• Today around seven-in-ten Americans use social media to connect with one another, engage with news content, share information and entertain themselves.

• When Pew Research Center began tracking social media adoption in 2005, just 5% of American adults used at least one of these platforms. By 2011 that share had risen to half of all Americans, and today 69% of the public uses some type of social media.

• Facebook is the most widely used of the major social media platforms, and its user base is most broadly representative of the population as a whole. Smaller shares of Americans use sites such as Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn.

• For many users, social media is part of their daily routine. Roughly three-quarters of Facebook users – and around half of Instagram users – visit these sites at least once a day. (www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/social-media)

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There is no doubt that social media plays a role in most Americans' lives. It is the job of  members of the media to determine how best to utilize social media for communication.

Here are some ideas for using social media in the newsroom:

• Link back to stories on the website whenever possible as a way to enhance exposure to news stories and web advertising.

• Have a poll question on your website? Post it on all of your newspaper's social media sites to get maximum exposure.

• Use social media to interact with readers and community members.

• Monitor local social media sites for story ideas.

• Update scores on Facebook and Twitter regularly during high school games.

• Use social media to promote the print product. Let people know what is in this week's paper with a teaser. Better yet, post a saved-down version of your newspaper's front page.

• Use Facebook and Twitter to get feedback on hot-topic community issues and concerns.

• Post Facebook Live video during community festivals and school events.