Time Out: Looking Back Over The Last Year

1812 Blockhouse
Aug 26, 2017 · 4 min read
Today’s 1812Blockhouse

Before this series continues (which, I realize, may only be read by myself and a handful of others), I take note of the upcoming one year anniversary for 1812Blockhouse.

I remember the evening well when I chose to flip the switch and go live. After two to three weeks of prep, I was ready but reluctant to do so. In early September, however, a wonderful family event took place which provided a ready-made and easy to remember date anniversary. That evening, after hearing the news of the birth of my parents’ first-ever biological great grandchild, I deactivated the placeholding plugin and 1812 was born.

From the outset, 1812Blockhouse has been a part-time, completely serious but not overwhelming endeavor. I have loved getting back into media — something I truly missed. At the same time, my “day job” is such that squeezing 1812 into my life has been challenging from the start.

Still, I launched the site with a goal that has, in part, been met a year later: Can a local news site be started from scratch, run on a budget, and generate any sort of audience? Since this post will be seen by few — at least at this moment — I have only minor reluctance in talking about numbers and facts.

So casting aside any such concerns, here are some:

Number of posts. To date (as of August 26), there have been 1,543 published posts on the site.

Expenses. To date (again, as of August 26), the total expenses for 1812Blockhouse over an almost-one-year period stand right at $500. Yes, that is Five Hundred Dollars. Total. Over twelve months. That sum includes domain and hosting fees; Facebook, Twitter, and Google advertising; and a portion of fuel costs for driving to places where news is being made.

Audience. From the beginning, I wondered whether or not this formula could reach even the lowest number for local independent news sites across the country. Fortunately, through “Michele’s List,” Michelle McLellan has made that type of information available (in spreadsheet form, no less), which is incredibly helpful for new startups.

Initial year numbers are skewed to some extent as the first weeks saw only a modest number of visitors and visits. My initial goal was 10,000 unique visitors per month, a target which was met sometime within the first six months. While two weeks remain until the official first year anniversary, it is clear that the final monthly average will be substantially above that figure.

Popular Posts. The highest readership number for any individual story over the last twelve months has been 37,107. By far, the most popular series on the site has been our “Landmarks of Mansfield,” which routinely draw many thousands of visitors and visits. It is no surprise to me that the most popular of those posts was that profiling St. Peter’s Catholic Church in downtown Mansfield, which was published the day before Easter Sunday.

Breaking and Unique News. Although it does not happen frequently, 1812Blockhouse has been able to break stories in the Mansfield media market on several occasions over the last year — or, as recently happened with the casting call for the new movie being filmed in Mansfield, providing an interesting additional, missing feature to a story already being shared.

Often, that might not be “breaking news” per se, but rather a unique story that has otherwise gone unnoticed. This often takes place with retrospective pieces. While Richland Source routinely has excellent posts on Mansfield history, we have been able to break into that area. When the 50th anniversary of actress Jayne Mansfield’s death took place, we ran a piece on her visit to Mansfield, Ohio. On another occasion, we posted about Mansfield’s first exhibition of automobiles — 100 years to the day after it took place.

Lessons Learned. Heavens. So many. Too many, in fact, to recite here. What is most important is that almost a year later, I am still having fun with 1812Blockhouse. The formula still makes sense to me, and I truly have the impression that if I invested x number of dollars in the site, I would have 10x that sum in no time.

In true Thomas fashion, I am obsessed at the moment with what’s next. New technology; new ways to create and engage an audience; new ways to do what it is I do better and quicker. My Feedly is full of stories about local media that I have saved but have yet to read. The world of local journalism is changing on lightning speed, and it remains a fascinating place in my eyes.

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