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The NAA Community blog explores a range of beneficial Community features, offering tips, tricks and expert advice to help you -- and your business -- get the most out of your Community. Visit us weekly to get the latest advice on navigating the Community and discovering all it has to offer.
If you need additional help, you can always visit the NAA Community Help Page or call 571-366-1200. If you have a topic you'd like to see discussed in this blog, please submit it to
feedback@naa.org
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In response to the feedback we've received from NAA members and users of the NAA Community, we recently launched a new feature on NAA.org and community.naa.org that we hope will make the user experience even easier. You may be familiar with the "Remember Me" feature, which is a common tool for Web-based e-mail applications, social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, and other Web sites for membership-driven organizations. And now, the "Remember Me" tool has come to NAA! This new feature will allow you to sign-on to NAA.org once, using your username and password, and select the "Remember Me" option -- after that, you can come and go between NAA.org and the NAA Community, close your browser, shut down your computer, and still be signed into NAA on your next visit. Should you wish to remove the "Remember Me" function at any time, simply log out before exiting the site.
To take advantage of this new feature the next time you visit NAA.org or NAA Community, click the "Sign On" link in the upper right-hand corner to access the login page.
On the login page, enter your username and password. (By default, these are both set to your business email address. If you've forgotten your password, please enter your business email in the lower text field to begin the password retrieval process.) Once you have entered your username and password, click the "Remember Me" check box below the username field. Once you see that this box is checked, click the red arrow button to log in.
You will then be able to browse through NAA.org's site sections, and enter the NAA Community, accessing members-only and other registration-required content without being prompted to sign-in again.
Please remember, if you wish to deactivate your choose to have our sites "Remember" you, please log out before exiting.
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Please come back to the NAA Community Blog for more tips and tricks on using your new Community. And, if you have a topic you'd like to see featured in the coming weeks, please submit it to feedback@naa.org.
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 Photos play a major role in social networking. Not only is the ability to upload and share your snapshots a feature in most leading social networks, like Facebook and MySpace, but there are numerous networks out there dedicated exclusively to photo sharing (think Flickr, Photobucket and Picasa).
The NAA Community introduced Photo Galleries as a way to share expanded coverage of various NAA conferences, industry-related events, and more. The 20 Under 40 galleries allowed PRESSTIME magazine to share additional information about their top picks. The NAA mediaXchange (Day One, Day Two, Day Three) and Annual Convention galleries gave users not in attendance a chance to see the goings-on in Las Vegas and San Diego.
Now, the Community has introduced a new gallery for its users and we invite you to upload your favorite snapshots to share with your fellow members. Some ideas:
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Photos from a recent event or promotion at your newspaper company.
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Snapshots of you and your colleagues at work.
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Pictures taken at any NAA conference or other industry-related event.
 How to Upload a Photo:
Before you begin, you'll need to sign-in or register for the NAA Community. Remember that your default username and password are your business email address. Once you've logged in, you'll be directed to your personalized Community Homepage.
In the left navigation, click "Photo Galleries." If you don't see the Members Gallery on the "Recent Photos" page, click the link at the top of the page to access our full list of galleries; the Members Gallery will be at the bottom of the page, in the "NAA Community" category. Click on the "Members Gallery" title to open it. 
At the bottom of the left rail, you'll see the "Common Tasks" module with a link to Add a Picture.
From there you'll be taken to the Photo Gallery Control Panel to Publish a New Photo.
 Click "Upload Photo" on the right side of the page to select an image from your computer to add to the gallery. Once you've chosen your photo, click "Upload." You'll then need to give your photo a subject or title. You may also add optional content tags, or a description to use as a caption for your photo. Before you publish the photo, you have the option of previewing it by clicking the "Preview" tab. When you are satisfied with your photo and information, click "Save" to publish the image to the Members Gallery.
To exit the Control Panel, you may click the Members Gallery link at the top of the page to visit the gallery, or click "Exit Control Panel and Return to Site" to go back to your Community home page.
So, why not enhance your social networking experience in the Community and start sharing your photos with your colleagues and fellow Community members? Sign-in and share your pics in the Members Gallery!
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Please come back to the NAA Community Blog for more tips and tricks on using your new Community. And, if you have a topic you'd like to see featured in the coming weeks, please submit it to feedback@naa.org.
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NAA recently integrated a new "topics" functionality, which highlights specific, custom-selected terms on various pages throughout the NAA Web site, allowing users to click on specified words or phrases - such as revenue growth or audience development - to see more on a specific subject.
This new function is part of a new Lingospot program created specifically for NAA member newspapers. Find out more in "Lingospot to Offer Self-Serve Topic Pages to NAA Members," a blog post from the NAA Press Center at mediaXchange 2009, or sign-up now.
Here's how it works:
The new Lingospot topics can be found in About NAA and the NAA Press Center, as well as the Resources section and NAA's online Publications.
Clicking a hyperlinked term will take users to a topics page displaying related content, such as other NAA.org articles and content from the NAA Community, as well as books, videos, photos and articles from other areas of the Web.
See the new functionality in action, by visiting pages from each integrated section:
Please come back to the NAA Community Blog for more tips and tricks on using your new Community. And, if you have a topic you'd like to see featured in the coming weeks, please submit it to feedback@naa.org.
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 I recently sat down with Beth Lawton, NAA Manager of Digital Media and the author of the popular Digital Edge Blog, to discuss the effect social media have had on newspapers and how companies can use new technologies and social sites to benefit their business. You can hear what she had to say in this latest Podcast from the Newspaper Association of America.
Q: Consumers are turning to social media and networking more and more. What benefits do social networks have for newspapers looking to reach out to their audiences in new ways?
Q: How has the development of social media affected digital media strategies at newspaper companies?
Q: Are their opportunities in social media that you think newspapers could take more advantage of?
Q: In your experience, what digital media strategies have proved to work best? What practices should be avoided?
 Listen to the Podcast now. [Duration 5:33]
For more Podcasts from NAA, visit www.naa.org/podcast.
Please come back to the NAA Community Blog for more tips and tricks on using your new Community. And, if you have a topic you'd like to see featured in the coming weeks, please submit it to feedback@naa.org.
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 It's Week Five of the NAA Community's five-week promotion to get you excited about participating. All Community members who take part in the promotion will be eligible to win one of five $50 credits toward great NAA products, such as hats, shirts and mugs featuring the NAA logo, as well as great merchandise including books, blankets and more. To become eligible for our final weekly drawing (to be Thursday, March 26), simply participate in the Community:
Week One: Invite a colleague to join
Week Two: Create your own Profile
Week Three: Upload a Shared File
Week Four: Create or respond to a question on a Forum
- Week Five: Upload photos to a Photo Gallery
To help you get started, I've included instructions for Week Four of the promotion. For more information, visit the Promotion Guidelines on NAA.org. Please also see our Official Rules.
WEEK FIVE: Upload photos to a Photo Gallery
Promotion begins March 11. Winner will be chosen Thursday, March 26, and highlighted in the Community as the Featured Member for the week beginning March 30.
How to upload photos to a Photo Gallery:
Photo Galleries give us a way to share expanded coverage of various NAA conferences, industry-related events, and more. Did you miss the latest conference? Check the Photo Galleries to see who was there!
Before you begin, you'll need to sign-in or register for the NAA Community. Remember that your default username and password are your business email address. Once you've logged in, you'll be directed to your personalized Community Homepage.
 In the left navigation, click "Photo Galleries." If you don't see the Members Gallery there, click the link at the top of the page to access our full list of galleries; the Members Gallery will be at the bottom of the page, in the "NAA Community" category. Click on the Members Gallery title to open it. At the bottom of the left rail, you'll see the "Common Tasks" module with a link to Add a Picture. From there you'll be taken to Photo Gallery Control Panel to Publish a New Photo.
Click "Upload Photo" on the right side of the page to select an image from your computer to add to the gallery. Once you've chosen your photo, click "Upload." You'll then need to give your photo a subject or title. You may also add optional content tags, or a description to use as a caption for your photo. Before you publish the photo, you have the option of previewing it by clicking the "Preview" tab. When you are satisfied with your photo and information, click "Save" to publish the image to the Members Gallery.
To exit the Control Panel, you may click the Members Gallery link at the top of the page to visit the gallery, or click "Exit Control Panel and Return to Site" to go back to your Community home page.
Once you've uploaded a photo to the gallery, you'll be automatically entered to win this week's $50 credit toward great NAA merchandise!
Thanks to everyone who has participated in this promotion; we look forward to your continued presence in the new NAA Community!
Please come back to the NAA Community Blog for more tips and tricks on using your new Community. And, if you have a topic you'd like to see featured in the coming weeks, please submit it to feedback@naa.org.
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It's Week Fourof the NAA Community's five-week promotion to get you excited about participating. All Community members who take part in the promotion will be eligible to win one of five $50 credits toward great NAA products, such as hats, shirts and mugs featuring the NAA logo, as well as great merchandise including books, blankets and more. To become eligible for one of our weekly drawings (to be held every Thursday for two more weeks, until March 19), simply participate in the Community in one of the following two ways:
Week One: Invite a colleague to join
Week Two: Create your own Profile
Week Three: Upload a Shared File
- Week Four: Create or respond to a question on a Forum
- Week Five: Upload photos to a Photo Gallery
To help you get started, I've included instructions for Week Four of the promotion. To see what lies ahead, you can visit the Promotion Guidelines on NAA.org. Please also see our Official Rules.
WEEK FOUR: Create or respond to a question on a Forum
Promotion begins March 4. Winner will be chosen Thursday, March 12, and highlighted in the Community as the Featured Member for the week beginning March 16.
How to create or respond to a question on a Forum:
The Community forums are one of the best networking features we offer; the forums offer the opportunity to discuss the topics that are relevant to you in your business, and to benefit the valuable insight offered by your colleagues and NAA experts on the issues facing the industry today. The ability to share best practices, resources and success stories and to stay on top of the important industry issues that matter to you is part of what makes the NAA Community the premier social networking destination for newspaper executives and industry experts.
Before you begin, you'll need to sign-in or register for the NAA Community. Remember that your default username and password are your business email address. Once you've logged in, you'll be directed to your personalized Community Homepage.
In the left navigation, click "Forums." You will see a list of all forums you are a member of; if you do not have a specific forum membership, you may still participate in the NAA Community Announcements and NAA Community Support/Feedback forums. For this week's challenge, you may enter by creating a new thread in one of your forums, or by replying to an existing post from another member. Here's how:
Creating a new thread:
 Click the name of your forum to open it, then click "Write a New Post" to begin. Enter a subject line and begin crafting your message. You may also add content tags to your post if you wish. Once you've finished writing your message, you may preview your post by clicking the "Preview" tab. When you're satisfied with your post, click "Post" at the bottom of the page.
Replying to an existing post:
 Click the name of your forum to open it, then select the topic you'd like to respond to. Once you've opened the topic thread, and click "Reply to All" at the top of the post. Enter a subject line and begin crafting your response. You may also add content tags to your response if you wish. Once you've finished writing your response, you may preview the post by clicking the "Preview" tab. When you're satisfied with your response, click "Post" at the bottom of the page.
Please note that navigating away from this page at any time prior to clicking "Post" will result in a loss of your unpublished message. For more details on posting to Community forums, including options for customizing your post, see our forum-related blog posts.
Once you've posted your new thread or responded to another, you'll be automatically entered to win this week's $50 credit toward great NAA merchandise!
Congratulations to Debbie Rahamim, of Florida's Sun-Sentinel, who won Week Three of the promotion by uploading a Shared File. Check back on Monday for tips on participating in Week Five: Upload Photos to a Gallery!
Please come back to the NAA Community Blog for more tips and tricks on using your new Community. And, if you have a topic you'd like to see featured in the coming weeks, please submit it to feedback@naa.org.
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It's Week Three of the NAA Community's five-week promotion to get you excited about participating. All Community members who take part in the promotion will be eligible to win one of five $50 credits toward great NAA products, such as hats, shirts and mugs featuring the NAA logo, as well as great merchandise including books, blankets and more. To become eligible for one of our weekly drawings (to be held every Thursday for three more weeks, until March 19), simply participate in the Community in one of the following three ways:
Week One: Invite a colleague to join
Week Two: Create your own Profile
- Week Three: Upload a Shared File
- Week Four: Create or respond to a question on a Forum
- Week Five: Upload photos to a Photo Gallery
To help you get started, I've included instructions for Week Two of the promotion. To see what lies ahead, you can visit the Promotion Guidelines on NAA.org. Please also see our Official Rules.
WEEK THREE: Upload a Shared File
Promotion begins Feb. 25, 2009. Winner will be chosen Thursday, March 5, and highlighted in the Community as the Featured Member for the week beginning March 9.
How to upload a Shared File:
File sharing makes it even easier to share information with your fellow Community members participating in your forums. This feature of the Community eliminates the need to attach files via email; rather all your documents can be stored in one central location, making it easy for you and your fellow forum participants to collaborate, share and discuss information.
 Before you begin, you'll need to sign-in or register for the NAA Community. Remember that your default username and password are your business email address. Once you've logged in, you'll be directed to your personalized Community Homepage.
In the left navigation menu, click "Shared Files." In the left rail, you will see a list of all folders you have access to. Most of our shared file folders correspond to our forums, so you will see one for each forum you participate in. The NAA Community Announcements and NAA Community Support/Feedback folders are open to all users of the Community; if you are not currently a member of any of our forums, please feel free to upload your file to one of these open folders.
To upload your file, click the name of the folder you wish you add to, then click the "Upload" button at the top of that page. From there, you'll be able to browse your computer files and select the one you want to share by clicking "Specify File/URL." Once you've selected your file, click "Save." You will then need to give your file a name, and add an optional description and tags. When you are finished entering the file information, click "Save" again, and you're done.
Once you've saved your uploaded file, you'll be automatically entered to win this week's $50 credit toward great NAA merchandise!
Congratulations to Jim Santori of The Free Press in Mankato, Minn., who won Week Two of the promotion by Creating a Profile in Community. Check back on Monday for tips on participating in Week Four: Participate in a Forum!
Please come back to the NAA Community Blog for more tips and tricks on using your new Community. And, if you have a topic you'd like to see featured in the coming weeks, please submit it to feedback@naa.org.
As always, if you need additional help you can visit the NAA Community Help Page, or call 517-366-1200.
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It's Week Two of the NAA Community's five-week promotions to get you excited about participating. All Community members who take part in the promotion will be eligible to win one of five $50 credits toward great NAA products, such as hats, shirts and mugs featuring the NAA logo, as well as great merchandise including books, blankets and more. To become eligible for one of our weekly drawings (to be held every Thursday for four more weeks, until March 19), simply participate in the Community in one of the following four ways:
Week One: Invite a colleague to join
- Week Two: Create your own Profile
- Week Three: Upload a Shared File
- Week Four: Create or respond to a question on a Forum
- Week Five: Upload photos to a Photo Gallery
To help you get started, I've included instructions for Week Two of the promotion. To see what lies ahead, you can visit the Promotion Guidelines on NAA.org. Please also see our Official Rules.
WEEK TWO: Create your own Profile
Promotion begins Feb. 18, 2009. Winner will be chosen Thursday, Feb. 26, and highlighted in the Community as the Featured Member for the week beginning March 2.
How to create your own profile:
Uploading a custom avatar, creating a bio and recommending reading for colleagues will make your profile stand out. Profiles allow you to share your professional experiences and Community activity, learn about others in the industry and grow your professional network.
Before you begin, you'll need to sign-in or register for the NAA Community. Remember that your default username and password are your business email address. Once you've logged in, you'll be directed to your personalized Community Homepage.
Locate the "My Profile" module in the upper right-hand corner and click "Edit" to access your profile settings. You can navigate between the various tabs to fill out the sections of your profile, including: a signature that will appear at the bottom of your forum posts; details about your occupation, location, interests and contact information; your email preferences and other options for customizing the site to fit your needs. Feel free to edit any sections you like, but remember: You must complete at least two of the following sections to qualify for the $50 credit toward great NAA merchandise!
- Complete Your Personal Bio
Once inside the profile editor, select the first tab: Signature and Bio. The second text field is your Bio, which will be displayed at the top of your public profile. You can use this area to tell your colleagues a little more about you, such as your professional background, your interests within the industry, and anything else you'd like to share.
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- Upload an Avatar
Once inside the profile editor, select the third tab: Avatar. Your avatar is your profile image, and will be displayed next to any forum posts that you author and any comments you make throughout the Community's blogs, photo galleries, files, etc. Because the Community's standard avatar box is square, we recommend you upload an square image to your profile. Rectangular images may be distorted to fit within the square dimensions. To upload, click "Browse" to select an image from your computer. Once you've selected your image, the filename will appear in the text field. Click "Update" to upload the image to your profile.
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- Add an RSS Feed to Your "Recommended Reading"
Once inside the profile editor, select the second tab: About. At the bottom, you'll see "Recommended Reading," which will be displayed on your public profile along with any forum posts that you author. This section of your profile allows you to share your favorite RSS feeds with your colleagues, letting them know what industry and other news you're reading that you think they'd be interested in as well. To add an RSS feed to your "Recommended Reading," you'll first need to locate the content you'd like to share and copy the feed URL (which will end with .xml). If you are already subscribed to a RSS feed you'd like to share, simply open it, copy the URL and paste it into the "Recommended Reading" field. If you are not currently subscribed to an RSS feed, find a Web site that offers them, such as Poynter.org's Romenesko column. Navigate to your favorite blog, column or news site and look for the RSS symbol. Clicking on the symbol or a subscription link will open the feed and you can copy the URL to paste into the "Recommended Reading" field.
IMPORTANT FINAL STEP: To be considered eligible for the $50 credit toward NAA merchandise, you must submit your completed profile to the NAA Community Team. Once you have completed at least two of the three aforementioned sections, click the "Save" button. A green text box will appear at the top of your profile editor to let you know that your changes were successfully saved. For the duration of this promotion, you will also see a link to submit your profile for Community Give-Away. Make sure that you click this link after you've saved your new profile, or we will not be able to consider you.
Once you've submitted an eligible profile, you'll be automatically entered to win this week's $50 credit toward great NAA merchandise!
Congratulations to David Yanoshik of The Express-Times in Easton, Pa., who won Week One of the promotion by Inviting a Colleague to join the Community. Check back on Monday for tips on participating in Week Three: Upload a Shared File!
Please come back to the NAA Community Blog for more tips and tricks on using your new Community. And, if you have a topic you'd like to see featured in the coming weeks, please submit it to feedback@naa.org.
As always, if you need additional help you can visit the NAA Community Help Page, or call 517-366-1200.
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The NAA Community will be running five weeks of promotions to get you excited about participating. All Community members who take part in the promotion will be eligible to win a $50 credit toward great NAA products, such as hats, shirts and mugs featuring the NAA logo, as well as great merchandise including books and more. To become eligible for one of our weekly drawings (to be held every Thursday for five weeks, beginning February 19), simply participate in the Community in one of the following five ways:
- Week One: Invite a colleague to join
- Week Two: Create your own Profile
- Week Three: Upload a Shared File
- Week Four: Create or respond to a question on a Forum
- Week Five: Upload photos to a Photo Gallery
To help you get started, I've included instructions for Week One of the promotion. To see what lies ahead, you can visit the Promotion Guidelines on NAA.org. Please also see our Official Rules. WEEK ONE: Invite a colleague to join the Community
Promotion begins Feb. 11, 2009. Winner will be chosen Thursday, Feb. 19, and highlighted in the Community as the Featured Member for the week beginning Feb. 23.
How to invite a colleague: As with any social network, the NAA Community thrives on interaction between its members, and the valuable exchange of ideas between a variety of professionals and experts across the industry. Help increase the value of this great networking opportunity by inviting a colleague.
Before you begin, you'll need to sign-in or register for the NAA Community. Remember that your default username and password are your business email address. Once you've logged in, you'll be directed to your personalized Community Homepage.
 On the bottom of the left rail, you'll see a button that says "Send to Associate." Simply click this button to open a new email message window in your preferred mail client. The new message will have community@naa.org pre-filled in the CC field. All you need to do is fill in the email address of any colleague you think could enjoy the benefits of the NAA Community, and click send! You may also add a personalized message in the body of the email if you choose, as long as you keep the link to the Community intact. Your colleague's email address will not be added to a mailing list and they will not continue to receive Community emails unless they elect to join.
Once you've sent your email, you'll be automatically entered to win this week's $50 credit toward great NAA merchandise!
Check back here on Monday for tips on participating in Week Two: Create your own profile!
Please come back to the NAA Community Blog later this week for more tips and tricks on using your new Community. And, if you have a topic you'd like to see featured in the coming weeks, please submit it to feedback@naa.org.
As always, if you need additional help you can visit the NAA Community Help Page, or call 517-366-1200.
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Due to the popularity of January's $10 Coffee Card Give-Away, we've decided to extend the promotion for a second round in February. If you're new to the Community, or just haven't had the time to populate your Community profile, now's the time to do it!
The personal profile is one of the best networking features the NAA Community has to offer, giving you the opportunity to tell your fellow members a little more about your and your involvement in the industry. 
Your NAA Community profile puts a face to your name and allows forum participants to learn more about you. Uploading a custom photo, creating a bio and recommending reading for your colleagues will make your profile stand out. Profiles allow you to share your professional experiences and Community activity, learn about others in the industry and grow your professional network.
And now, for a limited time only, your profile can earn you $10 worth of free coffee, courtesy of NAA:
From now until February 16, 2009, ALL members of the NAA Community who populate their profile for the first time will receive a $10 Coffee Gift Card!
Any NAA Community member who has not previously populated their profile is eligible to participate in this promotion. Interested? Creating your profile is quick and easy, but before you get started, be sure to read the promotion guidelines to ensure your profile meets all eligibility requirements.
Please come back to the NAA Community Blog later this week for more tips and tricks on using your new Community. And, if you have a topic you'd like to see featured in the coming weeks, please submit it to feedback@naa.org.
As always, if you need additional help you can visit the NAA Community Help Page, or call 517-366-1200.
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 One of the most important aspects of belonging to any community is the ability to interact with others within it. In online communities, specifically, this means more than conversing with other members of your social network via forums or direct messaging; it means having the ability to react to what others are saying, organize content to make it more easily accessible to your network of friends and colleagues, and learning to use the various channels of communication within your community in new ways.
We understand the importance of these enhanced communication techniques, and have created the NAA Community with all the best that "Web 2.0" can offer, including - but not limited to - user comments, a star-rating system for Community content, and the ability to tag content for better search functionality and ease of usability. And, to help you make the most of these invaluable tools, I'd like to explore each function a little deeper here.
Using Tags
If you've spent much time on the Internet -- whether its reading news or blogs, watching videos on YouTube, or browsing other Web sites -- you've likely come in contact with content tags. Tags allow users to categorize content based on the topics it relates to. For example, an article posted about the recent presidential inauguration might have tags such as: president, inauguration, washington dc, government, capitol, obama, crowd, national mall, historic, parade, white house, ball. Not only do tags help other users see what an article or item relates to, tags also help to optimize the search capabilities of a Web site. For example, while reading an article about the inauguration, you might want to find out more about the parade. On most sites that use content tags, clicking the tag "parade" would take you to a list of other articles or items that carry the same tag.
Tags often appear at the top or bottom of the piece of content they are assigned to. Another method for displaying content tags is the "Tag Cloud." The tag cloud is a visual depiction of all tags included on a Web site, or a particular section of a Web site. Every tag used on the site, or site section, appears in the tag cloud; the more often a tag is used, the larger it appears when compared to the others. (Some sites use colors instead of, or in addition to, font size to show tag popularity.) This is helpful in giving users a quick hint as to how much content exists about the subject they are interested in. Tag clouds are usually made up of links; clicking on a particular word will take you to a list of all content carrying that tag.
The NAA Community uses tags across all of its sections: blogs, forums, photo galleries and shared files. Tag clouds also appear in each section, as well as on your Community home page. The home page tag cloud displays links to tags used across the entire Community. Clicking a word that appears in the main tag cloud will open a list of all Community content associated with that tag. Icons to the left of each item will let you know in which section the content will be found. You will also see a secondary tag cloud appear at the top of this content list; If you search "community help", this secondary tag cloud will display all other tags found on items filed under "community help." This feature will help you to find content related to your original search.
Once you move deeper into the site, tag clouds become more section-specific. Each section landing page displays a tag cloud containing all tags from that section. Clicking on a specific blog, forum, photo gallery or file folder will display a tag cloud with tags specific to that subsection. Once you have selected a particular blog entry, forum post, photo or file, you can view and click the author's tags at the bottom of the item:
Whether you are uploading a file, adding photos or posting to a forum, try using the Community's tagging functionality. It's quick and easy, and it will boost the value and searchability of your content. To add tags, enter words or short phrases, separated by commas, into the "Tags" field. You have the option to create your own tags, or to "Select Tags" to choose from others that have been used in that section before. Remember, tags should be words or short phrases that others might search. Tagging content with a long phrase like "presidential inauguration in washington dc" will be less useful than tagging "presidential" "inauguration" and "washington dc".
More in "Using Web 2.0 Tools": Part One: User Comments | Part Two: Rating Content | Part Three: Tagging Content
Please come back to the NAA Community Blog next week for more tips and tricks on using your new Community. And, if you have a topic you'd like to see featured in the coming weeks, please submit it to feedback@naa.org.
As always, if you need additional help you can visit the NAA Community Help Page, or call 517-366-1200.
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 One of the most important aspects of belonging to any community is the ability to interact with others within it. In online communities, specifically, this means more than conversing with other members of your social network via forums or direct messaging; it means having the ability to react to what others are saying, organize content to make it more easily accessible to your network of friends and colleagues, and learning to use the various channels of communication within your community in new ways.
We understand the importance of these enhanced communication techniques, and have created the NAA Community with all the best that "Web 2.0" can offer, including - but not limited to - user comments, a star-rating system for Community content, and the ability to tag content for better search functionality and ease of usability. And, to help you make the most of these invaluable tools, I'd like to explore each function a little deeper here.
Rating Content
Internet users encounter content rating systems across the Web, whether they realize it or not. Do you use Google to perform your Web searches? Google search results are returned to you using an innovative, automated ranking system that provides you with the most relevant pages. Web applications like Digg allow users to submit interesting stories, and then vote on content shared by other users. The most "Dugg" stories move up, while the less popular content moves down. Blogs and news sites across the Web allow users to rate their content on how helpful they are, how interesting they are, how credible they are, etc. User ratings help other users determine how valuable content is; articles and blog items with high user ratings are more likely to be read by other users. On the other hand, content given low ratings by other users are less likely to be consumed. As with user comments, ratings tell new users whether this particular piece of content is going to be valuable to them.
 The NAA Community users a star-rating system throughout the site, allowing users to rate blog posts, forum discussions, photos and shared files on a scale of 1 through 5. Content with five stars has been deemed most valuable by your fellow Community members. Look for the five-star rating button on any blog post, forum thread, photo from a gallery, or file details page to add your rating. To do so, simply hover your cursor over the stars until you've highlighted the number you'd like to award. Here's how to find them: 
Blogs - When scrolling through the main page of your favorite Community blog, entries with star-ratings will show the number of stars next to post title, as seen above in the Digital Edge. To add your rating, simply highlight the number of stars you wish to give, using the button next to the post title.
Forums - Once you've navigated to your forum, any threads that have a star-rating will show the number of stars next to the thread title, as seen in NAA Community Announcements at right. To add your rating, open the individual thread and rate the content using the button at the top of the thread.
Files - When browsing Shared Files, any files with star-ratings will show the number of stars next to the file name, similar to the presentation of star-rated forum threads. To add your rating, open the file details page and rate the content using the button included in the statistics table for that file. From the main Shared Files page, you may also sort all available files by clicking "Most Popular" at the top of the page.
 Photos - In the Photo Gallery section of the Community, users have the ability to rate individual pictures within any of the photo galleries. To add your rating, open the individual photo and rate the content using the button located in the "Statistics" module in the left rail. This module will also tell you how many other users have rated that particular photo, as well as other statistics such as how many times the photo has been viewed.
So, the next time you come across a piece of content in the NAA Community that you find useful, interesting, or otherwise, give it some stars! Your rating will help other users find the most relevant content available, and their ratings will be helpful to you as well. Remember, you must be signed-in to rate content.
More in "Using Web 2.0 Tools": Part One: User Comments | Part Two: Rating Content | Part Three: Tagging Content
Please come back to the NAA Community Blog next week for more tips and tricks on using your new Community. And, if you have a topic you'd like to see featured in the coming weeks, please submit it to feedback@naa.org.
As always, if you need additional help you can visit the NAA Community Help Page, or call 517-366-1200.
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 One of the most important aspects of belonging to any community is the ability to interact with others within it. In online communities, specifically, this means more than conversing with other members of your social network via forums or direct messaging; it means having the ability to react to what others are saying, organize content to make it more easily accessible to your network of friends and colleagues, and learning to use the various channels of communication within your community in new ways.
We understand the importance of these enhanced communication techniques, and have created the NAA Community with all the best that "Web 2.0" can offer, including - but not limited to - user comments, a star-rating system for Community content, and the ability to tag content for better search functionality and ease of usability. And, to help you make the most of these invaluable tools, I'd like to explore each function a little deeper here.
User Comments
Have you ever found yourself browsing an online news article or a post on your favorite blog, only to end up scrolling through pages of user comments about the published item above? It's easy to be engrossed in the audience conversation that inevitably follows any intriguing or important piece of news, gossip or other published material. Some of the most successful online communities thrive on the participation of their audiences.
User comments give new readers an idea of how others are thinking about the particular piece of information they are consuming. Do most of your fellow community members agree with the position being taken by the blog author? What do your friends and colleagues think about the latest development in this news story? And, what are YOUR thoughts?
Taking advantage of the ability to leave your thoughts on an article or blog gives you a voice, and allows the initial publication to become an ongoing discussion. User comments also add value to any published piece of information. A blog post with more comments is more likely to be read by new viewers, who are interested in finding out what everyone else is talking about.
 The NAA Community offers you comment capabilities across most of its sections: Blogs, Photo Galleries and Shared Files - but remember, you must be signed-in to take advantage of this tool. So, the next time you check out a blog post or photo gallery in the Community, take a minute to leave a comment and keep the discussion going!
- Have something to add to what's already been said? Share your comments to add value to our content.
- Disagree with something posted to one of our blogs? Offer a second opinion.
- Do you have a story that goes along with one of our photos? Tell it to the whole Community.
- Did you find one of the shared files particularly helpful? Let other users know why.
So, get to know your Community better and start interacting with your fellow members and NAA experts in new ways by keeping the conversation going across the site.
More in "Using Web 2.0 Tools": Part One: User Comments | Part Two: Rating Content | Part Three: Tagging Content
Please come back to the NAA Community Blog next week for more tips and tricks on using your new Community. And, if you have a topic you'd like to see featured in the coming weeks, please submit it to feedback@naa.org.
As always, if you need additional help you can visit the NAA Community Help Page, or call 517-366-1200.
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  Have you ever read an article on a news Web site and shared it with a friend or colleague via email? Do you post links to interesting stories or sites on your Facebook profile? Maybe you bookmark your favorite sites using Del.icio.us or when you find an article you like, you Digg it.
Whether you've engaged in content sharing using the methods above, or any number of other options on the Web, the Community is now offering a way to easily share your favorite content using the new widget in our Blogs section.
The new widget can be found on the aggregate page of any of our blogs, as well as on each individual blog entry. It will be located in the left-rail "Syndication" module, along with your RSS and email subscription options. The widget appears as a button, reading "Share" and showing a variety of social media logos. To use the widget, click on or hover your cursor over the button to display your content sharing options. You will see a list of some of the most popular sharing methods, such as Email, Digg, MySpace, Facebook, Del.icio.us and Google Bookmarks. To see the full list of content sharing applications, click "More ..." to expand your options.
When you click on your selection, the widget will connect with your chosen application -- and you may be asked to sign-in to your account for the site you are sharing with. Once you've completed the process, you will see that a link to the blog or particular blog post will now appear on your profile or account for the particular Web application you've chosen.
The full list of content sharing options is as follows:
Please come back to the NAA Community Blog next week for more tips and tricks on using your new Community. And, if you have a topic you'd like to see featured in the coming weeks, please submit it to feedback@naa.org.
As always, if you need additional help you can visit the NAA Community Help Page, or call 517-366-1200.
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The personal profile is one of the best networking features the NAA Community has to offer, giving you the opportunity to tell your fellow members a little more about your and your involvement in the industry.
Your NAA Community profile puts a face to your name and allows forum participants to learn more about you. Uploading a custom photo, creating a bio and recommending reading for your colleagues will make your profile stand out. Profiles allow you to share your professional experiences and Community activity, learn about others in the industry and grow your professional network.
And now, for a limited time only, your profile can earn you free coffee from Starbucks:
The first 100 NAA Members to populate their profile between January 5 and January 16 will receive a $10 Starbucks Gift Card!
Any NAA member who has not previously populated their profile is eligible to participate in this promotion. Interested? Creating your profile is quick and easy, but before you get started, be sure to read the promotion guidelines to ensure your profile fits the bill. Visit NAA.org and search for keywords "Starbucks Promotion," or visit the promotion guidelines now to find how to create and submit your profile today!
Please come back to the NAA Community Blog later this week for more tips and tricks on using your new Community. And, if you have a topic you'd like to see featured in the coming weeks, please submit it to feedback@naa.org.
As always, if you need additional help you can visit the NAA Community Help Page, or call 517-366-1200.
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