Here's my answer: Four months ago, I had maybe 10 readers per week. Now, I'm averaging more than 2,000, paying about 10,000 visits a week, according to Google Analytics. About 60% are current Gannett employees, based on the results of the "Where do you work?'' survey, now running at the top of the blue sidebar, right. The rest are former employees, and a few folks who've never worked for Gannett.It's a small, but influential group. Many are newsroom employees -- smart people who determine the editorial content of Gannett's 85 dailies and 23 TV stations. Editors and publishers read me. Ditto for local operating committee members. My readers have also included at least one Wall Street stock analyst. And I think it's possible one or more members of Gannett's board of directors have stopped by.
Here's a little history: In October 2006, Gannett had 50,000 employees. But there wasn't a single blog about the company -- amazing, I thought, since Gannett is the nation's biggest newspaper publisher, and one of the country's largest private employers. So, I started blogging anonymously -- and privately; nothing I wrote was visible to the public until early last September. Four months later, when I formally launched Gannett Blog, I urged readers to start blogs of their own, hoping to establish a companywide network. I didn't suggest these blogs be anti-management, or pro-management.
I'm not afraid of competition. If another blogger comes along and grabs my audience, Corporate will shift its attention to them. That's because the power behind this blog isn't me -- it's you.
[Image: Friday's USA Today, Newseum]
You don't need to explain yourself.
ReplyDeleteAnybody who would ask the question doesn't understand how media has changed -- the democratization of media. Walter Lippmann is dead. There is no more priestly class. We call have a right to say, to cover, to question.
I agree, Howard. But there are a lot of people at Gannett Corporate who don't understand this.
ReplyDeleteReferrring to the first commentor:
ReplyDeleteWe call have a right to say, to cover, to question.
Yes, we do! But with that right also comes RESPONSIBILITY. Yes media has changed but our role continues to be "to inform and enlighten".
Presenting a small smattering of facts that paints a distorted or incomplete picture damages the writers credibility regardless of the forum or medium, may it be newspaper, tv or blogage.
FYI - I'm not a Gannetteer anymore so consider the source.