The Pantagraph Newspaper Implements New Online Community with Social Media Solutions from ThePort Network

Lee Enterprises' The Pantagraph announced today that it has enhanced its online presence using Social Media Solutions from ThePort Network, Inc. (theport.com (http://www.theport.com)) in a new community, MyPantagraph.com (my.pantagraph.com (http://my.pantagraph.com)). Features enabled through the platform help engage users and facilitate the sharing of information related to all the local news in Bloomington, Illinois.

The Pantagraph is a daily newspaper, founded in 1837, which serves more than 60 local communities in Central Illinois with a subscriber base of more than 100,000 readers. A member of the Lee Enterprise newspaper group, The Pantagraph is a community cornerstone with a lively online presence, now reinforced with social networking tools that make MyPantagraph.com a dynamic web destination.

Through the new features enabled by ThePort's Social Media Solutions (http://www.theport.com), site members can develop their own unique profile pages, "friend" users with like interests, upload photos, publish their own blogs and comment on blogs posted by others, including MyPantagraph.com administrators. Readers and advertisers also engage in the site's Bridal area with the enhancement of ThePort's Social Market 2.0 platform.

The Pantagraph community launch follows in the footsteps of another Lee Enterprise property, Quadsville, winning first place for Best Social Media Initiative (http://www.theport.com/Quadsville_Community_Award.aspx) from the Suburban Newspapers of America.

For nearly two years we've explored many exciting new applications for ThePort's social media platform (http://www.theport.com)," Jeff Herr, Lee Enterprise's director of interactive media said. "Along the way, we've discovered the secret path to radically increasing engagement with our local audiences and attracting an entirely new category of advertisers. The transformation is nothing short of remarkable."

Online editors for The Pantagraph also look forward to their local subscribers' community engagement. "We are excited by the tools that ThePort offers our readers through MyPantagraph.com," online editor Michael Freimann said. "We hope our readers will use these tools to increase their interactions with our newsroom and each other."

According to Bob Cramer, CEO and Co-Founder of ThePort Network, "Newspaper organizations such as Lee Enterprises are finding new ways to increase online engagement and boost online revenues through social networking," Cramer said. " We are pleased MyPantagraph.com is using our social media solutions (http://www.theport.com) to extend key new capabilities to site members. With the deployment of our Social Market 2.0 platform in the Bridal area, for example, MyPantagraph.com will be able to connect advertisers with wedding planners and brides-to-be, to the benefit of all parties."

About Lee Enterprises: Lee Enterprises is a premier provider of local news, information and advertising in primarily midsize markets, with 49 daily newspapers and a joint interest in four others, online sites and more than 300 specialty publications in 23 states. Lee's newspapers have circulation of 1.5 million daily and 1.8 million Sunday, reaching four million readers daily. Lee's online sites attract 14 million unique visits monthly, and Lee's weekly publications have distribution of more than four million households. Lee's markets include St. Louis, Mo.; Lincoln, Neb.; Madison, Wis.; Davenport, Iowa; Billings, Mont.; Bloomington, Ill.; and Tucson, Ariz. Lee stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LEE. For more information about Lee, please visit Lee.net (http://www.lee.net).

About ThePort Network: ThePort(TM) 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 our integrated suite of proven social media solutions, ThePort enables customers to enhance their existing web presence with branded online communities, creating engagement between the brand and its 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 ThePort.com (http://www.theport.com).

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Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/05/prweb2450364.htm.

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