NICEVILLE, Fla. — In this week’s It’s Geek to Me, Jeff Werner shares a personal message with readers as the long-running technology column approaches a major milestone.
Niceville.com Community Partner
Dear Readers:
There have been a lot of changes to It’s Geek To Me since Issue #1 premiered way back on July 26, 2007.
The weekday the column publishes in the local newspaper changed multiple times, the location within the paper changed from it being in the “Next” magazine insert to the business section, to, of all places, the opinion page.
I’m only speaking of papers local to the Florida Panhandle – I don’t really know how it’s represented in other markets.
Back in those days, the column was published in various places almost coast-to-coast, largely because it enjoyed the privilege of being put out on the internal news wire of the paper’s publisher, where it could be found and picked up by other papers.
Niceville.com Community Partner
That all changed when the person responsible for choosing content for our newspapers (who, by the way, does not live or work in the Florida panhandle market) chose to do away with all local authors – regardless of their popularity – in favor of taking the paper “in a new direction”.
When that happened, incoming reader submissions – the very lifeblood of a Q&A column such as this – dried up virtually overnight.
I’ve gone from having to pick from among the multiple questions I would receive in any given week to repeatedly begging my readership to submit questions, which now arrive one every 3 or 4 weeks at best.
I’ve run into a few people who recognize me from public appearances or from the picture that used to be published with the column, who were actually surprised to hear I am still putting out weekly issues.
Niceville.com Community Partner
It’s Geek To Me still publishes in a few physical newspapers, and remains available online on multiple sites, and I’m very grateful for the exposure that these venues provide.
But I’m about worn out here.
If you, the readers, don’t have any questions, then I have to ask myself whether I should even continue spending the time and expense it takes to run this little endeavor.
Way back when, after the column first got popular, I hoped to see the column reach 1000 issues.
That’s a nice round number, right?
Also, a worthy goal for something one has put so much effort into.
Well, the issue you’re reading is #973.
Niceville.com Community Partner
At a rate of one issue per week, #1000 won’t happen until Sept 20th of this year.
I might make it – might not.
What I can tell you is that the longer my question queue remains empty, the more I tend to lean toward “might not.”
Sorry to be such a downer, and sorry for the lack of tech content in this issue.
But I know there is still a group of avid readers of the column out there, and I thought you had the right to know where things stand, and where they are probably headed.
Thanks to those of you who have taken the time to write in, and I sincerely hope that my answers have been of some use to you.
For now, I’ll keep on keeping on.
That’s my part.
Now, please visit my website and do yours, and shoot me a question or a topic.
To view additional content, comment on articles, or submit a question, visit my website at ItsGeekToMe.co (not .com!)
Jeff Werner, a software engineer based in Niceville, Florida, has been writing his popular “It’s Geek to Me” tech column since 2007. He shares his expertise to help readers solve everyday tech challenges.
