By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
APRIL 14, 2023 | Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I can’t say “Thank you” enough for the multitude of Gwinnettians who have made this GwinnettForum possible. As of April 1, we began our 23rd year of publishing this online, independent moderated forum twice a week. We’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
When starting back in 2001, we had no idea how we would generate enough content for the publication. But early on, public officials and people in the community began by helping write items for the Forum.
Ellen Gerstein with the Health and Human Services Coalition was the first person to pen an article for publication. Many others early on came through with ideas and articles, including Connie Wiggins, Bill Baughman, Philip Reed, Carole Boyce, J.D. Caswell, Beauty Baldwin, W.C. Corley, J.C. Henry, and J.W. Benefield. Others followed with articles and help: Bill Sheals, Otis Jones, Randy Brown, Jim Cowart, Jim Steele, Dorsey Guthrie, Betty Mauldin, Gus Hamrick, Wally Odum, Victoria Sweeney, Grace Harris, Howard Hoffman, Gene Ussery, Dr. James Muyskens, Scott Hudgens, Leo Rainey, John Hutchins, Robbie Stedeford…and no doubt many others we’re overlooking. We thank you all.
When we first started, we had no idea if a community forum like this would even work. Online publishing was something new to us—and to much of the world. There were no other models to emulate. We were stabbing in the dark. And we were using relatively new tools on the Internet, which are not as polished and simple as they are today, for putting out online products.
Early on we recognized that there would be some cost to produce this twice-weekly product, though we would not have the higher cost of a product printed and delivered by person.
By then, after having spent 27 years in Gwinnett, we thought we had earned some credibility with the people of Gwinnett County, especially with the key business leaders. So we went to the business community and asked those we had previous experience with if they would be a contributing underwriter to help pay the expenses of publishing. Enough responded that we were able to see that we could pay our bills and publish.
Understand: I do this not to benefit myself financially. To this date, I have not paid myself any monies out of GwinnettForum. The Forum pays its expenses, but no salary to me, since I have a decent retirement.
Do you know the one reason I started GwinnettForum after retiring from newspapering? It was simple: to keep on living. I had seen too many people retire from their profession….do little in retirement…and soon drop dead. So yes, thank you readers, for keeping me alive these 22 years after retirement.
The first issues were much more simple in content than today. We’ve always been pleased with the many letters to the editor. Over the years we continued to add such features as photos (What? Yes, we found the Internet easily highlights photos, which makes a big difference). Other additions include focusing on underwriters in the Spotlight; a calendar; book, film, and restaurant recommendations; obituaries; and of course, one of our most popular features, the mystery photo. Our readers are cosmopolitan and have traveled extensively. It’s hard to publish a mystery photo that someone won’t quickly identify.
That’s how it has been for these 22 years. Thank you again, readers and supporters, for allowing us to continue publishing GwinnettForum.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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