The Forum has reached a level of success even its founders did not anticipate.
Let the numbers speak: In the past year alone, its second in operation, bylined contributors have nearly tripled to 211 people. The Forum now averages 37 original articles weekly. And readership has grown significantly, from 200,000 hits in May 2006 to 650,000 hits in May 2007.
The Forum has done more than just create a buzz. Citizens in the four New Hampshire communities it covers are highly engaged, submitting photos and articles, opinions, comments and events listings — and news tips. Local government agencies are asking The Forum to post information and submitting agendas and minutes of meetings for publication.
When a local town administrator was terminated, “We were able to break the story … prior to the dailies,” said Managing Editor Maureen Mann.
In the spring of 2007, the Board of Selectmen from the Town of Deerfield officially thanked The Forum for being a critical link for residents during a storm in April, when the town’s official website was down.
Contributor Karen Davidson has covered Nottingham for the past year. “When I meet people and tell them I am a volunteer for The Forum, I get very positive feedback. ‘Great paper, we really need The Forum in Nottingham’ are just some of the comments I hear over and over again.” Karen says being a citizen reporter has been good for her, too. “I probably would not have done this myself if I hadn’t become disabled and lost my job. Writing, communicating with others, has kept my work skills up to par, but it has also given me a way to be social without going to work. [It] gives me a feeling of purpose.”
In the past year, The Forum has made strides toward professionalism. They’ve begun to recruit new members to its Board of Directors, to raise credibility in the community and allow the Board to focus on long-range planning instead of the everyday running of the paper. The Forum has acquired errors and omissions and directors liability insurance. While two part-time editors are paid modest monthly stipends, if grant funding comes through, they hope to create two paid positions: a manager and office support person. Mann says proudly, “We’re at the point that The Forum is sustainable even if the founding group were to take a less active role.”
Mann says that perhaps the best evidence of The Forum’s acceptance as the news source for its community is the arrival of competition. “Two years ago there was no regular coverage of our readership area; we … sought to provide it ourselves. Today, the Union Leader publishes ‘Route 101 East’ covering Candia and Deerfield twice per week … and The Concord Monitor and Foster’s (the sea coast newspaper) have both increased their coverage of the area.”
“We are flattered by the fact that many of their ‘features’ are enhanced items previously published in The Forum,” she said.
The Forum didn’t seek ad revenue until early 2006. By early 2007, the sales manager continued to generate ad revenue for the online edition while attracting enough advertising to cover two-thirds of the $2,000 cost of each print edition. The print edition is mailed to 7,300 homes and businesses in the four-town area about three to four times a year. It’s expensive, says Mann, but “in our minds, it is our obligation to those residents who do not have ready access to the online edition – no matter how many times we remind them to visit their public library.”
Other changes on the horizon:
- The Forum will soon allow residents to post events and classified ads independently.
- They plan to give citizen comments higher visibility.
- The site has been experimenting with slide shows and short videos and plans to offer training to citizens to use these technologies.
- They are planning for two paid positions: a manager and an office support person, depending on grant funding.
Says Mann, “When doing this every day, it is easy to forget everything but the routine. When we do take the time to assess what we have accomplished, we are amazed. It takes time and effort, and can be very stressful, but it is now a functioning volunteer organization.” And one that provides a model for communities around the country. The Forum has mentored many other start-ups. Mann says she gets at least one call a month from someone hoping to launch a similar citizen media venture, asking for guidance.
