URL and name of site -- http://www.access.digex.net/~web Net Op-Ed
name of company/organization -- WebRunner Inc.
physical location of site -- Herndon, Virginia
date site first went public -- The corporation went on the Net in August 1994; the present publishing project began in March 1995.
name and email address of Webmaster -- Tim Dunbar, web@access.digex.net
main business goal of Web site -- To become a commercially successful publisher of content on the Internet without a base in traditional media. We started this enterprise because we became frustrated chasing our own tail on the Wide World Web. In those earlier, content-poor days, all too often taking a link brought you to a menu with a choice leading back to your point of origin. We also thought the Web was revolutionary because it allowed mass publication with very little start-up capital. No longer would media be the cash cow of publishers and TV station owners with deep pockets. On the Web, anyone can become major media for about $25 a month. We hit on the short essay as the literary focus of our efforts because it's brief enough for on-screen reading.
peripheral benefits -- We've learned there are a lot of very good writers out there who lacked a reasonable outlet for their work. Net Op-Ed (originally called WebRunner Essays & Opinion) actively solicits essays. Writers who contribute to our publication like having an outlet that can highlight their work in a way impossible in the anarchistic free-for-all of Usenet.
in what sense is this site a success? -- We're a success because we've attracted readers (about 4,000--the circulation of a small-town newspaper) and writers. So far we've published more than 50 essays under nearly 40 bylines.
to what do you attribute your success? -- We've focused on the reader and the writer, not on the money.
nature of content -- Short essays on politics, society and culture. We update the content weekly. There's no partisan slant. We aim for a diversity of opinion. All of our past essays can be read and browsed. We run about three essays a week now, so it's a growing resource.
target audience -- People who read the op-ed pages of the newspapers, who care about public affairs in ways that go beyond the usual "who's up who's down" coverage of the mainstream.
size of current audience in terms of visitors (not hits) per month -- About 4,000.
do you own your own Web server? -- no
if no, name and URL of host company -- Digital Express, http://www.access.digex.net
authoring tools used -- Text editor.
site statistical package used -- Not sure. The host company provides a weekly report
are stats publicly viewable? yes, http://www.access.digex.net/~web/stats/stats.html
other special software used -- None
special features of the site intended to attract and hold audience -- We're trying to do it with quality, edited content.
do you use outside design services? -- No.
do you use other outside services? No
size of internal staff devoted to your Web site -- Three
approximate quantity of browsable content --
do you provide Web-based access to databases? -- No
do you allow interaction among users and with users? -- No
biggest headache faced -- Nothing major-- typos, buggy Web pages, broken links, the occasional unexpected disconnect of our dial-up connection to the Net, and the challenge of providing a quality product under a strict deadline (all of us have other jobs that pay the rent). The best thing about this project is that we're having fun, and getting to deal with some very nice people.
most gratifying moment -- Our first hits report. Unlike Usenet, the Web doesn't give instant feedback. We had been working in isolation, and suddenly we found we had an audience of thousands.
second most gratifying moment -- The first time we gave an essay a real tough edit, and the writer shot back with an email saying, "You really made it better."
wish list (what you want to do to make your site even more successful, and what you need for that) -- Readers, writers, income. Readers we can get as we continue to promote the site. Writers are coming with our growing reputation as a good place for writers; it would help if we had the wherewithal to pay. That leads to income--We firmly believe that Net publishing needs to be placed on a self-sustaining basis if this medium is going to be something more than the "CB radio of the '90s". We've tried several business models, none of which has worked to any great degree. With advertising now coming on to the Net, we're hopeful that will provide a way.
From: WebRunner <web@access.digex.net>
Date: Sun, 5 Nov 1995 18:07:57 -0500
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