New way to doing those old things

Those of us beyond a certain age can recall a time we might label BI - or before internet.

It's a time when if you wanted to know something, you turned to traditional news media - newspapers, radio and television - or books, including encyclopedias. That meant waiting for information, and perhaps expending a bit of effort getting it by going to the library.

There was none of this one-click-and-it's-there era of Google searches, Wikipedia and the like. As for Twitter feeds and Facebook, well they didn't exist. These days, however, chances are if something happens, or you want to find something out, you get online and let your search engine of choice do the work.

Breaking news is often first reported by people actually involved or witnesses via mobile technologies that enable instant access to social networking so people can advise friends and loved ones of any important events in their lives.

Of course, often there's no depth or authority to these quick snapshots but that's not the point. The fact is, technology has become so ingrained in our lives, it's hard to imagine life the old way any more.

All manner of organisations are adopting these technologies to help them communicate, and now Whanganui police have launched a Facebook page.

Some might say it's not before time, but you have to also consider just how quickly this social networking site has become a household name. It wasn't that long ago it was trumpeted as having its 500 millionth member. Yesterday I heard it had topped a billion.

Scary stuff, and its dominance means all organisations, police included, are having to adopt strategies that include Facebook.

It opens up a whole new area of communicating with a sector of society that previously might have been hard to reach.

It is early days and having had a look at the Whanganui police page, it looks like it will be a great portal for sharing information on keeping safe, and helping keep our streets free of crime - and that's something we all want.

Every weekday, the Chronicle publishes a Reader Photo, and we have seen some impressive photography skills and wonderfully scenic images over the years.

But now we're upping the ante. We want the absolute best of the best for a special project called The Wall.

As you will read in today's story, it is the brainchild of Nick Gibbons and the aim is to cover a wall in Trafalgar Square with images that reflect the diverse and wonderful place we live.

We're looking for stunning photos of ordinary enough situations with the beauty of Wanganui the main feature that sets them apart.

It's not about pets or to promote particular events, even though we have many great ones throughout the year. The point is these activities displayed might be things we could all perhaps do.

Have a look at the panel with today's story on Page 1, refer to the terms on B2 and get those entries coming in for this large-scale visual reminder of why it's great to live in Wanganui.