Tweet, tweet! Future’s here

By Matthew Boyle | mboyle@flagler.edu

The Gargoyle will undergo some major publication changes over this academic year as we’re shifting our focus to provide the best possible editorial content in the best way to the Flagler College and St. Augustine communities.

First, we’re diving headfirst into the online media world. We’ll publish much more frequently and in multiple formats.

Publishing online lets us harness multimedia’s potential and eliminates photo/text space requirements, allowing us to focus on premium newsworthy content. It also lets us focus on getting information to readers when they need it, not two weeks later.

For instance, we’re gearing up for complete 2009 hurricane season coverage, information that students, parents, faculty and staff need immediately.

The Gargoyle will still have a print edition as a way to feature our staff’s best work every few weeks. Expect it to be smaller, but certainly not skimpier, than past print editions.

Secondly, The Gargoyle will utilize Web 2.0’s many features, including Facebook and Twitter, to open lines of communication between the staff and readers.

So, if you haven’t done so already, follow us on Twitter and become a fan of us on Facebook.

We’re beefing up our graphic presentation online, something readers may have already noticed. We’ve gone with a more cutting-edge look for our content management design, which lets us feature stories that deserve it and focus on the parts of stories that matter most.

Look for envelope-pushing multimedia content as well.

Part of delivering high-quality editorial content is being able to tell a story the best way possible, which differs from one story to the next. For some, the traditional 500-word article works best, but in other cases readers may benefit from a multimedia format.

We’re also working on newer formats to deliver content, including audio slideshows and easier-to-access podcasts.

And, last, but not least, we want to hear from you. We’re making these changes to benefit you, the reader. If you see something you like, let us know. On the other hand, if you don’t like something, we still want to hear about it. Just send an e-mail to gargoyle@flagler.edu.