A favorite pastime at the end of any year is to compile best of and top lists from the previous 12 months. So why would I pass up the opportunity to do that on my blog?!
2008 was the year of the Web site at The Monroe Times. We launched our redesigned site on Jan. 9, 2008, and its become nearly as important to our daily operations as our newspaper. Thousands of people read our paper online every day.
Mostly because of reader comments, our online product takes on a somewhat different flavor than our newspaper does. We receive anywhere from a dozen to three dozen comments a day, at all hours of the day. And that has made for some interesting, thought-provoking and, at times, aggravating discussions during the past year. Here are just a few of the stories and topics you talked about most in 2008 at themonroetimes.com:
Blossoms and Barbs: Theres no denying the impact reader comments had on the weekly Blossoms & Barbs feature this year. Online users began submitting their own blossoms and barbs online, which greatly increased the number of B&Bs printed in Saturday editions. The feature has become a Saturday institution for better and, some would say, for worse.
Booing Fans: In what might have been the first real debate between online readers, people argued about the reason an Indianapolis Colts fan booed a Punt, Pass and Kick participant wearing a New England Patriots jersey. Hey, I never said all of the discussion was high-brow. But it did include one Adam Krebs, who weighed in from out of town, months before hed become sports editor of The Monroe Times.
Road Crews: Love them or hate them, everyones got an opinion about the job done by those who work to keep our roads clear of snow and ice. After almost every large winter weather event in 2008 and we certainly had our share of them readers would check in with their critiques of how well the roads were plowed. For the record, I appreciate the job they do.
Green County Fair: For a few weeks after this years fair, there was a steady stream of criticism from disgruntled fairgoers. They were upset about everything from the price of admission, to the quality and quantity of rides for kids, to the lack of diversity of musical entertainment. One online poster called it probably the lamest fair Monroe has had in a long time. While thats not really fair, the end result has been an apparent willingness from fair organizers to solicit input and ideas for future events.
The Great Steak Out: One poster didnt think the annual Green County Beef Producers event was so great, and sent out a barb with his beef about his $13 meal. That prompted many to defend the Beef Producers and the Steak Out. We also learned that the event doesnt necessarily raise a lot of money, but is meant to promote and celebrate our countys beef producers.
The School Bus Incident: A Times news story about a Monroe resident who claimed her car was damaged by a school bus caused a firestorm of reader responses. I even got dragged into the debate, as at least one poster thought I was picking on the bus company and protecting the police department. Like they need (or want) my protection! The discussion about the school bus incident led to ...
The White Van: A reader twice barbed a lady driving a white van for parking in the crosswalk at Abe Lincoln school. The barbs drew so much attention that it drew police attention and prompted us to send a photographer and reporter over in case something newsworthy happened. A blossom a few weeks later thanked the police department for dealing with the problem.
Online Celebrity: Between his blossoms and barbs (but mostly blossoms) in the paper and his comments online, Jeff Ditzenberger has become something of a cult celebrity with Monroe Times audiences. So, too, has the mysterious Wondering. And whatever happened to G. Evans?
The Accident Photo: There was nothing funny about this story, but the posting online of a photo of a two-car accident before some family members were aware of the crash sparked a sometimes heated discussion about the Times timing and its role as a news source. The original story was the most-accessed news story online in 2008.
Obama vs. McCain: Probably no issue was more hotly debated online in 2008 than the merits of presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. There were more reader comments during the two months leading up to the general election than at any time during the year. And who could forget the alleged incident of the Marine visiting the Green County Democrats office to bully volunteers?
The Miracle Pill: The feature about Beloit College professor Roc Ordmans miracle pill for weight loss was the story most often printed out by online users. If youre making the typical new years resolution to lose weight, might I suggest an archive search for this article? Which brings us to the most-often-asked question. The answer is: The search bar is at the top right of the home page.
Divorces: Would you believe that of the top 10 most-accessed items online in 2008, seven of them were lists of Green County divorces? No comment.
Public Record: This section of our Web site was visited 4,260,343 times in the past year. Yes, more than 4 million times. Holy cow.
Marching Band? Heaven forbid a band hitch a ride on the back of a truck for a parade. My unscientific calculation that is, my memory indicates that the most drawn-out and perhaps ridiculous brouhaha dealt with an initial round of barbs for the Monroe band that played from the back of a truck during the Cheese Days parade in September. A lot of people didnt like that the band wasnt marching ... even though Monroe High School doesnt technically have a marching band. A lot of other people told those who didnt like it that, well, that they were stupid. This debate even included one of the previously mentioned celebrities, who was driving the truck. I couldnt make this up. About the only other thing Ill say about this one is that at times the kids seemed like the adults in the discussion.
It was a crazy year, indeed. If you think I missed any of the years hot topics online, let me know.
Since this is the last blog Ill write in 2008 (stop cheering), let me say ... Happy New Year!
2008 was the year of the Web site at The Monroe Times. We launched our redesigned site on Jan. 9, 2008, and its become nearly as important to our daily operations as our newspaper. Thousands of people read our paper online every day.
Mostly because of reader comments, our online product takes on a somewhat different flavor than our newspaper does. We receive anywhere from a dozen to three dozen comments a day, at all hours of the day. And that has made for some interesting, thought-provoking and, at times, aggravating discussions during the past year. Here are just a few of the stories and topics you talked about most in 2008 at themonroetimes.com:
Blossoms and Barbs: Theres no denying the impact reader comments had on the weekly Blossoms & Barbs feature this year. Online users began submitting their own blossoms and barbs online, which greatly increased the number of B&Bs printed in Saturday editions. The feature has become a Saturday institution for better and, some would say, for worse.
Booing Fans: In what might have been the first real debate between online readers, people argued about the reason an Indianapolis Colts fan booed a Punt, Pass and Kick participant wearing a New England Patriots jersey. Hey, I never said all of the discussion was high-brow. But it did include one Adam Krebs, who weighed in from out of town, months before hed become sports editor of The Monroe Times.
Road Crews: Love them or hate them, everyones got an opinion about the job done by those who work to keep our roads clear of snow and ice. After almost every large winter weather event in 2008 and we certainly had our share of them readers would check in with their critiques of how well the roads were plowed. For the record, I appreciate the job they do.
Green County Fair: For a few weeks after this years fair, there was a steady stream of criticism from disgruntled fairgoers. They were upset about everything from the price of admission, to the quality and quantity of rides for kids, to the lack of diversity of musical entertainment. One online poster called it probably the lamest fair Monroe has had in a long time. While thats not really fair, the end result has been an apparent willingness from fair organizers to solicit input and ideas for future events.
The Great Steak Out: One poster didnt think the annual Green County Beef Producers event was so great, and sent out a barb with his beef about his $13 meal. That prompted many to defend the Beef Producers and the Steak Out. We also learned that the event doesnt necessarily raise a lot of money, but is meant to promote and celebrate our countys beef producers.
The School Bus Incident: A Times news story about a Monroe resident who claimed her car was damaged by a school bus caused a firestorm of reader responses. I even got dragged into the debate, as at least one poster thought I was picking on the bus company and protecting the police department. Like they need (or want) my protection! The discussion about the school bus incident led to ...
The White Van: A reader twice barbed a lady driving a white van for parking in the crosswalk at Abe Lincoln school. The barbs drew so much attention that it drew police attention and prompted us to send a photographer and reporter over in case something newsworthy happened. A blossom a few weeks later thanked the police department for dealing with the problem.
Online Celebrity: Between his blossoms and barbs (but mostly blossoms) in the paper and his comments online, Jeff Ditzenberger has become something of a cult celebrity with Monroe Times audiences. So, too, has the mysterious Wondering. And whatever happened to G. Evans?
The Accident Photo: There was nothing funny about this story, but the posting online of a photo of a two-car accident before some family members were aware of the crash sparked a sometimes heated discussion about the Times timing and its role as a news source. The original story was the most-accessed news story online in 2008.
Obama vs. McCain: Probably no issue was more hotly debated online in 2008 than the merits of presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. There were more reader comments during the two months leading up to the general election than at any time during the year. And who could forget the alleged incident of the Marine visiting the Green County Democrats office to bully volunteers?
The Miracle Pill: The feature about Beloit College professor Roc Ordmans miracle pill for weight loss was the story most often printed out by online users. If youre making the typical new years resolution to lose weight, might I suggest an archive search for this article? Which brings us to the most-often-asked question. The answer is: The search bar is at the top right of the home page.
Divorces: Would you believe that of the top 10 most-accessed items online in 2008, seven of them were lists of Green County divorces? No comment.
Public Record: This section of our Web site was visited 4,260,343 times in the past year. Yes, more than 4 million times. Holy cow.
Marching Band? Heaven forbid a band hitch a ride on the back of a truck for a parade. My unscientific calculation that is, my memory indicates that the most drawn-out and perhaps ridiculous brouhaha dealt with an initial round of barbs for the Monroe band that played from the back of a truck during the Cheese Days parade in September. A lot of people didnt like that the band wasnt marching ... even though Monroe High School doesnt technically have a marching band. A lot of other people told those who didnt like it that, well, that they were stupid. This debate even included one of the previously mentioned celebrities, who was driving the truck. I couldnt make this up. About the only other thing Ill say about this one is that at times the kids seemed like the adults in the discussion.
It was a crazy year, indeed. If you think I missed any of the years hot topics online, let me know.
Since this is the last blog Ill write in 2008 (stop cheering), let me say ... Happy New Year!
