May 19, 2009
Quad-City Times’ Quadsville Community Awarded for Best
Social Media Initiative by Suburban Newspapers of America
Popular Online Community Powered by ThePort’s Social Media Platform
Atlanta, GA (May 19, 2009) - Social media solutions provider ThePort Network, Inc. announced today that its client newspaper, the Quad-City Times, based in Davenport, Iowa, has won first place from Suburban Newspapers of America (SNA) for Best Social Media Initiative of all circulation classes combined. The competitive annual contest represents the top Web initiatives from community and suburban newspapers across North America. Quad-City Times’ “Quadsville” community (www.quadsville.com) is powered by ThePort’s social media platform, a software as a service (SaaS) solution that enables media organizations to transform their existing websites into dynamic social communities. Features enabled through ThePort platform include the ability for community members to create their own unique profile pages, “friend” other users, connect through neighborhoods, and share created content such as blogs, photos and video. According to SNA: “Of all the entries for this category, this site provided the most comprehensive utilization of social media tools. The groups have high amounts of members, and the ability for audience members to share photos and videos adds a great multimedia element. Also, the interactive neighborhood feature is easy to use and effectively promotes hyper-local news.” People, groups and businesses in the Quad-Cities area of Iowa and Illinois use the Quadsville online community. Quad-City Times is owned by Lee Enterprises, a premier newspaper publisher that serves markets in 23 states. “Many newspaper outlets are looking to reshape their business models and deepen their relationships with readers online,” said Bob Cramer, CEO and co-founder of ThePort. “Social media communities work to heighten reader interaction, build loyalty and significantly increase online advertising revenue opportunities. We are thrilled that the Quadsville community supported by our platform has received such high recognition from the SNA in its 2009 community website competition.” ThePort’s social media platform is designed for rapid deployment and provides organizations with a fully branded social community that is completely integrated with existing websites and back-end content management systems. Members sign into the community using their existing username and password, and can begin immediately to network, collaborate and share with others. Suburban Newspapers of America supports the community newspaper industry and related online media. Its membership represents over 2,000 newspapers with total circulation of more than 22 million. About ThePort Network ThePort™ Network, Inc. is dedicated to delivering compelling and complete software as a service (SaaS) solutions that enable customers to create, operate and monetize socially enabled online communities. Through its integrated suite of proven social media solutions, ThePort enables its customers to enhance their existing web presence with branded online communities, creating engagement between the brand and their constituents, stimulating interaction between community members, and driving new revenue opportunities. With a focus on the nonprofit, trade association and media industries, ThePort customers include such world-renowned organizations as BizJournals, CARE, Arthritis Foundation, Sierra Club, Urban Land Institute, Restaurant and Facility Management Association, and Lee Enterprises. For more information, visit www.theport.com. # # #
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