As part of the launch of our new community-based editorial platform on Sunday, August 22, Onward State will be offering free advertising space to student organizations and other not-for-profit groups in the Penn State community.

Said Davis Shaver, founder and publisher of Onward State,

Most news organizations who have invested as much time as we have into their product would be anxious to start making money on it right away. True to form, we’re doing things a little differently at Onward State.

Onward State is visited by more than 70,000 people each month of the school year. Advertising on the site is a great way for your group to reach out to prospective members and inform people about upcoming events. We heartily encourage any and all student organizations or other not-for-profits to submit ads.

The new community-based advertising feature is part of a larger vision that sees Onward State as a “platform on which students and other community members can distribute their message,” said Shaver.

The goal of the new platform was to make Onward State an even more compelling place for the community to share information and stay engaged. One of the ways we’re trying to increase the community aspects of the site is by making it easier for members of the community who aren’t Onward State writers themselves to share the content and opinions that matter to them most. We want to give student clubs and other not-for-profit organizations a chance to reach our readership, the Penn State student body.

Advertisements should be submitted by Saturday, August 21st, in order to be shown during the initial back-to-school period. After that, advertisements will be accepted on a rolling basis. Designs can be submitted in dimensions of either 125 pixels by 125 pixels, 468 pixels by 60 pixels, or 160 pixels by 600 pixels. Acceptable file formats include .jpg, .gif, .png, and .swf. To submit your advertisement, simply complete Onward State’s ‘Submit Ads’ form.

The hope is that Onward State’s community-based advertising feature will serve as a springboard for increased community activity on the Onward State site. “The way we’ve begun using ad space says something about who we are, and what we’ve come to mean,” explained Shaver.

For more information about Onward State community ads, please contact publisher Davis Shaver either by phone at 814-387-8283 or by email at [email protected].  [The original Onward State press release is accessible on Google Docs.]