NEWSPAPERS have always held the title of being the “heart of the community” and in 2014 that tradition was proudly upheld online.
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After posting huge growth in 2013, The Border Mail’s digital readership continued to expand with 2.1 million readers and 700,000 video views.
Our interactive galleries, maps, polls and social media collections pushed the pageviews up 13 per cent to 27 million and it appears the audience liked what they saw, with a 20 per cent jump in return users.
Our readers are also becoming more mobile, with 30 per cent more people accessing The Border Mail via tablet and mobile phone.
But the most heartening trend has been the strength of the relationship the paper has built with its readers.
In March more than 12,000 people flocked to the site and playfully left jokes of L-plate jitters after a B-double driver accidentally wedged his trailer on a rail of the Lincoln Causeway while applying for his licence.
Outrage followed a few months later when the member for Farrer, Sussan Ley, suggested her electorate was not ready for gay marriage, while the debate from from pro and anti-abortion supporters over the Englehardt Street clinic has been filled with such passion it proved a challenge for our moderator.
Last week, we couldn’t wipe the smiles from our faces after a cheeky Facebook post urging Border residents to grab a sausage at an East Albury barbecue, run by four little girls, went viral.
Within a few hours the message had attracted 839 “likes”, 99 shares and endless comments of “good work”, “keep it up” and “we need more children like you”.
Most importantly, though, was the spirit of co-operation felt through the recent west Wodonga bushfire.
The rolling updates not only surged into the charts as our most-read article of the year but also had one of the highest levels of engagement on social media.
Our Facebook posts drew up to 670 “likes” each, were collectively shared 590 times while countless other residents were tagged by friends and family concerned about their welfare.
All methods combined to help spread the word of the potential danger impacting on residents and reinforced the vital role newspapers play in helping to inform and connect the community.
