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Six
month "Report to Our Readers"
about progress of Gwinnett Forum
By
Elliott Brack
editor and publisher
GwinnettForum.com
NORCROSS, OCT. 16, 2001 -- Today's issue of GwinnettForum marks
a milestone. This is the 50th posting we have done on this medium,
so we give you this "Half Year's Report" of our progress.
Overall, we're pleased at the response of this new way for us to
communicate with those "who care" about Gwinnett County.
It has been most gratifying.
Unlike our days in newspapering, the Forum is not about the mass
market, but for a targeted group of key people, essentially the
people who make a difference in Gwinnett life. And yes, we think
it is working for this reason.
Walking into a meeting a couple of months ago, one of our elected
officials was smiling at us. "Well, you really were getting
on 'em today!" this official said, referring to a piece we
had written. What this showed to us is that, indeed, this person
was reading the Forum and gaining insight from it. Communicating
with key people is one of the objectives of the Forum. We hope the
Forum becomes "essential reading" for many of you, because
you care about Gwinnett.
We like to think reading the Forum is easy, quick, and fun! Lots
of readers tell us so.
We keep it relatively short, 500 words from me, and ask others
to hold their message to about 500 words. We do this so we won't
overtax our reader's time.
Most gratifying has been the response of so many people who have
contributed "Today's Issue." We have asked people to write,
though much comment comes in voluntarily. We usually (happily) have
one or two in backlog. Keep them coming. By expressing yourself
this way, you add depth and perspective to this medium, and you
can connect with those we look upon as the leaders in Gwinnett
Here's a promise we make to you: we will be a "moderated"
site, that is, not an Internet chat room, where anyone can throw
up any thought, unedited and at random. We will ensure what is posted
on the Forum is sane, reasoned and thought-out, and useful to stimulate
your mind, but not embarrass you as a reader.
The Forum is a relatively quick and inexpensive way to communicate.
Readers can quickly glance through it. If they want a hard copy,
they simply print it out. This is another part I like: if you print
it out, YOU buy the paper! Having bought newsprint for so long,
I especially appreciate this.
Now about our very existence: all this couldn't happen without
the support of local firms. We look upon this as a "public"
commentary site, much like public TV or radio, and have found local
businesses willing to help support it with a contribution. We don't
consider supporters as advertisers, since the Forum is not aimed
at a mass market. Yet our supporter's "buttons" allow
readers to go to their web sites by a simple click of the mouse.
This backing of the local business community enables us to continue
publishing. Take the time to thank those supporters when you see
them. It'll help us tremendously.
Meanwhile, let me invite our readers to continue to communicate
with us by contributing, even if only one or two sentences. We find
such comments are welcomed by the readership. It adds a provocative
element to the Forum.
After six months, most of all, as the two guys said, "We thank
you for your support."
FEEDBACK
Small press publishers
to meet in Gwinnett
Editor, the Forum:
SPAN, a nonprofit trade association of authors, self-publishers,
and independent publishers will be holding their annual conference
at The Marriott at Gwinnett Place October 19-21. This is the first
time our group has met in your area. Small presses represent the
cutting edge of new ideas in publishing. More details at http://www.SPANnet.org/2001.
-- Marilyn
Ross, executive director
719-395-4790
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
"Doctors bury their mistakes," Governor Roy Barnes
said at the recent meeting of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful, quoting
Frank Lloyd Wright, then added still quoting Wright: "But
architects and builders rely upon kudzu and vines to cover their
mistakes." (October 12, 2001)
SEND YOUR FEEDBACK
Send your thoughts, pet peeves or comments on any
issue to Gwinnett Forum
for future publication.
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