Slowly but surely, The Beachcomber has been entering a brave new world of journalism — one where the news cycle is constant and readers, in various ways, can talk to each other and to us.

Close observers know that we often post stories on our website before we print them in our paper. We now host forums where readers can chime in about our stories — talking not only to us but to each other about their concerns, beliefs and observations.

We sometimes put slideshows on our website. We occasionally host videos. We offer up cyberspace for a handful of blogs, written by community members.

This week, The Beachcomber takes the next step: You can now follow us on Twitter or become our friends on Facebook.

For some of us, the word “tweet” still suggests the playful music of birds and “friend” is a noun, not a verb. Others know that is so five-minutes ago. Want to know about the latest breaking news story on Vashon? Follow us on Twitter, and we’ll tweet you when a story breaks.

Facebook offers another way to virtually interact with The Beachcomber. We plan, over time, to develop the site into another lively community forum, where you can not only follow the twists and turns of a developing news story but also post some of your own photos and community news, tell us what you think about the latest developments on Vashon and form a different kind of relationship with The Beachcomber.

None of these developments means that those who want to stop by our office in town to discuss our coverage, submit a letter or tell us about an event or news development can’t do so. We welcome and appreciate those face-to-face interactions. They capture the beauty, joy and transparency of a community weekly — the small-town, Mayberry-feeling of a paper that is anything but a faceless entity.

At the same time, many Islanders have come to expect a more immediate connection with the paper, a connection the digital era offers up. We welcome that, too. Because, at their best, the social networking tools of the Internet enable us to create and broaden our journalistic community, to allow more voices into the conversation and to provide readers with developing and up-to-date news coverage.

We invite you to join us in this journey — uncharted territory for many of us at The Beachcomber. And we hope you’ll friend us soon.