Brian Sandford: Our Facebook page is a collaboration we hope you ‘like’

If you follow the Nevada Appeal’s Facebook page, you might notice wide variation in the tones of the posts you read. Some are serious; some are lighthearted. Some deliver news, while others invite readers to participate in contests or seek their feedback.

That’s because several people from multiple departments contribute regularly to our page. In the newsroom, deputy editor Adam Trumble, photographer Shannon Litz, reporter Teri Vance and I post updates. In the past week, we’ve posted photos featuring AAA All-Star Game events in Reno, a car show and Charlie, the recovering Dayton puppy.

In the newsroom, we’re working to interact more with you, our readers, via social media. It isn’t just a tool we use to share information. It allows us to collect tips and feedback, and to lift the veil and show that real people work here. At an institution that has been around as long as the Appeal, sometimes the individual faces within can appear a bit blurry from the outside. Our staffers live here and love the community — that’s why we’re here — and we’re dedicated to serving you.

When C-SPAN had vehicles canvassing Carson City, gathering video to feature on its history and book channels, we had a conversation with you about where we’d seen the vehicles and what they might be filming. When fires hit early this month, readers shared numerous photos and updates on our page as we sought to do the same for you. When C Hill was changed briefly to 13 Hill to honor Carson High School’s graduating class of 2013, we had a lighthearted exchange about who was responsible. One reader joked that the class of 2014 likely had changed it back.

Our Facebook page has many uses, which is why it isn’t the newsroom’s domain alone. Far from it.

Much of what appeared on our page in the past week was posted by classified department manager Alsy Brinkmeyer, who was promoting free day passes offered by the Appeal for the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Lake Tahoe.

“Giving away free day passes to the Golf Championship was a lot of fun! We really enjoy sharing these sort of opportunities with our Facebook followers,” she said Thursday. “Beyond giveaways, we also use Facebook as a marketing tool to expand our audience for our classified advertisers. You’ll notice that several of our local recruitment advertisements are posted to our Facebook pages. Our employers are pleased that we are able to provide this niche demographic.”

Candice Lindsey, who works in our sales and marketing department, also updates our page.

“For subscription and circulation promotions, we will use Facebook for special offers for new subscribers and current subscribers,” she said of what she posts. Wearing her marketing hat, she added, “Watch for our ‘My Carrier is the Best’ contest coming this fall.”

We hope our Facebook page serves you well. If you haven’t “liked” us already, please pay us a visit at facebook.com/NevadaAppeal.

Editor Brian Sandford can be reached at bsandford@nevadaappeal.com.