Chris 1,539 Posted March 14 In the early days it was easy to curate information and ideas to keep a steady stream of site traffic going. However more and more, it's become difficult to compete with social media. Fact is, what little news stories and press releases that are sent to me are often already on Facebook and other outlets before I receive them. Compiling any content for this site is a time consuming process, and I'd be happy to continue doing it but for the lack of any feedback or site activity. And now after ten years, I'm out of ideas. I'm coming to the conclusion that there simply isn't enough interest in this site to keep it going anymore. That said, there is a small but dedicated number of people who have made this site and its predecessors a regular part of their internet time. And honestly, ten years is a good run for any website ( a fact you could look at from either way, continue or close down ). So instead of making a unilateral decision to pull the plug, I'm opening the floor to ideas. What would you like to see more of? Do you know a way that you could contribute for the betterment of the site? Should we do away with some of the topics ( national news, state news, etc. ) and keep it more locally oriented? Is it truly time to hang it up? What other thoughts do you have? I'm giving not just our regular users a chance to chime in, but the public as well. This is your chance to make your opinion heard. I'll try to make this topic open to guess accounts and pray I don't open the floodgates for SPAM accounts. I truly want to know your thoughts on if, and how, we should continue. Thanks, Chris Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MsKreed 885 Posted March 14 58 minutes ago, Chris said: I'll try to make this topic open to guess accounts and pray I don't open the floodgates for SPAM accounts. You were saying??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris 1,539 Posted March 14 Just now, MsKreed said: You were saying??? Yeah, I forgot to click the button to put them in a queue for approval. They're always there, looking for a way in, every day. Should be under control now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin 322 Posted March 14 I enjoy reading various sections, but I never read the national news section and rarely read the state news section. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris 1,539 Posted March 14 54 minutes ago, Kevin said: I enjoy reading various sections, but I never read the national news section and rarely read the state news section. I think those are gonna go bye bye, no matter what. I'm also more than happy to host "club" sections here on the site for local organizations or groups with similar interests. For example, if a motorcycle club, retirees group, or something more hobby based. That's a feature of this version of the software we've never really utilized as much as I'd like to. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KarenK 294 Posted March 15 I read whatever is new when I come here pretty much. Unfortunately something is broken and I don't get any email notifications any longer when new content is posted or things I follow have comments. I have tried to reset it a few times and I will get them for a few days and then nothing. Now I keep forgetting to check. Today I got a random notification from the chat section and it reminded me to come see what's up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Linda Roorda 109 Posted March 15 (edited) I, too, enjoy reading several sections, read state rep updates, enjoy the efforts of other Local Writers and greatly appreciate the readers of my own columns, and often peruse the daily chit-chat tho I seldom respond to comments there - and would hate to see you end this project! Edited March 15 by Linda Roorda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris 1,539 Posted March 17 I sent out emails to all registered members, posted to Facebook, and texted a couple individuals about my search for feedback. What you see above is all I've gotten so far. So I've been doing some more thinking about this and perhaps there really isn't a need or an interest in the community for a place, away from social media, to read about and have an intelligent conversation about what's going on around us. And, counting the years prior to starting up ElmiraTelegram in 2014, I've been at this over ten years now ( man, will it really be 10 years next April?!? ) Ten years is a long time for a website like this, and there's only one or two other I've been part of that have existed longer. Thousands of man hours and likely an equal amount of dollars have been put into this by now. Which is why I'm not ready to shut it down just yet. That said, here's some changes I'm considering and will likely implement: All news sections, with the exception of local news pertaining to Elmira and the thirty miles surrounding it, will be going away. Even the local evening news is largely national news anymore, so we're going hyperlocal. The "Random Chat" section will remain, at least for now, as a catch all for items of interest that don't fit anywhere else. There will likely be some stuff in the "Lifestyle" section that will be removed, namely the "Book Club" forum. I may still try to utilize the "Clubs" feature. If there's anyone with an idea for a really specialized area, I am all ears. I am going to look on the back end, see what bells and whistles I can open up to make the site more interactive. I am giving very serious consideration to and will likely make the entire site "members only". I can do this one of two ways. One, I can make the whole site visible and every forum will tell guest users they have to sign up. Or two, I can take the site offline with a similar message, but allow registered users to sign in and use the site. It's free FFS, and only takes a moment. As another site owner once said, lurkers contribute nothing. Thats what's on my mind at the moment, but I want to ensure everyone I am all ears for ideas. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Steve Mecca Posted March 19 This is the first I've ever heard of this site. I've found it through a LinkedIn link you posted Chris, that came to my email inbox. I;m, not a big joiner but would investigate for local news and activities as there seems to be a lack of that elsewhere. Just my 2-cents. -Steve Mecca Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris 1,539 Posted March 20 Thanks Steve. The above mentioned changes have been implemented. I am still open to ideas about new features we can try, if this program allows. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
