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Thanks for a great first season of independent journalism
See you in September, with a Fall season of Straight Goods
 By: Ish Theilheimer, Publisher, Straight Goods
This marks the last week of Straight Goods' first season of publication. We launched January 24 with frozen plumbing, a webmaster recruited at the last minute to replace another who suddenly vanished - along with all plans and designs - a very small amount of money, help from many, and a lot of hopes and theories. It's been an extraordinary time for us.
In four months of publication, we've;
We've also made a lot of friends we may never meet except in the cyber world.
Straight Goods was launched out of frustration with the pre-chewed homogenized "news product" Canadians receive too often from newspapers and broadcasters. Our team wanted to build a new kind of news media that dealt with things that affect us all at a very concrete, close-to-home level as consumers, citizens, and family members. We wanted to develop an independent source of "news you can use" not controlled by huge media corporations. We intended to use the power of the Internet to people ways to shape and respond to the news.
To achieve and maintain independence, we knew we would have to experiment to find the magic combination of news content, consumer reporting, fun features, and site design. Over time, we developed a great lineup of regular columnist/reporters as well as a Canada-wide network of freelance writers. More great people join us all the time. Two weeks ago it was journalist Bruce Wark of CBC Media File fame. This week it's Sue Johanssen, who many will know from WTN's straight-goods-style Sunday Night Sex Show. We'll keep evolving and growing.
We launched with the idea the Internet would let us promote Straight Goods without spending money on advertising. Like many Internet start-ups, we expected our fame to spread quickly and result in a huge readership overnight. Guess again! Instead, we've learned how much time it takes and how much craft is involved in making people aware of a new website when thousands of new ones are launched every day, and many of them have massive financing for ads and promotion.
Our first season has been a huge education. Now we need some time to translate what we've learned into action that will sustain the business and help it grow. Check out our new corporate content program and you'll see the kind of structure our team has worked hard to prepare.
Until Labour Day, the Straight Goods team will be focusing on business development rather than content production. We launch our new season in September with more great writers, a new site design, a national promotional contest, and probably a bunch of cool stuff we haven't even thought of yet. Things happen very rapidly on the Internet.
In the meanwhile, we'll be maintaining the site and welcoming new visitors and old friends to browse, explore and visit or re-visit the wealth of material here. We'll also be sending out occasional e-mail bulletins to readers containing important news, links to Web pages of interest, and announcements of doings at Straight Goods. If you're not already receiving our e-mail bulletins, please sign up so we can keep you informed. Don't forget to tell your friends about Straight Goods, and if you've got e-mail lists you could share with us, please do so!
And please keep us informed of news people should know about. We won't be publishing news stories on the site, but we will forward information along via e-mail on a very regular basis.
Have a great summer. And if you've got 'em, send us the goods c/o feedback@straightgoods.com.
- Ish Theilheimer
- June 5, 2000
P.S. There are a great many people deserving thanks for a great first season. Our writers are the first we must acknowledge. We don't pay them enough and we all know it, but they've contributed consistently and regularly because they believe in our mission, and they, like we, can see big things ahead. Our list of contributors includes:
Charlie Angus, Janet Baine, Tim Beers, Suzanne Boles, Jean Guy Bourgeois, Lanny Boutin, David Brand, June Callwood, Bruce Campbell, K.K. Campbell, Ron Chepesiuk, Saul Chernos, Duff Conacher, L.D. Cross, Pat Daley, Pino Di Mascio, Murray Dobbin, Holly Dressel, Eugene Ellmen, Suzanne Elston, Pam FitzGerald , Colleen Fuller, Gary Gallon, Larry Haiven, Janice Hamilton-Rosenberg, Adam Harmes , Tessa Hebb, Spanky Horowitz , Sue Johanson, Arthur Joyce , Jim Kempkes, Penney Kome, Bruce Krever, Robert Labossierre, Michele Landsberg, Roy LaPorte, Stephen Leahy, Marc Lee, Kathe Lieber, Mick Lowe, David HacHaemish, Hugh Mackenzie, Sandra McKenzie, Gavin McLintock, Nikki McManus, John Miller, Linda McQuaig, Luis Milan, Penni Mitchell, Michael Moore, Barbara Novak, Lou Palu, Scott Piatkowski, Mia Rabson, Laura Ramsay, Tom Sandborn, Clyde Sanger, Marie Savage, Karen Sawatsky, Richard Shillington, Norman Solomon, Jim Stanford, Devorah Stone, Fara Tabatabai, Mary Vallis, Corey Van't Haaf, PJ Wade, Bruce Wark, Mel Watkins, Paul Weinberg, Don Wright. We're sorry for anyone we've overlooked.
Then there's our incredible staff:
Susan Sperling, Editor. She inspired me to launch the publication and has appeared to stay sane, literally, through floods, pestilence, illness (animal and human) and child care crises.
Michael Cowley-Owen, Webmaster. Michael's unflappable, no-nonsense approach in spite of chronic sleep deprivation saved our bacon on many occasions.
Robert Labossiere, Development Director. Robert never stops challenging us with his vision and practical sense.
David Kubisewsky, Marketing Director. Another Killloevian and a constant source of support.
Stephen Dale, Consulting Editor. Stephen's no longer in our daily production loop but he has always provided incredible support and wisdom
Trudy Harrington, our cyber-bookkeeper working from her farm on the other side of Killaloe.
Our fantastic interns past and present. Our current team includes:
Fara Tabatabai, Vancouver, BC
Linda Pannozzo, Hubbard's, NS
Robin Perelle, Halifax
Jeannine Klein, Saskatoon
Moira Lambertus, Oakville, Ontario
Thanks as well to service providers:
FPR Corporate Communications & Public Affairs
Iler Campbell
Shell Jacobs Lawyers
Stephen H. Saslove, C.A.
Jim Goss and Associates
Rosemary Hnatiuk
Thanks, especially, to our shareholders! (Please inquire if you'd like to be one!) Without your vision and courage, Straight Goods would never have existed.
And finally to our spouses, many of whom must surely have felt they lost us to our computers in recent months. Warm thanks to Laura, Lynne, Maryanne, Paula, Mark, and Kathy for patience and support.
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