The Scoop: Sacramento Connect embraces how online readers behave

The Scoop

A blog about what's new and changing on sacbee.com

March 28, 2010

Sacramento Connect embraces how online readers behave

Sacramento Connect, a social media and linking network, combines a number of things sacbee.com has been trying to do: aggregating content, linking, pushing social media and sharing of content. So when I first heard the idea for Sacramento Connect from Sean McMahon, The Bee's digital product development manager, I was less than excited.

What's new about linking, or inviting independent blogs to be part of your site? We were already doing some things with Facebook and Twitter.

Sacramento Connect is simply about making all those things easier, and combining several powerful web tools into one toolbar. In a word: simplicity. It's about going with the flow of how online news readers behave, acknowledging the web's fragmentation of audience and seeing opportunities instead of problems. At least that is what McMahon described to me, and that made me a skeptic. Sounds good, but what does that really mean?

I remained a skeptic until I saw the toolbar that McMahon and a talented crew of Bee web developers help customized to make it easier to find related content on sacbee.com and a handpicked network of quality bloggers and news sites. The first time I saw tested the toolbar, and saw how it made it easier to search for content and share it via email, Twitter and Facebook, I marveled at both the power and simplicity of the toolbar.

Now it's your turn. Test out the toolbar Monday and let us know what you think. What other favorite blogs or sites would you like to see added to Sacramento Connect? Any thing not making sense about the toolbar or how to use it, please let us know. We do expect some bugs in this early phase of Sacramento Connect, but hopefully you'll agree the toolbar is both simple and powerful.

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The Scoop is a blog where the managers of sacbee.com talk about new initiatives and our plans for sacbee.com. You can reach us by at the e-mail addresses below or you can comment on our postings.

Tom Negrete is managing editor of The Bee and oversees the daily work of journalists who produce news content for the newspaper and sacbee.com. Negrete, who has been at The Bee since 1994, has served as assistant managing editor for business and sports, sports editor and assistant city editor. E-mail him at tnegrete@sacbee.com or reach him at (916) 321-1171.

Seán McMahon is The Bee's Director of Digital Media, overseeing the interactive efforts of the company. His e-mail is smcmahon@sacbee.com.

Linda Gonzales is digital team leader for Sacbee.com and has been an editor at The Bee since 1995. You can email her at lgonzales@sacbee.com.