Editorial: All the reasons we want to be Facebook friends

Facebook isn't new by any stretch of the imagination, nor is it the only social network that's out there. Every day, more get added to the list. Some catch fire and some don't.

Despite all the newbies, Facebook perseveres as the clear leader. By a large margin over its closest rival. In every age group.

And of all the social networks we use to try to extend our reach to you and to news sources and to our audience in general, Facebook remains the most effective.

If you haven't reached back to connect with us on Facebook yet, consider this a blatant pitch to consider doing so. And if you have connected but have been a somewhat reticent friend, consider increasing your activity with us.

There are many ways to connect with us on Facebook. The most obvious is to like the Daily Herald Fans page at www.facebook.com/DailyHeraldFans. But we also have several other Facebook pages devoted to a section or special niche of the newspaper.

And virtually every member of the newsroom has a Facebook page.

If you want to stay in touch with Jake Griffin, our watchdog editor, friend him on Facebook. Or you can do the same with food editor Deborah Pankey or sports columnist Barry Rozner or business writer Anna Marie Kukec. You can even friend the editor, John Lampinen.

If there's a Daily Herald byline in the paper, you can find and friend the writer on Facebook and not only get news tips to the reporter, but get to know him or her and interact. And depending on your level of activity, he or she gets a chance to get to know you.

There's something in all of this for us certainly. The better we get to know you, the better we can serve you. And the better we can serve you, the more stories you'll read, and we like to think that's good for both of us.

Beyond that, there are very concrete benefits for us as a news organization.

We've come across so many news tips on Facebook that it's hard to put a number on them. And we've used it to flesh out information to add to other stories so often that we couldn't begin to underscore what a help it's been.

So yes, we get something out of it. No doubt about that. But so do you.

That's the beauty of the relationship. You get something out of it too.

We use the Daily Herald Fans page to give you a heads-up on some of our best stories as they break. But it's also an opportunity for you to slip behind the curtain to see how the newsroom operates. And to pass along your ideas and suggestions. To interact with us.

In the old days, newspapers talked to you. "Here's what we decided the news is. We hope you read it."

Today, we work to talk with you. The best newspaper operates in a partnership with its community.

That's what we want to do. And if you're not on Facebook, that's OK. We're happy to connect with you in all the traditional ways.

But if you are on Facebook, please get in touch. Get to know us better. Help us serve you better.