WaPo: First on Email Links, Last on Publicity

Not to be outdone by the mighty Times, a press release breathlessly landed in our inbox moments ago. We could almost hear WPNI PR man Eric Easter gasping for air as he got this release out to the world:

washingtonpost.com has announced that it has launched email hyperlinks to writer bylines on its popular news site. The feature, launched on February 8, is designed to expand the opportunities for user communication with writers and editors. The links will appear on each article written by Washington Post and washingtonpost.com writers.

Jim Brady, executive editor of washingtonpost.com, said “The many interactive features on washingtonpost.com have shown that the dialogue between writers, editors and readers is mutually beneficial. Not just for conversation, but for perspective, source material and story ideas as well. These new links to e-mail offer an additional opportunity to build a better relationship between writers and the audiences they serve.”

So WaPo actually had their act together last week, but forgot to tell anyone. We congratulate them on joining the transparency party. Believe us, this is way better than comments.

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion‘s Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook’s Morin Oluwole, and bitly’s Tim Devane. Register now.