More news coming your way
Monday, October 26, 2009
* Ana Rodriguez Soto
Technology is changing the way we read the news, and the Archdiocese of Miami is doing more than keeping up with the changes: In some cases, we’re ahead.
“Announce your event” and the
“Let’s Talk” blog are two features of our
Web site that we pioneered. We were the first
diocese in the country to host a blog where
readers can comment. (A few others have done so
since, including the U.S. bishops’ conference
and the Diocese of Jackson, Miss.) We also were
the first to provide a way for churches,
schools, parishioners and Catholic groups to
announce their events directly on our
Web site.
As of Nov. 1, our revamped Web site will allow for more back and forth communication between the archdiocese and local parishioners. Representatives of parishes or schools will be able to use our “news collaboration” feature to submit news articles and photographs for posting on our Web site — including results of sports events, such as high school football games or elementary school championships. Eventually, the news collaboration feature will expand to videos, along with a rating system similar to YouTube’s. Readers also will be able to comment on news and feature articles, providing an instant “letters to the editor” feature currently missing from the printed newspaper.
Of course, all submissions and comments will be screened by me and other members of the Communications staff to ensure they are in keeping with St. Augustine’s admonition, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”
The good news is there will be more “good news” to read on our Web site, as we expand the news section with daily, rather than weekly, updates on what our parishes, schools and apostolic movements are doing.
The bad news, in a way, is that the Florida Catholic as you have come to know it will no longer be delivered to your homes every other week. Printing and mailing costs have risen far beyond our ability to subsidize them. The Florida Catholic will continue, however, in the form of a printed monthly newspaper which you will be able to pick up for free in the back of your church on the third Sunday of each month. The monthly format will allow us to delve into issues in a more in-depth way, to provide our readers greater background information on Church teachings and Church positions on current issues.
The monthly will be supplemented by a weekly four-page bulletin which will be posted on our Web site every Friday. The bulletin will consist mainly of Archbishop John C. Favalora’s column in English and Spanish, a news or feature article, and the news briefs and “Arounds” that list the myriad events taking place throughout our archdiocese. You will be able to download this bulletin (in PDF format) to your computer; or your pastor might be willing to print out some copies and distribute them along with the parish bulletin each Sunday. Either way, it will be up on our Web site for everyone to read or download.
I know a lot of our most faithful readers prefer to see their news on the printed page. Frankly, so do I. But the Internet is such a cost-effective way to spread information that it cannot be ignored. Our Web site currently has more than 140,000 unique visitors, and we can see traffic pick up whenever an important announcement is made. That means people want to hear the news from us, not from a secular source that may not have all the facts or all the background that a Catholic newspaper can provide.
We take that responsibility seriously. We are doubling our efforts to give you more news for less money. All we ask is that you sign up (for free) to be part of the online community we are creating right here on our archdiocesan Web site. Use it to read our blogs, check out events, and keep up with the news about your fellow Catholics in south Florida. Being on the receiving end of all those submissions, I can tell there is a lot going on, something for everyone!
What do you think about the direction we are taking with the Florida Catholic? Will you participate in our Web conversations? Will you collaborate with us in spreading the “good news” about your parishes and schools? Do you have any suggestions for how we can improve the way we communicate with you?
Ana Rodriguez-Soto
Editor, Miami edition, Florida Catholic
newspaper
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Check out the details of the new three-tier communications plan in the “Coming soon” box on our home page, www.miamiarchdiocese.org/
- Read Archbishop Favalora’s column in the Oct. 23 edition of the Florida Catholic: tinyurl.com/favalora102309
- Join our mailing list so that you can receive news and post events: tinyurl.com/joinmiamiarch
Comments from readers
Joan Crown, who heads the respect life office, is a regular blogger on this site, which helps keep the Respect Life issue front and center (literally) for our Catholic population. The office hosts regular educational workshops that also are listed under our Events calendar.
As for World Youth Day 2011, we are planning to have young adults who travel there blog for us again (that is how this blog actually got started, with World Youth Day in Australia). So let this serve as notice that whoever out there is planning to take a group should get in touch with us and lkeep us posted.
That is the whole point of this new, more interactive Web site, after all: To increase the communications among Catholics in south Florida so that we all may be part of sharing and spreading the Good News.
1. Respect Life Ministry - specifically how we can continue to keep it on "economic life support" ....we are the Body of Christ and this Ministry needs to remain connected through us....My personal and spiritual goal toward this effort is to host a minimum of of one monthly Baby Shower for Respet Life. Tomorrow, November 1, 2009 will be the first one at my home - 4730 North 31st Court, Hllywood, Fl 33021- All are welcome, the time is from 1 - 3 - we will have a Respect Life speaker and all gifts/donations will benefit the minsitry 100% ...with God's help we are "expecting" a great turn out and we ask for your prayers and support in getting this message out.
2. World Youth Day 2011 Madrid, Spain - This is one of the most powerful ways of bringing the Body of Christ to live! Please keep our community, churches, schools updated on the count down to this great pilgrimage that is truly life-changing.
Thank you and know that God is blessing you abundantly every day!! Lillian
The job that Ana, Mary Ross Agosta, Teresa Martinez and the entire Communications Office staff does for our local church is extraordinary. I witnessed this firsthand during my time in the Vocations Office, and it was a joy to work with them in spreading the Good News. This is an exciting venture that they are about to undertake as they seek to bring us all closer together through the revamped website and the new Florida Catholic. As always count on my support even way up here in northern Broward County where great things are happening that we hope to share with you through this new medium. Our prayers are with you all!
God bless,
Father Manny Alvarez
Mary Help of Christians Parish
Mary S - I know exactly what you are saying, and I worry about that, too. The internet is so "niche-centered" it concerns me that we won't be learning anything new and reading only what confirms our opinions and biases. I hope the ability to communicate with each other online - like this - will help us remain connected as a Church. Thanks for your offer to pay more for the newspaper. Unfortunately, there are not enough people like you willing to subscribe to Catholic newspapers - or secular ones for that matter, as all the print media are struggling. Change is never easy but we will see what happens, and the input of readers like you will be vital to our success.
Jesus - Thanks for your enthusiastic support. We will certainly keep your request about pictures in mind. As for my comments about being "first", I did not mean to sound competitive. It's just that the church is often accused of being "backwards" and not adapting quickly enough to new technologies. My point is that we are really working hard to embrace the Internet and all its wonderful possibilities. In fact, I discovered recently (thanks to my new-found friend Joe P) that the Internet is a tremendous tool for the blind and sight-impaired, as there is a program they can buy (JAWS) that reads what appears on the screen to them. The Internet also allows people to increase the font size on their screen in order to read it more easily. So in this way we are serving a community that we were unable to serve before - and that's always good news.
Susy - With your experience so far, I think you are going to love the new system we are putting in place for submitting news about schools and parishes. Thanks for being what they call "an early adapter".
Technology definitely seems to be the way of the future. It is wonderful to see that our Archdiocese is on the cutting edge of these communication advances. We at Good Shepherd have been participating with the on-line edition and will continue to support this. Under your editorial expertise we are proud to see the "good news" spreading even more efficiently.
May God continue to bless you and your efforts!
Susy Del Riego
Principal
Good Shepherd Catholic School
I think most of us unanimously respond �yes� to the new direction for the Florida Catholic. Yes, we will participate in your web talks, and we will collaborate with you in spreading the �good news�� wherever they might come from. One suggestion: When I read a blog submission, I�d like to see a picture of the submitter at the same time while I interact with his/her thoughts.
I left this for last: In your first two introductory paragraphs of � More news coming your way�, I see it remarkable to find: �In some cases, we�re ahead�, �We pioneered�, �We were the first diocese��, �We also were the first to��. I�d like you giving me some light on how to fit this seemingly �competitive� enthusiasm, within St.Augustine�s admonition.
Jes�s
The proud mother of the Editor.