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New York Times hones in on archives to drive social engagement beyond breaking news

The New York Times is boosting its mobile and social efforts with a new Twitter account called @NYTArchives that pushes the user experience past breaking news.

This implementation will present historical content from both the New York Times' new archive search tool, TimesMachine, for desktop users and also from the 1980-present text archives on NYTimes.com.  The New York Times aims to bring back old traditions and provide a source of history in a modern and social way.

?These tools allow users to dive deeper into The New York Times archives and really hone in on specific topics of interest, creating serendipity and engagement with the archive,? said Linda Zebian, director of corporate communications at the New York Times, New York. 

Old souls
Followers of the archives account will see historic coverage that is linked to the day's current affairs, significant anniversary coverage and historic photos and as well as documents from the Times? Photo Morgue.

The account will also share historic, iconic advertisements and odd articles as well as content from a number of other sources, such as the Lively Morgue, the Times? Think Back video series, slideshows of archival photos and related posts from the Times Insider and the Upshot. 


History buffs and old souls will likely flock to these sites as a reminder or simply an inquiry into the past. With New York Times' recent efforts to personalize the user experience, the archives Twitter account works toward this even further, and provides a source of history in a convenient place: the Twitter feed.

Twitter users can easily add this account to their list of followers, creating an effortless channel of staying in tune and seeing the tweets. 

Users first
In July, the New York Times released a new set of features on its iPhone and iPad mobile applications, allowing users to customize their experience by choosing what types of news alerts they receive. 

The development of these features was introduced to encourage more engagement with the apps, given users can filter different news genres, depending on their personal interests. The features launch at a time when push notifications have become a crucial marketing tool to remind users of the brand (see story).

In April, the New York Times upped its digital video investments with the launch of a new editorial section that complements several new cross-screen advertising opportunities for marketers.

The video section is called Times Video and is designed with responsive design to render across smartphones, tablets and desktops, and Acura is the launch sponsor of the new site. The New York Times has also partnered with Vimeo to create customized content for advertisers (see story).

The renowned publication continues its mobile social efforts to make sure users have multiple channels to get their news.

"The NYTArchives is an incredible tool that takes current tech and applies it perfectly to a historical element, and in this case, it?s print media,? said Frank Stornello, chief marketing and strategy officer at Verifi, Inc., Los Angeles.

Mr. Stornello is not affiliated with the New York Times but agreed to comment as an industry expert.

 ?With the numerous ways we have to get our news and the ever-widening scope of the mobile reach, Twitter is the ideal outlet for the New York Times to move forward while acknowledging and celebrating their roots." 

Final Take
Caitlyn Bohannon, editorial assistant for Mobile Marketer, New York