It's almost hard to believe that it has been a year since we first published Upper Peninsula Second Wave.
The best part about it is that it feels like we're just starting to get warmed up.
As with any new publication, we had to take some baby steps to figure out what direction we were heading. May of 2010 found us trying to find our own identity in the Upper Peninsula--we weren't a newspaper and we weren't quite an e-zine. While we're still floating somewhere in between those terms (a newszine, perhaps?) we are definitely feeling confident that we're headed in the right direction.
You, our readers, are solidifying that by bumping our numbers up each and every month. From our Facebook page to our Twitter account, we're seeing growth each and every week. Our subscribers keep growing and our site visitor counter keeps climbing and climbing.
We're proud to be a part of the Upper Peninsula publishing world. While the old guardians like WLUC-TV6, the Escanaba Daily Press and the Marquette Mining Journal are no doubt here to stay, we like to think that U.P. Second Wave is part of the future of media, both locally and internationally. Already, publishing companies have turned their attention to the iPad and other up-and-coming tablets, creating technology-specific publications that will never see a printing press. We, along with the other online publications throughout the Upper Peninsula, are with them on the forefront of this new and exciting media adventure. We are standing where the pioneers of our industry stood long ago, finding new ways to bring our product to the masses in a way that is relevant to today's market while still upholding our mission and the values that make journalism one of the great industries in the world today.
It's only been a year since we first launched, but in that year we have begun to secure our place as a valued piece of the new media puzzle. Along the way, we've seen glimpses of the future and what this kind of publication is capable of and that excites us, knowing that we'll be a part of it all.
So here, on the cusp of our May 5 birthday, we here at Upper Peninsula Second Wave would like to thank you, our readers, for being a part of our infancy. We hope that you're here when we're finally old enough to drive.
And, in addition, we'd like to thank our contributors over this past year: Kim Hoyum, Victoria Peters, Becky Korpi, Neil Moran, Valerie West, Claire Abent, Azrael Morherudaen, Lucy Hough, Jeff Barr, Deb Pascoe and Kim North Shine--frankly, we couldn't do it without you. And, of course, we have to thank our amazing photographer, Shawn Malone, who has consistently dazzled with the art she provides us.
As always, we want to know what you think and you can reach us via email. Story ideas? Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Critique? We're open to all of it.
Drop us a line, or simply keep reading. Either way, we look forward to being in your inbox for another year.
Sam Eggleston is the managing editor of the U.P. Second Wave and a full-time freelance writer. He was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula. He likes birthdays. Especially those that come with cake. Eggleston can be reached via email.
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