Jim Alred has joined News Publishing Company, the parent company of the Cedartown Standard, as its new media director.

Alred, a former Rome resident, most recently was online editor and videographer for Naplesnews.com, the Web site for the Naples Daily News.

As new media director, Alred will manage and oversee all of the online products for News Publishing, including its seven newspaper Web sites in Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama.

“It’s great coming into an award-winning organization that has already been recognized as having one of the top three news Web sites in the state,” said Alred. “I love community journalism. We’re not going to be just a newspaper Web site, we’re going to be the community’s Web site.”

A 1996 graduate of Auburn University, Alred started his journalism career as a sports editor.

He was sports editor at the Selma Times Journal in Alabama and at the Bonita Banner in Bonita Springs, Fla. Then he moved to the Naples Daily News as a prep sports writer for a couple of years before transitioning to the online department as an online editor.

Naplesnews.com made a major online transition in 2005 and Alred became the organization’s first online videographer. The added daily multimedia content helped the Web site capture the Digital Edge award for most innovative multimedia storytelling and the EPPY award for best Internet news service in 2006.

It’s that multimedia approach that Alred plans to develop for News Publishing.

“We’re excited to have Jim join our staff and lead our online operations. All of the News Publishing Web sites are experiencing growth — 1.5 million page views a month for the Rome News-Tribune and almost twice that companywide,” said Otis Raybon, NPCO vice president of operations. “Jim’s knowledge of Rome and Northwest Georgia combined with his experiences gained at Naplenews.com will allow our readers and Web users a more exciting and informative Web experience.”