During News and Interactive’s recent trip to several GateHouse Louisiana papers, local editors were introduced to some social media strategies to help boost reader interaction and referral traffic. Here’s a rundown of the trip, with some unique facts about the towns and journalists who work there.
WHERE Gonzalez
PAPER Ascension Citizen
EDITOR Lisa Yates
COOL FACT Gonzales is known as the “Jambalaya Capital of the World” and hosts an annual jambalaya festival each year, with the first one starting in 1968.
NEXT BIG PUSH Lisa just recently joined GateHouse with the Ascension Citizen, and will be perfecting her Facebooking and video skills.
WHERE Plaquemine
PAPER Post South
EDITOR Tryve Brackin
COOL FACT Evangeline, the girl searching for her long-lost love, Gabriel, in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem, was supposed to have stopped in Plaquemine.
NEXT BIG PUSH The staff has some new ideas and inspiration for video, with a focus on quick-hitting, non-edited video.
WHERE Donaldsonville
PAPER Donaldsonville Chief
EDITOR Allison Hudson
COOL FACT Donaldsonville is home to world-renowned Chef John Folse who is known for his River Road recipes around the world.
NEXT BIG PUSH Allison is already all over the Inner Circle Facebook requirement, and has experimented with the social media dashboard HootSuite. She’s planning on using HootSuite more regularly, and posting with greater frequency to Facebook during social media peak usage times.
WHERE Sulphur
PAPER Southwest Daily News
EDITOR Brain Trahan
COOL FACT “The Young and the Restless” actress Janie Lynde calls Sulphur home, playing the character of Leslie Brooks. She’s also on HBO’s “Six Feet Under.”
NEXT BIG PUSH As with the Donaldsonville Chief, Brian and his staff are great on Facebook, and plan to incorporate HootSuite for more frequent posting during social media peak usage times.
WHERE DeRidder
PAPER Beauregard Daily News
EDITOR Linda Barron
COOL FACT DeRidder is known for it's Gothic Hanging Jail, said to be haunted by the two men who were executed by hanging them from the third floor railing of the winding staircase. The jail is almost 100 years old and hasn't been used as a jail for quite some time. It is now a tourist attraction.
NEXT BIG PUSH The staff is looking to make Facebook more of an integral part of their newsroom, using it to promote online content and draw readers to the paper’s website.
WHERE Leesvile
PAPER Leesville Daily Leader
EDITOR Alix Kunkle
COOL FACT Two rival newspaper editors got into a gunfight in 1889 – both of whom died from gunshot wounds. The town’s much more friendly now.
NEXT BIG PUSH Alix and his staff are posting frequently on Facebook, and also plan to incorporate HootSuite for more frequent posting during social media peak usage times.
During News and Interactive’s recent trip to several GateHouse Louisiana papers, local editors were introduced to some social media strategies to help boost reader interaction and referral traffic. Here’s a rundown of the trip, with some unique facts about the towns and journalists who work there.
WHERE Gonzalez
PAPER Ascension Citizen
EDITOR Lisa Yates
COOL FACT Gonzales is known as the “Jambalaya Capital of the World” and hosts an annual jambalaya festival each year, with the first one starting in 1968.
NEXT BIG PUSH Lisa just recently joined GateHouse with the Ascension Citizen, and will be perfecting her Facebooking and video skills.
WHERE Plaquemine
PAPER Post South
EDITOR Tryve Brackin
COOL FACT Evangeline, the girl searching for her long-lost love, Gabriel, in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem, was supposed to have stopped in Plaquemine.
NEXT BIG PUSH The staff has some new ideas and inspiration for video, with a focus on quick-hitting, non-edited video.
WHERE Donaldsonville
PAPER Donaldsonville Chief
EDITOR Allison Hudson
COOL FACT Donaldsonville is home to world-renowned Chef John Folse who is known for his River Road recipes around the world.
NEXT BIG PUSH Allison is already all over the Inner Circle Facebook requirement, and has experimented with the social media dashboard HootSuite. She’s planning on using HootSuite more regularly, and posting with greater frequency to Facebook during social media peak usage times.
WHERE Sulphur
PAPER Southwest Daily News
EDITOR Brain Trahan
COOL FACT “The Young and the Restless” actress Janie Lynde calls Sulphur home, playing the character of Leslie Brooks. She’s also on HBO’s “Six Feet Under.”
NEXT BIG PUSH As with the Donaldsonville Chief, Brian and his staff are great on Facebook, and plan to incorporate HootSuite for more frequent posting during social media peak usage times.
WHERE DeRidder
PAPER Beauregard Daily News
EDITOR Linda Barron
COOL FACT DeRidder is known for it's Gothic Hanging Jail, said to be haunted by the two men who were executed by hanging them from the third floor railing of the winding staircase. The jail is almost 100 years old and hasn't been used as a jail for quite some time. It is now a tourist attraction.
NEXT BIG PUSH The staff is looking to make Facebook more of an integral part of their newsroom, using it to promote online content and draw readers to the paper’s website.
WHERE Leesvile
PAPER Leesville Daily Leader
EDITOR Alix Kunkle
COOL FACT Two rival newspaper editors got into a gunfight in 1889 – both of whom died from gunshot wounds. The town’s much more friendly now.
NEXT BIG PUSH Alix and his staff are posting frequently on Facebook, and also plan to incorporate HootSuite for more frequent posting during social media peak usage times.
