Posting has been light this month, as I have thought about FREE WHITEWATER’s readers, and how to describe and explain our town to a growing, out-of-town audience. When I started writing, I never thought about how many readers I might attract. I wrote what I felt like writing, and if anyone wanted to read, they could. If not, that was okay, too – I wasn’t really expecting much of an audience. Those days seem like a long time ago. To my surprise, the traffic at this site compares favorably with what passes for a significant amount elsewhere.
When I started, I made only two promises to myself. First, that I would publish as I saw fit, without a servile concern for the wishes of politicans, bureaucrats, and our self-important town fathers. Second, that I would never accept advertising, or depend on compensation of any kind, to publish this website. I have kept both promises, and I will continue to do so. I like the idea of publishing on my own, just one person, writing as he wishes, no obligations or concerns standing in the way.
I think that much of what passes as descriptive of Whitewater is sacchrine and unrealistic, more fantasy than honest account of life in our town. Those looking only for the simple, easy, or cheery, will not find it here. There’s nothing unique or compelling about a view of Whitewater as little more than a Potempkin village, or something like Pleasantville (before color). The real town is more interesting, and in its way admirable, than the false portrayal — with so many omissions — could ever be.
Over more than two years since I began, readership has grown in unexpected ways, slowly from word of mouth, from an open records series, and more recently from mention on other websites and additional word of mouth.
I’ve learned that many of my readers visit not from nearby, but from places outside Whitewater: from other cities in Wisconsin, and from farway places, too. That makes sense, because of the emails I receive, many are from people who have never been to Whitewater, or even Wisconsin, but have happened upon this website. New readers, from other cities in Wisconsin or faraway places in America, often write and ask what Whitewater’s like. Having stumbled upon FREE WHITEWATER one way or another, they’re curious about rural America, and about Whitewater, Wisconsin’s pecularities and eccentricities.
Questions from faraway places range from serious to silly:
So, how are you? Are you the guy the police chief was after? What’s it like in a small town? Could you tell us more about these people (the ones that I mention, like Coan or Brunner)? Are most people farmers? How many cows are there in Whitewater? Do you see lots of wild animals? What kinds?
(I also never expected — ever — that if I posted less, readers would write and ask if I’m under the weather, etc. That’s completely unexpected to me, and genuinely touching.)
What to do? I’ll try to write about Whitewater, Wisconsin with this larger, sometimes non-local, audience in mind. I’ve thought about this perspective before, but I’ll bring it about. I will try to be more descriptive to satisfy readers who’ve stumbled upon the site, contributed to its growth, and are curious about Whitewater. If I write only for a local audience, I will leave these readers confused, unsatisfied, and perhaps miss out on other readers like them.
Some changes will be simple — I’ll modify my tagline, and my Welcome and About messages. I will also modify my Daily Bread feature, and give it a new name (remaining appreciative to the reader who suggested the current name). Other changes will affect each post, so that I put people, places, and events in context for those far away who are curious about Whitewater. A decidely libertarian take on politicians and bureaucrats in town won’t change — I’ll just try to describe events here with more background.
I’ll start off November 1st.
For tomorrow, October 31st, I’ll post my third-annual, Boo! Scariest Things in Whitewater, 2009 edition.