Funds awarded for Hillsdale web sites

Two city-funded grants announced last week will allow me to move ahead with web sites for the Hillsdale Alliance and the Hillsdale Business and Professional association (HBPA).

The grants, awarded through Southwest Neighborhoods Inc (SWNI) and the Alliance of Portland Neighborhood Business Associations (APNBA), total $2500.

Based on my experience of less than three months with The Red Electric, building readership is key. The Red Electric is averaging 11 visitors a day, not bad for a start-up, but nothing like what I'm used to.

Last week my colleagues at the Hillsdale Book Club helped me find what I hope will be a solution. It is related to the way I distributed The Hillsdale Connection. After a couple of false starts, I put the monthly out on stands where people could see it and let them decide whether to pick it up. Now many get The Connection in the mail as well and have the choice of reading it. I suspect most do.

So the new web sites will be actively promoted, and readers will have the choice of getting a weekly digest and summary newsletter in their e-mail in-boxes. A click on items listed in the newsletter will take them directly to the web sites.

Of course the content for the new sites will not range as widely as The Red Electric's.

I hope to continue this site as a personal commentary page.

I plan to have both new sites and the weekly electronic newsletter up and running no later than June.

I'll keep you informed on my adventures on the learning curve.

As always, I welcome suggestions.

Rick