… in favor of new and improved online edition
Breaking up is always hard to do and no one will be sadder than the staff at The Siskiyou when we have to wash our ink stained hands and say goodbye to one of the most prominent parts of our college experience in January.
But never fear, The Siskiyou will not disappear. We’re just changing the style for a little bit, you can still get the campus news, entertainment features, sports stories, opinion pieces and photographs we’ve all come to know and love at our ever-improving site, siskiyou.sou.edu.
The decision to transition from a print publication to an online edition was not easy. All of us at The Siskiyou spent months trying to keep our beloved print edition afloat, but sadly, it was a sinking ship. A ship that unfortunately most print publications are finding themselves in, as we’ve seen with the now out of business Oakland Tribune, Baltimore Examiner and Cincinnati Post. Print publications just aren’t making sense anymore given the increasing availability of free quality and credible news sites. The ad revenue for most newspapers witnessed a record drop of 18 percent in 2008, a sign that newspapers must either adapt to the new business model or fade out. Instead of throwing in the towel altogether, we decided to give this technology thing a try.
Now, “all news is social,” according to the Christian Science Monitor. Twitter and Facebook dominate the news environment. A 2011 Pews Research Center Survey reported that 60 percent of people 18 to 29 years old said it was important to share news information through Facebook and other social networking sites. In fact, in 2010 online news sources were the only news outlets to experience growth. Our readers are constantly on the go and want to know up-to-date, current and relevant news regarding Southern Oregon University. We at The Siskiyou realize we need to adapt to the student body at-large.
By transitioning The Siskiyou from a print publication with an online component to an interactive web-based source of news and information on everything SOU, we hope to not only satisfy the long-term need for relevant and current news, but also the need for an outlet where you, the student, can ask questions, express opinions and concerns and engage with the community through blogs, polls, surveys and discussions.
Help us help you and follow us on Twitter @the_siskiyou or like us on Facebook.com/the-siskiyou-student-campus-news-at-SOU and tell us what’s on your mind and how we can better serve you! Don’t forget, you can always find us online at siskiyou.sou.edu!
Let’s save the weepy goodbyes for January and make the most out of the dwindling issues we have left! Send us your letters, essays, photos, and cartoons to be part of this now limited time opportunity!
