Thanks to all friends and readers of the Middletown Eye, on this, our third anniversary of the first posting.
The Eye began at a time when news coverage in Middletown was suffering. I would be at Common Council meetings and notice that there were no reporters present.
At the beginning of this month, I was one of four reporters present (Courant, Press, Patch, Eye), so things have changed, at least temporarily, for the better.
For three years, our citizen-journalist site has had daily postings (more than 4300 in total), and we've become a site that the residents of Middletown have come to rely on for quick and accurate information. In that time, we've had over a half million distinct visits, and a million separate page views.
I think it's safe to say that we've had some influence on the way things work in town.
As we move into our third year, I anticipate some changes, and I welcome new involvement. Some of our steadfast correspondents, including myself, are experiencing volunteer fatigue. Working through burnout is possible, but having a daily deadline hanging over your head can be exhausting. I myself am seriously considering a run for office for one of our local municipal boards. And all of us have family, work and civic commitments that beckon.
In this time of high-unemployment for college grads, I'd love to find a young, smart, energetic writer, or three, who would be willing to grab hold of the Eye and take it to the next level. There's still plenty of potential to transform the Middletown Eye into a media source that continues to provide important information, while allowing its correspondents to make a reasonable living. If you know of such an underutilized young person, have them drop us a line.
Last night at Eli Cannon's we lifted a few cups to toast the Eye and its correspondents. I expect that next year at this time we'll be doing the same, and hopefully a few new faces will be among those reflecting upon the accomplishments of the year gone by.
Cheers,
Ed McKeon
4 comments:
Thank You Ed, for providing this service to Middletown residents.
Thank you Ed, and the rest of the EYE volunteers, for your good work over the last three years. The EYE is the number one source for local news in our family.
Thank you Ed, and the rest of the
EYE reporters. You have done a wonderful service for the City of Middletown. Please keep it up.
A grateful reader
Ed & Jen please don't stop writing or going to meetings and providing great coverage! There has been a decline in articles I've noticed and I really miss it- you are my number one daily web read and you can always be relied on to cover what's important to this City! Please keep up the good work !!
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