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The Irish Times: The Generation Emigration project, Dublin (The Irish Times Ltd, Ireland). |
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Project name |
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Generation Emigration
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General Publication Info |
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The Irish Times is an Irish broadsheet newspaper with a circulation of approximately 100,000. Its website irishtimes.com was one of the first newspaper websites in Britain or Ireland, and has approximately 3.5 million users per month and 36 million page views per month
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Implementation |
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Last year, an average of more than 100 Irish people a day left Ireland in search of opportunities and adventure. This mass exodus of Irish citizens will have a lasting impact on their lives, on those they’ve left behind, and on our society for years to come. In October 2011, The Irish Times launched the Generation Emigration project in print and online www.irishtimes.comblogs/generationemigration to capture the experiences of this current generation of mobile Irish citizens. The blog features articles from guest contributors, news for the Irish community abroad, and a discussion forum where readers can express opinions, ask questions and debate issues relating to Irish emigration, and life at home and abroad.
In print, a weekly newspaper feature highlights a different emigrant experience, often informed by issues raised by readers in the comments section of the blog. A version of the print article is also uploaded to the site for readers to comment.
Twitter and Facebook are used to inform followers when a new post goes live on the blog, to draw people in to a discussion in the comments section after a post, and to source new stories and interviewees for the blog or for the print features. Articles relating to emigration or the Irish abroad elsewhere on irishtimes.com are also promoted through the Generation Emigration social media accounts, which draws traffic to other sections of the site. Twitter and Facebook are also used to communicate with individuals and organisations that have links to the Irish abroad - especially Irish immigration centres, sporting organisations, and social and business networks for Irish communities overseas – who can draw the attention of their followers to content on Generation Emigration.
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Project results |
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Facebook and Twitter have directed readers from 66 countries to the Generation Emigration blog on irishtimes.com. Fewer than a quarter of readers clicking through to the blog from the social media pages were based in Ireland. In the early days of the project, many emigrants told us they had felt frustrated at their lack of voice here in Ireland once they moved away. Generation Emigration gives emigrants the opportunity to share their opinions and voice their frustrations on what is happening in Ireland at the moment, as well as their experiences abroad. The blog has also received a lot of interest from more established Irish emigrants who left during the 1970s, 80s and 90s, who see it as an opportunity to reconnect with Ireland and share their stories in a way that was not afforded to them before.
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Additional comments |
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Although The Irish Times has an international edition, in most locations the Irish abroad would not have access to the print edition of the newspaper. Using an online social media platform to host this project allows readers to engage with The Irish Times and with other followers directly, to join the discussion and to contribute directly themselves. It makes the world a smaller place for Irish emigrants.
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LINKS |
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www.irishtimes.com/blogs/generationemigration
http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/generationemigrati ...
www.facebook.com/generationemigration
http://twitter.com/genemigration
irishtimes.com
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General contact and feedback address:
Ms. Raquel Meikle
Programme Manager Events
WAN-IFRA
Darmstadt, Germany
Phone: +49-6151-733.927
E-Mail: raquel.meikle@wan-ifra.org
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