An open letter to Advocate readers
Feb. 26, 2009
Dear Readers:
This is not the letter I hoped to be posting four months after starting the Advocate, but if an online news service is going to yell 'transparency' at every turn, it had better be willing to play by it's own rules.
Put plainly, as a business venture, the Advocate is failing.
Our business model has four indexes to track growth and predict success of the venture: Readership, community involvement, classified use and, of course, paid advertising. I am sad to report that we are faltering badly on three of those.
While readership numbers have climbed steadily since it's inception, now topping 3000 total page hits, and over 300 readers a week, the sparse use of the 'Classifieds' section, and almost no interest in paid advertising has failed to instill lender confidence, thus denying us access to funding needed to expand the staff, or to go to print with a weekly paper.
These are failures that I blame on my own lack of salesmanship and failure to factor in funding for advertising, believing that word-of-mouth and easy internet linking would be sufficient to get the word out.
Community involvement has to be graded as mediocre. Institutions such as the local colleges, government offices and law enforcement, realizing that every information outlet has value, have been willing contributors.
But surprisingly, organizations like ISD boards, economic development agencies and even chambers of commerce have been less than cooperative, many failing even to return messages or respond to letters of introduction.
In short, the shoe-string budget we were operating on is gone, and the need to pay personal bills now has to override both desire to publish and belief in the need for a service like this for Upshur County.
The site will stay open, but article postings won't be daily events.
In closing, I would like to thank everyone who is providing information and news releases, and the readers who return daily looking for timely and topical news of interest to Upshur County and the surrounding area.
Sincerely,
DeWayne Spell
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Northeast Texas Community College is offering an exciting summer travel-study opportunity for students who want to learn about U.S. history and government first-hand instead of just through reading and lectures.
MT. PLEASANT, TX, Feb. 24, 2009 -- For the fifth year, NTCC is offering the "Passing Through Our American Heritage" travel-study course to Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, PA. This five-day trip will take students to sites including the Smithsonian, various monuments and a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with Congressman Ralph Hall. A day trip to Philadelphia will also be included.
“We are excited to be able to offer the D.C. travel course again this year. There is really nothing like getting out there and experiencing our history and government where it actually happened,” Rex Allen, NTCC Assistant Professor of Political Science, said.
Students who participate will receive up to six hours of course credit for American National Government (GOVT 2305) and/or United States History (HIST 1301). For students who have already taken these courses, there is also a Special Topics course option. The courses are being offered for the Intersession mini-mester.
The trip will be May 16-20. The cost of the trip $965 plus tuition and fees (airfare included) for double occupancy. For more information, contact Rex Allen at rallen@ntcc.edu or call 903-434-8235.
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Every Thursday at 10:00a.m. and 4:00p.m., Librarian Debbie White reads stories and host a craft workshop.
On Thursday, February 26, she will be reading 'Pink' by Lynne Rickards and 'Tea for Ruby' by Sarah Ferguson.
A craft will follow the story.
Times: 10am and 4pm.
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Gerry LaFemina and Amy Fleury on tap for Thursday's reading
NACOGDOCHES, TX, Feb. 23, 2009 -- The Stephen F. Austin State University Department of English and Philosophy will host award-winning poets Gerry LaFemina and Amy Fleury as part of the department’s spring reading series.
LaFemina is the author of several poetry collections including “The Parakeets of Brooklyn,” and he directs and teaches at the Frostburg Writing Center in Frostburg, Md. Fleury is the author of a collection of poems titled “Beautiful Trouble,” which won the Crab Orchard First Book Award and was named a top ten book of 2004 by the Kansas City Star.
The SFA reading series strives to “promote literacy by introducing accomplished writers to the community and allow them to witness literature first hand as an ongoing and living process,” said Dr. Daryl Farmer, assistant professor of English and coordinator of the event. This reading is the first of three in a series scheduled this spring.
The reading will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, in Liberal Arts North, Room 102, on the SFA campus. The reading is free of charge and open to the public.
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