Times unveils social network

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By Kay Luna | Saturday, June 28, 2008 |

Where can you go to find all of the Quad-Cities united under just one mayor and council?

Hint: It’s the same place you can go to socialize with friends who share your hobbies and interests.

Yep, it’s Quadsville, of course.

With just the click of a computer mouse, you can join thousands of people who are already part of the Quad-City Times’ new Quadsville online social networking community, which was launched about a week ago at quadsville.com.

Unlike other Internet social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, Quadsville is locally focused, and most of its members are current or former Quad-City residents with an interest in area news and happenings, Quadsville editor and “mayor” Melissa Coulter said.

In other ways, though, Quadsville is similar to those other sites. Quadsville users can register and log in at the site, where they can create profiles and reveal as much — or as little — personal information about their lives and interests as they want.

They also can post photos and videos, and link to “friends” on the system. They also can invite new users to the site.

Users can then decide whether the general public, or only those who are invited, will be allowed to view their profile page, Coulter said.

A unique feature of the site is its Marketplace business component. Instead of the site being solely supported by display advertising sales, it will be supported by extended profiles that businesses can have, allowing them to interact with the community just like other users can, she said.

People can connect to the business profiles, and even write recommendations and reviews. And just like other users’ profiles, businesses can post photos and videos of their products and facilities.

“It’s a better way, where they can actually interact with their customers or future customers online,” Coulter said. “It’s helpful for people, too, who are trying to shop around for things.”

An initial piece of the Marketplace called Quad-Cities Bridal is expected to create an important support network for area couples who are engaged to be married. They are invited to register and set up entire profiles about their wedding plans, Times Online Director Tim D’Avis said.

Businesses involved in the wedding industry also are invited to register profiles. Then, brides and grooms can post messages about various vendors they have hired to play various roles in their wedding plans.

“Businesses can solicit recommendations from their customers, or brides and grooms can do it,” D’Avis said. “And businesses can recommend each other.”

Social groups can form as well, based on discussions about local events such as the Quad-City Times Bix 7 road race or specific interests like scrapbooking. Such groups create a way for area residents to meet each other and “have an actual chance of meeting in real life,” Coulter said.

“People can represent their lives or the news that happens around them better than we can sometimes,” D’Avis added. “They’re reporting on details of their lives that traditionally are not reported in a newspaper or in any other media outlet.”

Quadsville began with about 19,000 registered users, all of whom had been registered users on the Times Web site, qctimes.com. Now, when those users post comments on stories on the Times site, visitors can click on the “avatar,” or photo, next to their user name and link to Quadsville, where more information about that person might be posted on a profile there, Coulter said.

“I think that’s going to change the tone of our discussion on the comments because you really have more of a sense that these are real people talking now,” she said. “I have a council of people who keep an eye on things on the site and make sure everyone is behaving the way they should and being good online citizens.”

Quadsville is the first Web site of its kind among the many newspapers owned by Davenport-based Lee Enterprises, the Quad-City Times parent company. Although two other newspapers experimented with earlier versions of community blogging software, none of the chain’s newspapers had launched a social networking site such as Quadsville, D’Avis said.

Times Publisher Julie Bechtel said she is excited about the opportunities that Quadsville’s social networking and business directory offer.

“This will allow our local readers and advertisers to interact in ways that were not possible before,” she said. “Quadsville also increases our ability to provide them the services they want, not only now but into the future.”

Kay Luna can be contacted at (563) 383-2323 or kluna@qctimes.com.