Through its first nine months, The Forum in Deerfield, N.H., has grown to 72 bylined contributors from 10, raised $10,900 in advertising and other support, published two print editions, and snared about 3,500 unique visitors per month from a population of only 16,000 – and only half of those have Internet access.
“We are serving an unserved need,” said editor Maureen Mann. “Every day one of us is told how important The Forum has become to the community.”
When it launched on Aug. 19, 2005, The Forum only had 10 writers from its initial – and unwavering – corps of 15 volunteers. Now, of its 72 writers, 27 have contributed at least three articles, which helps to provide a dependable base of regular contributors, Mann said.
To attract more contributors, Arts Editor Mel Graykin has been holding bi-weekly creative writing classes at the Deerfield Public Library, which have prompted several literary contributions to the site.
“We have become a venue for local artists and writers of all ages and the Arts section has a strong following,” Mann said. More training programs for potential reporters are in the works and The Forum hopes to attract university interns this fall.
Eventually, The Forum hopes to recruit some paid employees, particularly a regular sports and outdoors reporter, and pay a stipend to volunteers who are working more than 100 hours a year. Mann said that would give The Forum more power to assign coverage and set requirements.
First, though, the project wants to secure errors and omissions insurance and some liability coverage.
The Forum’s part-time advertising sale person, who works solely on commission, has sold $7,791 in ads. The town’s widely known Deerfield Fair has ponied up a $2,500 grant. Other funds have come from member dues ($25 per year) and other donations. And the project is planning to pursue further grant funding.
By mid-May, The Forum will use Pay-Pal to accept donations, as well as advertising and classified payments.
The Forum held its first Open House on May 16, inviting advertisers, readers and residents for an inside look at the publication.
The Forum’s website has consistently attracted more than 20,000 total hits a month with an average of 3,485 unique visitors. Most popular are the home page, local town news and letters and opinions.
“Readers regularly turn to us for reports of meetings and opinions on local issues’” Mann said. “We are the only source of information on the most controversial local issues: growth, land conservation, and maintaining ‘rural character.’”
To drive traffic, the site recently added an RSS feed of the front page so readers can be automatically updated as new stories are posted.
The Forum has also attracted community attention through its participation with the Candia Boy Scouts, the Deerfield school fundraiser and the police department “barn raising.”
Also, The Forum has secured a non-profit bulk mail permit that will reduce mailing costs and help its print edition to reach “every home in our four-town area.” The third print edition is due out in June.
