MENDOCINO Co., 1/28/18 — Editor’s note: The following article has been adapted from an article published in Berkeleyside, a fellow member of the Local Independent Online Newspaper Publishers. Check them out for excellent coverage on Berkeley and the East Bay.
When Facebook announced two weeks ago it will show users more posts from friends and family, while hiding the news, the Mendo Voice crew — along with publishers around the nation — was disturbed. It’s ironic that Facebook’s so-called “News Feed” will now suppress news stories rather than help people find them, especially on a local level.
We’ve worked hard to bring the community stories that matter, and have often done that through our Facebook page. Indeed, during the fires, the speed of Facebook video streaming, and the limited internet connectivity meant that much of our reporting went straight to Facebook. The Mendo Voice has spent a significant amount of time building our Facebook presence because it has historically been such an important megaphone for us in terms of how some readers come to our site. But times are changing, and we have to change with them.
On the bright side, if you’d still like to see The Mendo Voice’s posts on Facebook, there are some simple steps you can take. We want to stay connected with you, so we hope you take a minute to follow us. Not a Facebook reader? Keep scrolling, because we have tips below that will help you, too.
Five tips to stay plugged into The Mendo Voice
How to select the “see first” option on Facebook.
1) CHOOSE ‘SEE FIRST’ On our Facebook page, click the “Follow” button (it may say “Following”) and make sure “See First” is checked. You can do the same thing on a mobile device following essentially the same steps.
(2) BOOKMARK Bookmark our Facebook page (we find this link to be the best view) and our website. Like what you see there? Please comment and share our posts, which helps us get greater visibility. The Bookmarks menu appears at the top of the browser. On a Mac, the shortcut to create a bookmark is command+D from any website you like.
(3) BOOKMARKS BAR Put The Mendo Voice’s Facebook page and our website in your “bookmarks bar” (Chrome) for easy access. It’s called “Favorites” on Safari and “Bookmarks Toolbar” on Firebox. That way you can find our page with just one click. When you’re saving your bookmark, just make sure to choose the location that works best for you.
(4) PHONE HOME SCREEN Not a Facebook user but want to access The Mendo Voice quickly on mobile? Put The Mendo Voice on your home screen. On an iphone click the “share” button at the bottom of the page:
The Safari share button
The scroll right and select the homescreen option:
Add to homescreen.
(5) NEWS IN YOUR INBOX Sign up for our newsletter to get our headlines right in your email inbox.
If you’re a fan of The Mendo Voice’s work, and would like to support us, please share our stories on social media and email. On Facebook, your comments, shares and likes will help us avoid losing readers. Looking for more ways to support us, consider getting a subscription.
