As the spring sports season is winding down, I’m beginning to reflect on how I’ve adapted my reporting methods in my tenure at the Times. I’ve become better at documenting statistics and organizing files, but the biggest change over the course of this year has been my use of social media.
I’ve found that Instagram and Facebook have been a great tool to share quick results — holding readers over until the full article appears in the paper days later — involve younger readers on a platform they are more familiar and most importantly shine a spotlight on kids that don’t always make the paper.
The idea to share photos on social media stemmed from the fact that I take far more photos during games than what there is room for in the paper. It’s as simple as that. The Monroe Times mainly covers 10 different schools — Monroe, Juda, Albany, New Glarus, Monticello, Brodhead, Darlington, Argyle, Black Hawk and Pecatonica — and any co-ops these teams partner up with, including Belleville, Beloit, Parkview and Warren to name a few. In a given season, I am covering upwards of 30 teams at a time.
With all of these teams and athletes, there is no way every athlete is going to be featured in the paper. It’s impossible. That’s not to say their efforts have gone unnoticed. Each athlete is important to their team’s success, no matter their role, so why not give them the credit they deserve?
By posting extra photos on Instagram — the platform limit is 10 photos per post — and the entire gallery to Facebook, each student-athlete gets to see the limelight. With that being said, here’s how you can view all sports photos from this spring.
1. Follow or search our Facebook page:
The Monroe Times
2. Click on the “Photos” tab
3. Select “Albums”
4. Search for your desired game
Each event I attended this spring is uploaded. The albums are labeled with the sport, teams covered, followed by the date of the event. For example, if I wanted to view photos from Monroe softball’s regional final win over McFarland, I would look for SB (abbreviated sport) Monroe at McFarland (teams covered) 5-25 (date of the event). Each album also includes a brief summary of the game.
1. Follow or search our Instagram page:
themonroetimes
2. Scroll until you see a desired photo
3. Swipe left or right to view additional photos
Unfortunately, Instagram does not have a convenient labeling system like Facebook. Photos are sorted by date of post, so the more recent the event, the closer to the top of the feed it will be. The further back the event, the more scrolling is required.
If you have any comments or questions regarding viewing photos from this year, please reach out.
All of these photos are available for purchase in either physical print format or digital copy. To order these photos, reach out to me via email, call the office at 608-328-4202, or fill out a form online.
— Natalie Dillon is the sports editor for the Times. She can be reached at ndillon@themonroetimes.com.
