"The more reporters know, the better we write the stories you read."

That’s how a 10-inch column starts in today’s Patriot News, which introduces readers to the social network that Daniel Victor has set up in the hopes to become that better informed reporter.

I’ve spoken with Daniel and here’s the scoop.

About two weeks ago the Ning site was up and he invited some of the first members. He sent out his pitch (below) to eight potential members. Four signed up – giving him a 50 percent attrition rate, which is not that bad. But will it scale?

According to his editor, Tom Barstow, his goal is to end up with 35-45 members. If his beat was national, I wouldn’t worry about that mark at all. But because Daniel’s beat is local – he has a limited pool of people he needs to reach. Somehow he needs to tap into the neighborhood network, or what I would call "the mommy network" in my home town (where all the mothers new what all their children were up to before we even knew).

One thing I particularly like about Daniel’s Ning site, he created a welcome video. It has Daniel explaining to the new members what this site is about – he looks honest and conversational. Let’s see if he can get the word out.

Find more videos like this on The Patriot-News Hershey Home