By JOSHUA THOMAS

C-S-E Editor

The recently created Courier-Standard-Enterprise Facebook page surpassed 300 “likes” this week, and while I, and News Staff member Linda Kellett (administrators of the C-S-E Facebook page), are incredibly happy that the page reached that goal, it also filled us with the desire to continually set new goals to surpass.

I was a Facebook holdout for quite some time, not even creating a personal account until years after everybody else had one. Finally realizing I was completely out-of-the-loop not only as far as local news went, but also the personal lives of friends, I signed up. Although I do enjoy interacting with those I’m close to in that capacity, I didn’t realize the connective power that the social media platform offered until administering the C-S-E page.

Working at a weekly paper is much different than working at a daily, and because of the weekly schedule, news sometimes becomes old news by the time the paper hits the stands. The C-S-E has often been focused on telling positive, interesting small-town stories. I’ve always hoped the paper had a certain sense of charm that other publications might lack, and I hoped that local charm made up for the inherent detriments of a weekly publication.

Now, the C-S-E has been offered the opportunity, not only with Facebook, but in connection with the official website, (www.courierstandardenterprise.com), to provide the latest news in a timely fashion, while still containing that small-town vibe that has kept readers interested over the course of the past century.

The idea that somebody can report news to us and we can see it within seconds is something both Linda and I are incredibly excited about, and we’re determined, as a news team, to be a source for new news, and not just week, or days-old stories that we before only had the opportunity to put a new spin on.

Another wonderful ability offered by the Facebook page is the chance to post press releases we weren’t able to before. For instance, I received a press release on Tuesday afternoon for a Wednesday event. Previously, that press release would’ve been scrapped since I received it after the deadline for the previous edition, but not with enough time to run it before the event. I was able to edit it and put it on the Facebook page as soon as it was received.

The Facebook page provides administrators information on how many people view a story, and how it spreads across the internet, which allows us to keep on top of which stories people find the most interesting, and what type of stories spread the fastest. It’s always good to be in touch with the people who read the paper, even behind the scenes. We live where we work, and consider ourselves not only the writers of the C-S-E’s news content — but part of the community. To have this opportunity to connect with the readership in such an immediate way, and not just circle it, keeps us stimulated and leaves us wanting more. More news, more connectivity, more opportunities.

To say the Facebook page broadens the scope of our interaction with the community is an understatement. We love connecting with people at the events we cover, but also realize that not everybody goes to those events and meetings. We hope that the people who many not have the opportunity to approach us in public will now feel empowered to interact with us.

So, if you’ve already liked our Facebook page, thank you. If not, we’d love for you to “like” us. Feel free to leave information, comments, questions any time you have them. We care, and we want to remain aware. It’s you — the community — that makes the paper, so hopefully with these new avenues of communication, we can grow together.

Like the C-S-E Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/-CourierStandardEnterprise, or download the C-S-E mobile app for the iPhone or iPad, loaded with all of the most up-to-date information.