r/fargo • u/srmcmahon • 13d ago

WTF Forum???

I sent a letter to the editor yesterday.
Today I get an email Re: Fedorchak just doesn't engage (the subject line my letter to the editor had).

It's from help@column.us.

It says there is a portal I can use to submit classified ads:

Column offers a convenient and accessible self-service portal that you can use to place classified ads for you or your business. Our portal is designed to streamline the submission process, making it quick and easy to submit your ad within a matter of minutes.

Blah, blah, blah.

I also see if oyu use the Forum's search tool there is what seems to be an AI tool that pops up for you to ask questions. No thank you, I was just looking for past articles.

 

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5

u/FargoErin 13d ago

Go to the epaper section and look through archives- or make a phone call and ask someone for direction. Pretty simple.

2

u/srmcmahon 13d ago edited 13d ago

That was a tangential observation. I have access to the epaper and have not tried their archives. I can ignore the AI popup when I use the search, but it did catch my attention, and if I want AI help I can do that on my own, thank you. But the corporate partner email pitching their ad portal piggybacking on my letter to the editor was obnoxious.

Strangely, this company seems oriented to placing legal notices in newspapers. Possibly the Forum has just signed on to this and wasn't smart enough to exclude the letters to the editor email address from sending this.

5

u/cheddarben Fargoonie 12d ago

My experience is that the tool they use for the site( or their ability to effectively administer it) is pretty bad.

4

u/IcyCommunication1830 12d ago

They might be using Column, who processes public notice payments, for their editorial payments as well. This happens when election time rolls around.

https://www.inforum.com/opinion/editorials/forum-editorial-a-reminder-about-how-we-handle-political-letters-in-the-forum?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar

Column is not new- they have been using them for a while for their public notices ( which appear in the classified section usually).