Some time ago I wrote about why this is such an exciting time to live in Fort Mac. One of the things I mentioned were all the new ventures happening right now - businesses, websites, and publications. One new publication I've been waiting for with interest is SNAP Wood Buffalo. I suppose I first heard about them on someone's Facebook page, and I "liked" the Snap Wood Buffalo page as I'm always intrigued by new developments in our city. On Friday night I just happened to run into a couple of the SNAP folks at a local lounge and introduced myself as a Fort Mac blogger. They were kind enough to give me a few copies of the first issue, and wow, people, what a terrific publication!
SNAP is a print publication, but as opposed to a traditional newspaper with lots of written content and few pictures it focuses on photos of community events and brief descriptions of them. As many people are delighted to see their photo in a paper of any kind it's really quite clever, and it truly has a wonderful community-spirit feel to it. SNAP will cover almost any kind of local event, and as such it truly reflects the nature and diversity of whatever community it is showcasing (and according to the information I found there are about 61 communities that now have SNAP publications, including ones in the USA and even Europe). You can submit information about upcoming events to SNAP and they will send out a photographer to take pictures, thus getting your event some press and allowing people who couldn't attend see what it was like to be there.
I find new developments and opportunities like this incredibly exciting for our city. While we have a local daily newspaper (Fort McMurray Today), a weekly newspaper (Connect), and even our own women's interest magazine (McMurray Girl) I think there is a niche to be filled by SNAP Wood Buffalo. A publication that focuses solely on community events and activities is quite sure to be a welcome one in Fort McMurray. It's not meant to be an in-depth, story-based journalistic endeavour but rather a way for people to "see" the events in this city even if they didn't happen to be there, which I think is terrific. I also think showing these sorts of events makes residents a lot more likely to consider attending future similar ones as it gives them a clearer picture of what the event was about and why it might interest them. That means potentially increasing attendance at those future events, which makes having a SNAP photographer visit your event a very positive thing for both the publication and the event organizers.
You know, what really struck me most about the first issue of SNAP is how very many events they covered. There are people who say Fort Mac is a boring city, with nothing going on. After seeing this first issue of SNAP and my own experience in writing this blog I'd say that it's actually quite difficult to keep up with all the events and happenings in this city - there are so many things to do and see, and events to attend!
Since Friday I've been pleased to see copies of the first edition of SNAP Wood Buffalo available around the city. I hope everyone who reads this post has a chance to pick up a copy of SNAP and take a look. I think it's a great addition to our city, and I look forward to future issues with much anticipation. This blogger is a bit camera-shy so don't expect to see her in SNAP anytime soon - but I'm hoping to see photos of some of you. So, get out there, attend some events, people - and get SNAPped!
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