“We travel,” someone once said, “initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves.”
Indeed, in ways big and small, our lives have been shaped by our travels:
There was that Thanksgiving in St. Petersburg to relax with dear friends.
That perfect weekend boating along the evergreen-cloaked coastline of the Pacific Northwest to catch a rare glimpse of orca whales on the San Juan Islands.
That last-minute trip back home to New Jersey, to witness my beloved Seahawks win their first Super Bowl, and more importantly, to form a closer bond with my younger brother.
That scuba diving trip to Mexico.
Well, that’s a story for another day.
Given the indelible mark our journeys leave on our lives, it’s no wonder Facebook reports that travel continues to be the second most updated life event – right after relationship updates.
So it’s a perfect topic to offer as a bonus to our subscribers.
What’s this about a bonus, you might ask.
Well, beginning Monday, we’ll “publish” an extra section every day of the week on MyAJC.com and our Today’s Paper app. Even though that’s the replica edition of the printed newspaper, we’ve been able to add sections and update stories in ways that aren’t always possible in our printed newspaper.
Here’s what the bonus sections – our latest initiative – will offer:
• Each Monday, in a new digital bonus section called PHOTO EXTRA, we’ll feature some of the best photos from around the globe. It’s a review of those national and international events that shaped the past week.
• On Tuesday, we’ll debut our new TRAVEL EXTRA. In this digital-only section, we’ll visit some well-known destinations – and some offbeat destinations. In our first issue, we’ll travel to Durango, Colo.
• Each Wednesday, we’ll continue to publish our FOOD EXTRA, which we introduced several weeks ago. This week, we’ll take a look at why the BLT sandwich holds such a special place in our hearts.
• On Thursday, we’ll turn our attention to another subject near and dear to most of us – our homes. In our new HOME & GARDEN EXTRA, we’ll offer weekly inspiration, from home design, to seasonal fixes to gardening tips. In our first issue, we’ll visit a private oasis in California that feels a world away. You might have seen this garden before. After all, it was featured on HGTV.
• Fridays are dedicated to technology. Interactive entertainment, portable music and other types of personal technology are now woven into each of our lives. In our first issue of TECH EXTRA, we’ll look at how hundreds of thousands of Facebook users were unknowingly subjected to an experiment in which their news feed was altered to see how it shaped their mood – and their updates.
• Each Saturday, we’ll focus on healthy living. The popularity of running, marathons and bicycling is expanding every day, and millions of people are engaging in recreational sports such as hiking and skiing. In this Saturday’s ADVENTURE & FITNESS EXTRA, we’ll take readers on a journey along the Appalachian Trail. As part of this story, we’ll provide hiking suggestions for newbies – and offer reminders for experienced hikers.
• Sundays are devoted to moms. In our JUST FOR MOM EXTRA, we’ll cover a wide range of topics to try to help make the world’s toughest job a little easier. In next Sunday’s issue, we’ll look at a new national program that helps parents find nearby swim clubs for their children – and encourages parents to consider swimming as a sport option for their kids.
For some time now, we’ve been looking for ways to offer exclusive content on MyAJC.com and our Today’s Paper app. It’s part of our commitment to help readers make the most of their subscriptions.
Along the way, we’ve been listening to your feedback – and making changes.
It all began during last year’s football season, when we introduced our SEC INSIDER – a college football section that provided coverage of every SEC game and appeared exclusively on our Today’s Paper app. In addition to “publishing” bonus sections, such as the SEC INSIDER, we used the replica edition to update our news and sports stories after the paper is put to bed and the presses have stopped rolling.
For example, each night, a group of folks stays behind to update the baseball page on our Today’s Paper app so that we have the latest scores from around the country. And we’ve used the replica to add breaking news sections aimed at helping our readers make sense of the world around them.
For example, the day after the doomed Malaysian Airlines plane was shot out of the sky, we produced a four-page digital section that helped explain the roots of the conflict in the Ukraine. And on Friday, we were able to share the untold — and heart-breaking — stories of the last hours of some of those aboard the flight.
As you’ll see, the bonus sections cover a variety of topics – from hard news, such as the Malaysian Airlines tragedy; to sports, such as our BRAVES EXTRA and our BASEBALL EXTRA; to topics that help us live our lives, such as the HOME & GARDEN EXTRA.
If you’re a subscriber, don’t forget that full digital access is now included with your subscription at no extra cost. Simply go to ajc.delivers.com to register for digital access.
As you spend time with these sections, and as you engage with all of the other enhanced content that we offer on MyAJC.com, please continue to share your thoughts.
After all, your feedback only helps us improve.
