022, the Park Bugle is making a significant New Year’s resolution that we hope our readers will notice: Vastly expanding our social media presence.
As the Bugle edges ever closer to celebrating 50 years as a vibrant community newspaper, we know that we can’t simply remain only a print operation. At a time when lots of newspapers have ceased publishing, we must expand our online and social media presence to meet the preferences of a wider group of today’s readers.
In its strategic vision planning last year, the Bugle board of directors acknowledged this fact when it resolved to, among other things, “Develop innovative strategies to connect with readers through social media, the website and the paper.”
Now, the Bugle is taking a big step forward towards achieving this goal. We just recently hired Laura Adrian as our first social media specialist.
Laura comes to us by way of first being a research chemist, then embracing social media herself when she began leading yoga, nature appreciation and empowerment through her business, Whole Life Elevation.
“As a way to get the word out about my offerings, I learned social media and digital marketing strategies from leaders in the field,” she says.
Here’s what else Laura says about herself:
“I’m excited to support the Park Bugle with their efforts to leverage online spaces to share news stories and foster a sense of inclusive and diverse community.
“The Bugle has a history of providing St. Paul neighborhoods with relevant, objective news and community stories.
“As the social media specialist, I intend to create new pathways and opportunities through digital media for community members to engage with current happenings and news stories.”
What that means, in practical terms, is you can expect to see a lot more social media activity from the Bugle. That includes Facebook and Instagram and any other relevant and useful platforms.
Laura says, “I intend to apply what I’ve learned to bring community members together in the online world and support the Bugle community as news outlets evolve with this ever-changing world.”
There will be more news posts, greater use of material from people, businesses and organizations in the community, pull-out nuggets from our print stories and calls for readers’ contributions. Our aspiration is to make the Bugle’s social media interactive and engaging.
Laura joined the Bugle on Dec. 6, working up to 10 hours a week in this part-time position. As she starts this journey, we expect it to be a work in progress. We hope you enjoy the ride and, as always, we welcome your feedback and ideas. n
Correcting Nathan ID
In the December Bugle, we erred slightly in identifying Joe Nathan in a commentary he wrote about a St. Paul schools closing plan. We should have said Joe is a former assistant principal at Murray Junior/Senior High School. He is a resident of St. Paul.
