We’re now able to post content from our website to Facebook for the first time since August.

For a reason unknown to us, we had to adjust a setting on our server in order for Facebook to accept our content once again. We’re glad to have our content back on the social media platform where it can be viewed and shared.

I’m grateful for the help I received from the Center For Cooperative Media, as well as the assistance from our web management firm, Web Publisher Pro, to help us solve this issue.

Prior to our hiatus, posts appeared on our Facebook page automatically.  As we move forward, we’ll begin posting new content to Facebook slowly and gauge what type of content is performing best.

In other news, I’ve reduced the number of links that appear in our weekday evening news email. This was an effort to reduce redundancy, as any of the articles are repeats from previous days.

Our news emails are one of the most popular ways for our readers to access our content, so it’s very important to me that our news emails provide a convenient, effective, and informative user experience.

Our news email subscription list has grown 300% since April, now reaching more than 14,000 users who have signed up to receive our news.

And finally, as we approach the end of the year, many businesses are approaching and asking for advertising information as they plan their advertising budgets for 2021. We’re putting the finishing touches on our new media kit, which hasn’t been updated since 2019, and we expect it will include a larger focus on reaching our audience via email.

Thank you to our advertisers and paid subscribers who support our work. If you haven’t already subscribed, click this link and subscribe today. As always, feel free to comment below or sent me an email to let me know what you think of our service.

With just one link posted to our Community Bulletin Board section, we sent OmniRide nearly 200 clicks in 24 hours.

We posted this link: OmniRide service change Monday, November 2 to the bulletin board, which appears in our weekday evening newsletter, detailing an upcoming service change OmniRide passengers need to know about.

The link took readers from our email newsletter right to OmniRide’s website — to the source —  where they can get the important information they need.

These are numbers that beat many social media advertising campaigns that are run over the course of multiple weeks — and we do it for a fraction of the price the social media platforms charge.

For a limited time, you, too, can post to the Community Bulletin Board for just $49, a $250 savings. Use this link to post: potomaclocal.com/submit-a-press-release

It’s great to use if you’re selling an item, or use it to list restaurant specials. You can use it for company announcements, or to sell tickets for an event, post a coupon, or for any other piece of content you can think of to grow your business.

Gambling is a recreational activity for many taxpayers, and as one might expect, the government takes a cut if you win and won’t allow you to claim a loss in excess of your winnings.

Sentara Healthcare has always been committed to improving health every day, for all people.

OmniRide’s Fall Service Change will take effect on Monday, November 2, and will include changes to most routes.

A federal tax credit for the purchase and installation costs of a residential solar system is fading away. After being 30% of the cost for several years through 2019, the credit amount drops to 26% in 2020 and then 22% in 2021, the final year of the credit.

I just finished watching The Social Dilemma on Netflix.

It’s worth a watch, and it was one of two final programs I wanted to watch before my subscription to the service goes dark on October 1. Our family decided to cancel the service following its marketing campaign for Cuties, which debuted earlier this month.

After watching the documentary, I find myself in a social media dilemma.

• Pageviews on our site, potomaclocalnews.com, over the past 30 days, is up 30%.
  
• We have not been able to post anything to our company’s Facebook page since August 21.
  
• Facebook says we’re not registered as a news organization.
  
• Facebook rejected my first attempt to register our site. It says it cannot verify our business telephone number.
  
• I tried again and I’ve yet to receive a response.
  
• This is despite the great help I’ve received on this issue from the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University.
  
• Following our reporting on the Black Lives Matter protests at the Prince William Board of County Supervisors meetings, some took to Facebook to call for defunding us.
• I don’t know, and may never know what effect this had on the way Facebook views my business.
• I credit our page view growth to our growing list of 14,000 email newsletter subscribers, which has increased 300% since April 1.

I know Facebook is an avenue for people to find our news. Hell, I relied on it to practically build my business — especially 10 years ago, in the early days.

However, now I’m wondering what its worth to keep badgering Facebook to allow us to once again post content. Essentially, begging Facebook to let it sell ads off of our hard work.

Increasingly — and we’ve known this for years — on the internet, if you’re not paying for the service, you’re the product. Your data is being used and sold to advertisers so they can target the right ad to you at the right time.

We’ve never done this. We don’t offer “geo-targeting,” or any other type of targeting. Our content is local news, so by definition, our news is already targeted to local residents.

At Potomac Local News, you’re not the product. The news is, and that’s one reason why the number of paid subscribers to our site continues to grow.

Meanwhile, in recent months when we could post to Facebook, many of our sponsored posts for our advertising clients — none of which were political ads— were rejected. The majority of them were for community events.

Among our audience on Facebook, interaction has been declining. And, surprisingly, comments on our site — which, for years, had been nearly non-existent — are increasing in numbers.

I’m at a crossroads, and the decision I make could have a lasting effect on my business.

Good Morning Prince William – Halloween is almost here, and Historic Manassas is hosting a “Mask-querade” Ball on October 31 at Harris Pavilion.  Volunteers are needed to work a 4-hour shift as set up crew, thermometer readers, ticket sales and check-in, game attendants and costume contest judging.  Masks must be worn; volunteers can come in costume.  Please email [email protected] for more information on this fun event.

Non-COVID-19 Opportunities:

• BEACON for Adult Literacy urgently needs volunteers to become virtual technology facilitators for their morning fall classes operating now to November 12. Classes are held Monday and Wednesday morning, 9am-11am. Volunteers will provide technical support via Zoom for instructors of online classes 2-4 hours a week. Basic knowledge on hosting meetings and using Zoom features preferred. Please fill out an application at https://beaconliteracy.org/get-involved/volunteer-application/. For more information, call 571-422-2242 or email [email protected].

• For Children’s Sake of Virginia urgently needs Virtual Tutors age 18+ to help foster children with their schoolwork.  Volunteers can assist any weekday or evening on a wide variety of subjects from elementary through high school.  These foster youth are struggling and now that school continues to be virtual, they need some serious help from dedicated tutors.  Please contact Kelley at [email protected] for more information.

• Save the Date!  Keep Prince William Beautiful will hold their October Cleanup in Dumfries on October 10, 10am-1:30pm.  Meet at 17755 Main Street in Dumfries; volunteers will spread out to remove litter from the public spaces.  Please visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/keepprincewilliambeautiful for more information on how you can participate.

• Here’s a unique way to donate food and fight hunger!  Manassas Hunger & Homeless Outreach Ministries is holding a Virtual Food Drive through November 30 to benefit Manassas Mobile Home Park.  Residents of this community have been severely impacted by the loss of jobs and income due to COVID-19 and your donation will help to replenish their community food pantry.  Please visit https://www.fooddriveonline.org/manassasfoodpantry/MHHO to learn how you can help.

• Mark your calendar!  Prince William County Solid Waste Division and Keep Prince William Beautiful will be holding their first-ever Fix-It Fair on October 17, 10 am-4 pm, at Connaughton Plaza, 1 County Complex Court, Woodbridge.  It’s a great way bring your salvageable items for repair and reuse!  Repair work will be done by appointment only and pre-registration is required.  Please visit www.KPWB.org/events to sign up for an appointment.  Please email [email protected] for more information.

• Prince William Food Rescue (PWFR) can still use volunteer Food Rescue Heroes as the program is super busy delivering food to both ACTS and SERVE homebound clients.  Volunteers in the Gainesville/Haymarket area are especially needed!  Home food deliveries are no contact and follow social distancing guidelines.  PWFR is an app-based program enabling volunteers to pick up viable, close to expiration food from supermarkets, restaurants, food pantries, etc., and then deliver it to a program that can immediately use the food. More info on PWFR may be found at https://pwfoodrescue.org/.  Please contact Shirley at [email protected] or call 703-441-8606 ext. 212 for more information.

• The Salvation Army is collecting items for seniors and vulnerable populations. You can help by creating care packages from the security of your own home and safely dropping items at their Prince William location in Woodbridge. Food items such as canned soups/other dry or canned foods are requested.  Non-food items such as socks, toiletries, diapers/baby wipes, and sanitizing supplies are also needed.  Donated items can be dropped off at 1483 Old Bridge Road, Suite 102, Woodbridge 22192.  Please email Angela at [email protected] or call 703-580-8991 to learn more.

• SERVE’s Hunger Resource Center needs Food Recovery Driver volunteers to make routine pick-ups from grocery stores and restaurants.  Shifts are Monday-Friday, 8 am-12 pm with a commitment of at least one day a week.  This is a long-term commitment of at least six months.  Volunteers must be at least 21 years old with a valid driver’s license.  Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds.  Ride-along training with experienced volunteer or staff and vehicle provided.  Please email [email protected] for more information.

COVID-19 Volunteer Opportunities:

The Community Feeding Task Force Operations Center in Manassas needs strong volunteers age 18-55 on Friday afternoons from 12noon to 3pm to help with large end-of-week pick-ups for the community food pantries and restocking.  This is a very busy time of the week since many pantries offer food distributions on the weekend.  You’ll feel great as you work hard to provide food for vulnerable families in our community!  To register, please visit www.volunteerprincewilliam.org to create an account, then Respond to this opportunity (“Community Feeding Taskforce Warehouse Friday Afternoons”).  Please email [email protected] for more information.

Medical Reserve Corps  Support your local health department and your community during a public health emergency!  Volunteers are needed to support several missions, including public health education and outreach, disease investigation, vaccine clinics, and more!  Medical experience is not required; they have roles for everyone!  Bilingual volunteers are especially needed.  Volunteers must be 18 years of age, complete minimum training, and pass a state background check to serve.  Please fill out an application at vamrc.org.  Questions?  Please email Amy at [email protected] for more information.

• ACTS and the Community Feeding Taskforce (CFT) are in urgent need of Volunteer Delivery Drivers (non-CDL) to deliver food daily from the CFT Warehouse in Manassas to multiple food distribution sites.  Volunteers must be able to maneuver pallets using a pallet jack and assist with loading the truck from the CFT Warehouse and then unloading pallets at the destination.  Volunteers should be able to lift 40 pounds.  Must have a valid driver’s license; non-CDL is okay.  A background check is required.  All ACTS Volunteers must first complete and submit the online volunteer application found at actspwc.org.  Please contact Shirley at [email protected] to learn more.

• American Red Cross needs volunteers to be Shelter Service Associates in the event of a disaster during COVID-19.  Volunteers work in person in a Red Cross shelter before, during, and after a disaster event, completing tasks necessary for shelter operations and providing assistance for disaster clients. Duties include working in reception, registration, feeding, dormitory, information, or other areas within a shelter.  Please email [email protected] for more information.

If you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call our wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William at 703-369-5292.  You can also visit our website at www.volunteerprincewilliam.org.  Thanks so much for all you do in our community.