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The roots of the Times-News as Alamance County’s newspaper date back to 1887.

That is a long time.

TheTimesNews.com hasn’t been serving the area for even close to that long, over a decade to give you a ballpark figure, but its audience now stretches far outside the walls of Alamance County.

I want to share some interesting facts about TheTimesNews.com that even I didn’t know about until recently.

For instance, did you know that at least nine people from every state in the U.S. have visited our Web site this month? North Carolina, of course, is the leading state with over 50,000 visitors so far in May. Next comes Georgia, California and Virginia with around 2,000 each.

Visitors at TheTimesNews.com also span 117 countries. Obviously, the United States tops all countries with over 72,000 visitors this month. Next comes our neighbor to the north, Canada, followed by the United Kingdom and India. I don’t know why seven people from Nigeria and Costa Rica and 12 from Egypt logged on to TheTimesNews.com, but they did.

We monitor our Web site traffic through a company called Omniture. What Omniture does is track when, where and how many times people visited our Web site. It also tells us what people are clicking so that we can see what people are interested in. Through Omniture data we are able to see that crime stories and stories about pets and animals are much more popular to online readers than most feature stories.

With our data we can see how many people and page views we receive from cities around the world. It’s pretty amazing. For example, who would have known that of our Canadian visitors, the majority live in Ontario? That is such a random statistic, but I think it’s pretty interesting.

Most of the visits from other states and countries can be credited to Google searches, which bring people to our Web site through searching for a topic or name rather than typing in our specific Web address. Other visits could come from people who used to live in Alamance County but have moved. Our Web site allows them to stay current with Alamance County news from anywhere in the world.

Another explanation for visits outside of North Carolina could be from e-mailing links to stories on our site. Oftentimes a controversial or interesting story is forwarded to friends. I do this all the time. If something is interesting I might pass it along to friends and family if I think they might enjoy it. We like when people do this. Feel free to share links to our content all the time.

Do these statistics mean anything? Right now, not really, but they will. We are continuously trying to expand our audience and grow. We haven’t put much effort into growing globally or even regionally, but expanding in Alamance County and North Carolina have become high priorities. For now, we’ll leave the rest of the world to the big guys like CNN and FOX News.

Online editor Alex Kreitman can be reached at alex_kreitman@link.freedom.com. You can also read his sports blog at alexkreitman.freedomblogging.com.

I wrote a research paper in college on the future of newspapers. I’d guess that I wrote it about five years ago. In that paper I said that newspapers would evolve into digital form within the next 10 years. Today, we’re getting close.

When I wrote “digital form” I didn’t mean have Web sites, because newspapers already had Web sites then, they weren’t good ones, but they had them. What I meant was that instead of getting the newspaper delivered to your house everyday, it would be delivered to a digital device. That device would update every day with fresh news.

Five years ago doesn’t seem like that long ago, but it was before mobile phones became addictive. It was before the iPhone was invented and before Blackberry took over Corporate America.

When I wrote “digital device” I was thinking more along the lines of a thin paper-like device about the size of a newspaper front that you can hold and read. Instead, news is being sent digitally to mobile phone screens around the world. I like that idea better.

For those that have smart phones, Blackberries and iPhones, you know what I am talking about. But for those who don’t have Internet access on your phones, you probably don’t.

Today, even at TheTimesNews.com, you can receive news on your phone. Whether it’s browsing Web pages, or receiving text messages or e-mail alerts, you can get all the latest news from that little device you keep in your pocket.

I use my Blackberry Curve every day to read news, get sports scores and even update TheTimesNews.com. Our system is set up so that I can edit stories or move stories around on our Web site right from my phone.

I also frequent ESPN’s mobile site to check sports scores. I probably use Google the most and here’s why. You know when you’re having a conversation and one person thinks the answer is one thing and you think it’s something else? That happens to me all the time. Instead of debating it for another 20 minutes, I just Google it. I simply type it into my phone or say it using Google’s voice activation capabilities, and I get my answer.

The mobile Web site for the Times-News is m.TheTimesNews.com. On our mobile site you can view top stories and any photos that are associated with those stories. The mobile site is simple and eliminates our navigation and advertisements. It is very easy to navigate. If your phone has Internet access, go ahead and check it out.

We are finishing up tests on our new e-mail and text message alert system, so look for that in the next few weeks. We will be asking readers to sign up to receive breaking news and other news alert e-mails.

The future is already here when it comes to digital news distribution. I read every month about another newspaper going online only and ending its print service. Fortunately, here in Alamance County the Times-News is here to stay, but some markets aren’t so lucky.

The bottom line, though, is that we are going to continue to provide you with news as fast as we can. And because the Internet is taking over we want to make sure we stay current with industry practices and right now the new wave of news distribution is through mobile devices. So, get out your phone and see what it’s all about.

Online editor Alex Kreitman can be reached at alex_kreitman@link.freedom.com. You can also read his sports blog at alexkreitman.freedomblogging.com.

We are constantly adding new features to TheTimesNews.com. We want to stay sharp and provide our users with more items so that they can stay engaged and interested when visiting our Web site.

Last month we started a weekly feature called “Top Shots of the Week.”

This slideshow consists of the top 25 photos of the week, in no particular order, provided by The Associated Press. Photos cover all topics and come from all places. In the four slideshows we have done so far, you will see top news, sports and entertainment photos. Some notable photos include celebration shots from North Carolina’s NCAA Tournament championship a few weeks ago.

The Associated Press takes some great photos, but unfortunately the photos don’t always go with stories that we run in our newspaper. Space also limits us as to what stories we can run in the newspaper and we are handcuffed even more when it comes to photos. Often we can only run one photo with a story even though there might be two, three and even more available.

With this new weekly slideshow of top photos you can see those outstanding shots that didn’t make it in print. There were several incredible photos in last week’s slideshow from the wildfires in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The one that stands out in my mind is of a couple sitting on their front porch staring into a massive smoke cloud as the flames draw closer to their home.

The “Top Shots of the Week” come out every Friday afternoon. We usually put the slideshow in the top spot on our Web site for a few hours Friday, but if you happen to miss it, don’t sweat it. You can find the top shots slideshow and others by scrolling down the middle of our homepage. Underneath our video player you will see six thumbnail photos. The first row of three images lists our local photo galleries featuring pictures that can be purchased. The bottom row lists our most recent slideshows, including the top shots of the week.

Click “Top Shots of the Week” or the photo associated with the title and it will take you to the slideshow. From there you can either browse through the 25 photos by clicking “next” or you can click play and it will automatically rotate through the entire gallery. Caption information is listed below along with a box that says “close” in case you would like to minimize the captions. The slideshow also lists thumbnail images below so that you can browse more than one photo at a time. If you find one you like simply click it to make it larger.

The slideshows have been popular so far with several positive comments from online readers. I hope this idea eventually develops into a daily slideshow and then we could even display a slideshow of top local photos.

Online readers love to look at photos and we want to keep providing new photos in the most presentable format available. I hope you enjoy this new feature.

Online editor Alex Kreitman can be reached at alex_kreitman@link.freedom.com. You can also read his sports blog at alexkreitman.freedomblogging.com.

As social networking Web sites continue to take over the lives of millions around the world, we at TheTimesNews.com have bit the bullet and joined as well.

We now have a Facebook page and a Twitter account. What does that mean? I’ll fill you in.

I think the majority of people reading know what Facebook is. You either have an account yourself, your kids do or you’ve at least heard of it so I won’t go into too much detail.

Our Facebook page has 75 fans and right now is basically just a place where we can share what we’re up to and post photos, videos and other stuff. We also have an automatic feed of stories from our Web site that display on our Facebook page. This feature provides users with headlines and links to read stories that are posted at TheTimesNews.com.

We currently have a similar automatic feed set up on our Twitter page. Twitter is a newer social networking site so I’ll explain how it works a little better.

The concept of Twitter is to update other people on your status or tell them what you are doing. So, for my personal Twitter account, I could type in “Alex is writing a column for Tuesday’s paper.” What having a Twitter account allows the Times-News to do as a media organization is let our readers know what we are working on for stories and news.

For instance, a reporter might type “On my way out to a wreck in Graham,” or “Checking on a possible fire in Mebane.” That way we can keep you updated with what is going on around Alamance County. We might not have a story ready to be posted on our Web site, but we can at least keep you informed.

We currently have 47 people following us on Twitter and that numbers continues to grow.

How do you find us on Twitter and Facebook? Simple. I have added two links on our homepage, one to our Twitter page and the other to our Facebook page. Just log on to TheTimesNews.com and look in the third column in the main section of the page. You’ll see our most viewed and most commented story listing and then at the bottom of that column you will see two logos, one with an “F” for Facebook and the other with a “T” for Twitter and the words “Follow Us.” Just click one or both of the links and it will take you to our Facebook and Twitter pages.

I will warn you that if you do not have a Facebook or a Twitter account you will need to sign up for one, but it’s absolutely free and easy. Both pages provide a way to stay in touch with people and millions use Facebook and Twitter every day. It was time for us to go and meet you in the social networking world.

We are continuing to update and improve both pages so stay tuned for changes as we look into adding content. Feel free to log on and write on our Facebook wall and become a fan, we’d love for you to join us.

Online editor Alex Kreitman can be reached at alex_kreitman@link.freedom.com. You can also read his sports blog at alexkreitman.freedomblogging.com.

Below are the 10 most-viewed videos from TheTimesNews.com for the week of March 30 through April 5.
Submit a video.
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Top 10 Videos
Title Name / Publish Date
1 Boy shot with BB gun 3/30/2009
2 Daddy’s home 3/27/2009
3 City council meeting 3/25/2009
4 Elon police use Taser 3/30/2009
5 Uncle Eli’s Quilting Party 4/2/2009
6 Awards for Excellence 4/3/2009
7 Elon hires basketball coach 4/1/2009
8 Albright speaks at Elon 3/31/2009
9 Car chase involving 14-year-old girl ends in crash 3/18/2009
10 Snow = Happy Dog 3/2/2009

Roger Creasy is Director of Interactive Operations for the Times-News. Roger can be e-mailed at Roger.TheTimesNews@gmail.com. His personal web site is at RogerCreasy.com

Ah Snow! It is a beautiful thing. And, lots of you like to capture its beauty via still pictures or video. TheTimesNews.com offers you the opportunity to share the beauty. Check out some of the videos submitted by our site visitors - user-submitted video. And, be sure to browse the photos submitted by our visitors - user-submitted photos.

Here are the links to upload:
Upload Video
Upload a photo

Be sure to stay updated on the forecast: TheTimesNews.com Weather

Roger creasy is Director of Interactive Operations for the Times-News. Roger can be e-mailed at Roger.TheTimesNews@gmail.com. His personal web site is at RogerCreasy.com

Do you like to take photos? Are you good at it? Perhaps you like to judge other folks’ photos? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you have a place in our monthly photo contests.

Each month, February through December, we are running a different photo contest. And, thanks to the good folks at Camera Corner, we have some pretty cool prizes! Here are the monthly contests:

February - Love of my life
March - Animals
April - Signs of Spring
May - Landscape/Scenery
June - Signs of Summer
July - 4th of July Celebrations
August - Vacations
September - Sports
October - Fabulous Fall
November - Family
December - Winter Wonder

Each month there is a winner, which is determined by popular vote. So, we need the critics out there to go to the contest and vote for your favorite. The monthly winner gets an awesome photo album from Camera Corner, bragging rights, and their photo published in the Times-News. Plus, all of the monthly winners are entered into a final annual contest. The annual winner wins a digital camera from Camera Corner valued at over $500! Wow!

Check out the Times-News / Camera Corner Photo Contest

Roger Creasy is Director of Interactive Operations for the Times-News. Roger can be e-mailed at Roger.TheTimesNews@gmail.com. His personal web site is at RogerCreasy.com