Farewell from M.R. Field
July 10, 2008 by James
Filed under Guest Writer: Field, M.R.
This is the last post I am writing for AroundDesMoines.com. This site was started by Sandy Renshaw in January 2007 to showcase the range of activities in Iowa. I started writing posts in May 2007. Items I wrote on Project Destiny in June revealed that Iowans wanted old-fashioned news stories. Then I noticed that readers were searching for reviews, so I started reviewing various theatrical and other arts around town. I’m still amazed at the number of people who email those reviews to friends and acquaintances but I take pride in the fact that my reviews did not automatically glorify all things Des Moines.
In September 2007 I wanted to see what would happen to readership numbers if I posted something daily. Readers reacted positively so I tried to keep up that pace for the past ten months. To help me provide a consistent product, I covered the local school board meetings and wrote a weekly column on upcoming weekend activities. I also provided regular information on activities at the state capitol during the legislative session and on issues of transportation in and around Des Moines. When the 2008 floods hit Iowa, because I had already been writing about floodplain issues and responded to readers’ demands for more news, AroundDesMoines.com recorded a significant number of unique visitors in one week. My Fourth of July posts produced another exceptionally high volume week.
Behind the scenes Sandy and I were talking about the format for and the structure of the blog for several months. There were also discussions about how to balance Sandy’s styles of blogs based on personal interests with the style of a general newspaper towards which I was aimed. I came to believe that this blend of styles can deliver a profitable business. However, for that success to be achieved there needs to be a solid foundation on which the two sides can flourish. The schizophrenia that exists in AroundDesMoines.com was visible to anyone who looked at the writer’s guidelines.
Sandy brought Internet networking to the site. I brought publishing experience. Other people made their own unique contributions. Sandy and I have different business goals, though, and we have not been able to reach agreement on how the site can fit into both of our plans. Since Sandy owns the site, I am the one who is leaving.
Because I finally reached the limit of my self-funded finances after trying for a few years to create a quality small-scale integrated media empire, I had to take a paying job. I do not have the time, the energy, or the money left to start another news blog and to continue providing the reporting people in central Iowa so desperately need. I look forward to having time to work on some fiction and poetry, as well as my MRF Communications website where I will once again post commentaries.
Yours truly,
M.R. Field.
James is James G. Lindberg (Jim) is the Purple Wren’s sweetie and is a visiting chemistry professor at Grinnell College and retired from Drake University.
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M.R. I’ll miss your posts! Especially the well-written, informative school board ones. I believe that’s what led me to the site in the first place. I’ll have to check out MRFCommunications. Thanks for your time and effort in keeping me uptodate in Des Moines.
Wow, grow up. It’s fine that you feel you cannot reach an amicable situation with your partner but don’t lay a guilt trip on your readers that you had to get a “job” (like a majority of people in this country do) or lay your frustration about “your money” on us.
Good luck with your new endeavours but that final post was very childish.