by Steve Dunford
One of the best ways that I can find out what is happening in the world and getting links to potential stories is to troll social media. I only do Facebook and Twitter. I am on Instagram, and still don’t know how. I don’t plan on getting a snap chat account. I want to make inroads with people, and not scare them away with my selfies.
I always go through the memories part. I came across this post about an hour ago. It was when Jim Muir launched this website. Here is a link to the initial story that was ran on this webpage. Click on the link below to read this.
I can tell you exactly where I was when I read this post. I was sitting in what was an office/den that I had. I was watching Cardinal Baseball on a portable TV and was scrolling trough Facebook.
Five years later, I had no idea that I would be working on this website, let alone a member of the media.
My life has changed drastically since that time. I lost my drivers license because of health issues. I live alone. I live in West Frankfort now.
I know I butcher the English language bad at times, but when I look back at things that I have written from the day I started until now, I have came a long way.
I was a C English student in College. I had to take the ACT four times in High School for two reasons. First I was trying to get a 25 to become an Illinois State Scholar. Second to get my English score high enough to avoid taking remedial English at Rend Lake College.
I never had one journalism class in my life, but I hope that over the nine months that I have worked on the site, is to give you the news and information that you the people of Franklin County need to know in your everyday lives.
I know the owner-publisher Jim Muir went into this field at mid life as well. He did what most people did in Franklin County at the time after high school, or shortly after, went to work in the coal mines.
When Old Ben 21 shut down, Jim reinvented himself, and through taking some courses at Rend Lake College became a long time award winning member in print and broadcast media.
There are days that I wonder how I am going to keep the website full, and there are days that I am like where do I begin. Today, is one of those where do I begin days, and I love every minute of it.
I might not drive, but at one stage or another, I have had ties with nearly every community in this county. There is not a back road in the county that I have not traveled.
I want to give recognition to who recognition is due, and want to know what is going on in each of your communities. You can contact me by sending me a message on Facebook. e-mail me at sdunford1970@hotmail.com, call me at 937-0253, or send me a text at 513-1274.
To continue and improve, we will need some more sponsors of this site. An aggressive advertising campaign will be launched soon, with possibly an account executive that will be added. The website has over 5,000 followers on its Facebook page, and an average of 25,000 households, on any given week, will be reached in Franklin and the surrounding counties.
At this time, this website is the only daily publication in Franklin County.
The sky is the limit for potential growth. I want to thank all of you whether reader or advertiser, for the past, current, and future success of this website.
I also want to thank you all for over the last nine months in the confidence you have placed in me for giving you accurate news to the best of my ability, especially in the crisis and emergency situations that we as the people of Franklin County have faced over the last nine months.
As a reader, and over the last few months as a news/sports reporter it has been an excellent five years, again thank you.
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