And so, with tomorrow's Big News already well locked-down – and, just beyond, even more to come – it seems best to keep the message simple: either this readership's support allows these pages to continue on... or Whispers will be forced to close.
No joke, gang. Not that it's ever been before, either – given the way things've been of late, though, without the needed resources to do the work, having little choice but to pull the plug is a considerably more "live" possibility than it's ever been.
Per usual, don't say you haven't been forewarned... most of all, though – whether here or in the work beyond – just remember, it's what you do that'll determine the result.
SVILUPPO – 21 October, 8.45pm: First of all, to everyone who's lent a hand over these days, all the thanks in the world. You should find a note shortly with some more on the shape of things, and a story or two for good measure.
Along the same lines, to those who've e.mailed with questions and the like, many thanks as well. Believe me, I'm on it – in the meanwhile, as ever, please just keep in mind that lots of you and one keyboard to manage it all makes for a rather daunting mix.
In general, the attempt to keep things going here is off to a very encouraging start, and to say that's humbling doesn't begin to suffice. We've still got a ways to go, though – for one, getting the shop to a point of sustainability is going to require a greater sense of consistency and focus from all sides (beginning, of course, with the one behind this desk). And just as much, when 100 percent of this work's costs are being handled by roughly 3 percent of the usual daily readership, well, that seems to say there's a fair amount of room for improvement among this crowd.
Lest anyone thinks any of this easy to say, think again. But as it's even more challenging to balance a tenuous "bottom line" with an editorial side that tends to be intense and demanding enough on its own, the quality of the second relies on the stability of the first.
No question, even for the rough spots, these pages are a joy and grace to do – not to mention more fun than many folks would probably have over several lifetimes. If the work can't sustain itself, though, it simply can't exist any longer.
In the end, that's anything but this scribe's call, so we'll just have to see what happens.... Either way, church, whatta ride.
-30-
No joke, gang. Not that it's ever been before, either – given the way things've been of late, though, without the needed resources to do the work, having little choice but to pull the plug is a considerably more "live" possibility than it's ever been.
Per usual, don't say you haven't been forewarned... most of all, though – whether here or in the work beyond – just remember, it's what you do that'll determine the result.
SVILUPPO – 21 October, 8.45pm: First of all, to everyone who's lent a hand over these days, all the thanks in the world. You should find a note shortly with some more on the shape of things, and a story or two for good measure.
Along the same lines, to those who've e.mailed with questions and the like, many thanks as well. Believe me, I'm on it – in the meanwhile, as ever, please just keep in mind that lots of you and one keyboard to manage it all makes for a rather daunting mix.
In general, the attempt to keep things going here is off to a very encouraging start, and to say that's humbling doesn't begin to suffice. We've still got a ways to go, though – for one, getting the shop to a point of sustainability is going to require a greater sense of consistency and focus from all sides (beginning, of course, with the one behind this desk). And just as much, when 100 percent of this work's costs are being handled by roughly 3 percent of the usual daily readership, well, that seems to say there's a fair amount of room for improvement among this crowd.
Lest anyone thinks any of this easy to say, think again. But as it's even more challenging to balance a tenuous "bottom line" with an editorial side that tends to be intense and demanding enough on its own, the quality of the second relies on the stability of the first.
No question, even for the rough spots, these pages are a joy and grace to do – not to mention more fun than many folks would probably have over several lifetimes. If the work can't sustain itself, though, it simply can't exist any longer.
In the end, that's anything but this scribe's call, so we'll just have to see what happens.... Either way, church, whatta ride.
-30-
posted by Rocco Palmo at 17:45
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