GreeneCountyNewsOnline’s inaugural year has concluded, as Nov. 6 is the first anniversary of the launch. It has been a very good year for me.
I learned about community journalism from Rick Morain, longtime Jefferson Bee & Herald publisher/editor, and I’ve tried to stay close to his standards for fairness and balance. News writing is news writing, regardless of where it is published.
Launching GreeneCountyNewsOnline took me far beyond writing news. Over the past year, I learned:
- Techie things: My son John Chargo and his girlfriend Danielle Ameling got me started with the website, but a mother can ask her son for help only so many times. John handles updates to the program and troubleshoots, but I’ve learned to do most things myself.
- Design: I had help early with ad design, but a year later, I do most of it myself. It’s more efficient that way and it’s fun. I used to scrapbook years ago; designing ads isn’t much different, except for the medium.
- New jargon: I don’t “publish” a story, I “post” it. Articles are also called “posts.” I don’t “go to press” because there’s no press. I post an “update.” Journalists caution their critics about not messing with people who buy ink by the barrel and newsprint by the ton. I make neither of those purchases, but I have unlimited access to pixels, and I’ve chuckled about spraying pixels across the universe.
- Quickbooks: I have loyal local advertisers, and I have to bill them. As a neophyte publisher, I had to learn about the business end of putting out the news, and that required a new skill set. So, it wasn’t only the scary world of accounting (there’s a reason accountants are paid well), that I had to become familiar with, but also another techie skill set – Quickbooks Online. Jefferson accountant Lisa Jaskey has been a patient teacher. Journalists know a little about a lot of stuff. Why would a journalist know there’s a difference between an invoice and a statement?
- “Thank you” can be inadequate: There is no way to properly thank friends and advertisers for their support. Thirteen months ago, friends suggested I launch my own news product and a handful of advertisers “bought in,” based on nothing more than my reputation as a journalist and my plan to provide free news. That faith in my integrity and my desire to keep residents of Greene County informed has been very humbling. I will forever be grateful.
When I launched GreeneCountyNewsOnline one year ago I posted my first Riley Online column. I expected to write a column almost weekly, but I’ve written only two since then. There’s a mental place a columnist must be in to write, and it’s not close to the mental places of techies, designers or accountants. Colleen O’Brien has provided many thoughtful columns for GreeneCountyNewsOnline. I haven’t felt guilty about not posting a hamburger Riley Online when Colleen serves up prime rib columns almost weekly.
Before sitting down to write this anniversary column, I used GreeneCountyNewsOnline’s handy search tool to pull that first column from the archive. If that inaugural column is a yardstick, I’ve done well. I’ve stayed close to my intentions. You can read that column here: A new era begins (The ability to refresh memories or provide additional information with a click of a mouse is a definite advantage of online publishing.)
I ended that column with a quote from Henry R. Luce, founder and publisher of the Time/Life dynasty. He said, “I became a journalist to come as close as possible to the heart of the world.” Thank you for allowing me to be as close as possible to the heart of my world. Stay with me, and we’ll be at the heart of Greene County together. ~Victoria Riley
