The survey was only available to subscribers, after all. As subscribers, you are the ones who should decide what you want to see.
So, here are the results. There were 35 respondents, and I closed the survey early because it was clear where it was going.
In the mean time, someone asked for a weather widget, so I added that, too. It takes up a lot of real estate on the page, so I put it down in the footer. It will show temperatures in Fahrenheit if you are in the US, and Centigrade if not.
So… I have started on the event calendar. You’ll see upcoming events on the right side of the homepage, and you can click to see the whole calendar. You can also get the calendar using the Events Calendar link on the main menu under the Lifestyle option.
I need now to populate the calendar with the events I know about, and try to keep that current. Please let me know about events you become aware of. And, in future iterations, I will add the capability for you to enter your own events. I have to think that through a little bit so it doesn’t become chaotic.
To answer some of the comments in the survey: No, I don’t intend for the publication to become primarily social. News will always be the main topic. But, as all other publications know, people like to see a variety of information, both serious and light. That’s why I started the Lifestyle link on the main menu.
I don’t have the ability to gather and write local news stories myself anymore. I count on others to do the heavy reporting. The problem is that there aren’t any good reporters left, locally. Dale Hoyt Palfrey is good, but she’s nearly retired. The others are flawed. They sometimes don’t say what day something has happened or is going to happen or where. So, I have to decide in each instance whether to include the information. Lots of issues. But the bottom line is that I’m nearly totally dependent on others’ reporting for local news. Unfortunately.
But, I scour the web every day for what I think you’d like to know, and for what’s important.
The next feature will be the classified ads. I’ll start that tomorrow, after I finish populating the events I know about in the calendar.
Thanks for all your comments!
Lisa