Well, TFN has reached its first half year, and I thought I'd take a moment to let you know how we've done against what we expected, and what's in the cards for the future.
Last October, when the first issue was released, we had about 900 people come and take a look. Since we only thought about 500 would be the limit, we were quite surprised. Last Month (February '96), we thought we'd be up to about 4,500. I'm pleased to report that we had over 6,000 individual people come through! So you were obviously looking for the type of information we provide.
And speaking of the information, our first issue had a total of 5 information articles. This month, by the time we finish uploading in a week or so (not that it takes that long, but some of our writers have been really busy), we expect to be up to 15 - that's 3 times the information for the same low price! -- FREE.
Unlike some other large sites on the Net that offer a smidgen for free and then charge you for the balance, TFN - THE FISHING NETWORK is now, and all information will remain completely free to you, the angling enthusiast. Of course it means that we have to advertise, but I'm sure you'll support those companies who make sure that you continue to receive this service without cost -- won't you. :-)
As we, the staff of TFN and our correspondents collectively have become more comfortable with production schedules and so forth, we have also been able to slowly but surely add some of the areas in the original plan, such as the Clubs and Organizations, and more recently, the Tournaments and Derbies pages. Keep looking for surprises from these two sections.
On the not so positive side, we've had a heck of a time with the Custom Forums, as I'm sure anyone who has used them has found out. It seems that the version of Unix on the server, combined with the way the CGI directories are set up ... Forget it. Let's just say that I'll be catfish bait before I give up on the idea, and we'll be testing a new upgrade to the software , including some of our own customization in the next 2 weeks. If the forums still won't work properly, we're going to throw the software out all together and replace it with something else that WILL do the job. As I stated in an earlier editorial, we feel that the interactivity among you, the visitors to TFN will be a major part of the site's success.
I'm also well aware that we have not thoroughly followed through with our plans for the Sportsman's Show. But to be honest, we're in the promotion and publishing business first, not the retail or mail-order business. So we'll be re-evaluating the Bait 'n Tackle Shop to see whether or not we should keep it going, or off-load it to the existing pros in the business who obviously have a superior buying power to ours.
In the immediate future, we're now in the process of trying to sign-up as many fly-ins, charter captains and fishing guides as we can for the Travel Booth in the Sportsman's Show, and once we're comfortable with that, we'll switch our attention to the Recreational Real Estate Booth. We've got another 10 or so booths yet to be opened, so that should keep our sales people busy for a while.
Next month, we'll be starting a new column in the magazine, "Reader-Speak". This column will be made up of selected email "Letters to the Editor". No, we will not only select mail that makes us look good. So if you have any comments about the articles, the magazine itself, any ideas on what else you would like to see, or complaints, email me. Even if your question or comment doesn't make it to Reader-Speak, all mail does eventually get answered, normally within a couple of days.
We also have a BIG surprise coming in the next month, but I'll email you about it then.
As a final note, I'd like to thank all those who have shown confidence and excitement about what TFN is and where it's going, as well as all those who have helped out -- too many to mention here. Now if only we could get all those advertisers to...
Well, anyway, thanks for your support for the first 6 months. I hope you'll come back often to see what's up, and, of course, make sure you tell your friends (I know, a flagrant plug)!
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