News-Record.com

John,
Are you all going to be able to get any access to the candidates, or are you just covering the event? Just curious.

We are seeking time with both candidates, Doug. Whether we will get it is another issue.

I know this is impossible, since Obama only answers questions he is given in advance, if possible ask him how he feels about drilling for our own oil and building refiners!Then invite him to go to western NC where there is a serious lack of gas! Maybe you could ask Perdue the same question, I could not get a straight answer out of her! That not true, she would not answer my question period.

Doug,

You're question is noted and if we get a chance to ask Sen. Obama, we will.

It's worth noting, we at the paper have twice had the interview him and neither time have we submitted questions in advance.

John,

I signed up for Twitter, but feel that it is a less user friendly and watered down version of Facebook. Is there more to it or can you non Gen Y guys not lower yourself to join facebook?

I take exception to that! I've got a Facebook account. I've just found that I prefer Twitter because of its speed and its requirement for pith.

ax-

There are a plenty of the N&R staff on Facebook. All you have to do is search for our names.

As for Twitter, I'm with JR on the speed issue. True, you can't get in lengthy prose, but that's the beauty of the site.

If names reflected the size of the hole in which you can post, then it would look like this:
blooooooooo(n)g
facebk
twtr

I'd like to buy a vowel for Grld.

John, just sent you a Facebook invite.

Gerald, understood!

Both, I'll spend some more time with it and see if I like the Kool Aid.

Everybody I know who's tried Twitter started out skeptical. I did myself. Most of them are now addicted to it.

Hey, ax, you can get a Twitter app for your Facebook page, too, so you don't have yet another page to check all the time.

http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2231777543

Thanks Mel. I'll give it a whirl.

Will you have full video of his speech?

Or will you livestream it?

I'll anticipate your answers which will probably both be no... No offense intended, just a fact.

And, you'll probably not do this because TV stations and other sites you can easily link to for this.

The problem with not doing these things (and maybe you will) is that if you don't, you never build in the audience's mind that they should start coming to you as a source for this content...

Have you figured out a way to make money on Twitter? For real. I mean, can you sell a single sponsor all of your Twitter feeds? Just wondering... it seems like a lot of work and coordination (just ask the SP Times) for something that could nearly as easily be done on a webpage on your OWN site (where you can post photos and other content, too)... I mean, reporters could just call in tidbits to someone in the office who types them into a "story" or -- less ideal -- a "blog"...

Can you monitor how many people view your Twitter feed that day?

Or, perhaps I don't understand the goal...

Will be following, thank you.

got an auto-reply that JR would be out until sept. 29..

at any rate, if any other editors are reading this I 'm sure video can't be done by now if u haven't already planned it...

but please don't have twitter be your 'live' coverage of this..

with twitter, as a user experience, photos are not integrated and users have no way to comment -- plus it's off on another site... (this one doesn't pass the 'mom' test -- she would never understand it and if she can't it's a real limited audience)

maybe a continuously updated story or blog (in addition to twitter) would be best...

the AP Custom Wire may have live video -- they will at least have a clip afterwards... try calling the AP to find out..

good luck...

also video is less an issue on a saturday -- people will have easy access to a TV...

We talked about video and talked through the reasons you cite. However, the biggest factor in my mind was what you mention last. On Saturday afternoon, we didn't think we would have much of an audience for an event that would be available on television, and most of our audience would be at home, not at work in front of a computer.

As for Twitter, we weren't trying to make money. We were trying to get information to people in a different way. (We had a Web presence, too.)