A few weeks ago, I made the surprising discovery that I probably got as much of my news for personal consumption from Facebook and Twitter as I did from traditional media sites. Then I made the more surprising discovery that I was in the healthy majority.
According to a 2016 Pew Research study, a full 50 percent of respondents ages 18 to 29 get their news online, and 49 percent under the age of 50 do. Among 18 to 29 year-olds who go online for news, social networking sites are their second most popular choice, after news websites and apps. Social media is fourth as a news source for ages 30 to 49 (first is news websites, second is local TV and third is the radio). Print is, probably not surprisingly, the last resort for young adults, 5 percent, and the choice of only 10 percent of those ages 30 to 49.
The news source that tops them all? Word of mouth. Eighty-five percent of people who share news stories said they did so by word of mouth, instead of digital communication tools.
Since we can’t stand on the corner, hollering out the headlines any more (can we?), we’re glad that our readers have chosen some alternative news sources that we can work with, such as Facebook. I admit to not always loving the sometimes clunky Facebook tools, but I really enjoy how much we can connect with our readership through this program.
I’m hoping you do, too, because I have a suggestion to help keep Valley Record posts on your pages. Facebook has changed users’ news feeds to prioritize posts from friends and family. That makes sense, of course, but it could bump the news that we post on Facebook off your page.
To prevent that and keep your local news stories visible, you can make some simple preferences changes.
From your desktop computer:
1. Open a desktop web browser and go to the Record’s Facebook page.
2. At the top, next to the “Like” button, find the word “Follow” or “Following.” (If it says “Follow,” click that once before continuing; it will change to “Following.”)
3. Click the word “Following” and choose “See First.”
From the Facebook mobile app:
1. Open the app and tap the menu icon (with the three horizontal lines).
2. Scroll to Settings and tap “News Feed Preferences.”
3. On the screen that pops up, tap “Prioritize who to see first.”
4. The pages you like and people you’re friends with will appear. Find the Valley Record in the list and tap the logo. Then tap “Done” in the upper right corner.
That’s it. Thanks for reading and engaging!
