Publisher’s message: something to think about

This week, The Bridge Magazine did a wonderful story about my friend, Tran Longmoore, and his terrific online publication The Saline Post, which just a few months ago was poised to stop publishing. Why? Because despite all the hours he worked seven days a week to publish it, he wasn’t making enough money to pay his bills.

However, this story does have a happy ending. The Saline community stepped up and kept him going, so now he’s cash-infused and after a half-day off, Tran hasn’t skipped a beat covering every aspect of the Saline community.

The story talks about him being the only one at some meetings. I’ve been there myself covering Chelsea. We’re there so you don’t have to be.

That’s one of the aspects of community journalism that readers sometimes forget. You’re home relaxing after a hard day’s work with your family and we’re out covering meetings at night after working all day. This holds true on weekends and on holidays. But please don’t take this as a complaint. We knew what we were getting into when we chose to become journalists. But to launch a one-person online news source — this takes it to a new level. Early mornings after late nights. All night election coverage. Attending events that everyone else is enjoying while we’re there working. It’s a great life if you love what you do, but it’s not for everyone.

So please take a moment to read this story and then ask yourselves what would Chelsea be like without Chelsea Update? Fortunately, I figured out early on (as one of the reader’s of this story commented), not to be bashful about asking for donations for my efforts. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to do. I work so hard for this community, yet asking for donations makes me feel like I’m begging for handouts.

I guess this is as good a point as any to remind readers that your donations of any amount are part of what keeps Chelsea Update going. Please consider sending a donation of any amount made out to Chelsea Update and send it to Lisa Allmendinger, 18829 Bush Road, Chelsea, MI 48118. Or you can donate via the Pay Pal button on the site. This support is not tax deductible.

For journalists, it’s easy to have a passion for covering the news. It’s in our blood. It’s what we live for. But what isn’t easy is balancing the books and carving out the time for not only the business side of the equation, but also for enjoying our own lives.

After five years of giving every possible moment to this community, I’ve decided to take a few weeks in November to do something for me. I haven’t really taken much time off since I started Chelsea Update, so I figure I’ve banked some days off. Maybe for good reporting?

During the first three weeks in November, Buzz and I will be competing in 11 dog shows and driving about 1,000 miles together vying to be one of the first dog and handler teams in the country to qualify 10 times to attain a new American Kennel Club Rally Obedience Title. It’s called a Master Title and as of Nov. 1, everyone in the country is on the same footing. So, it will just be a matter of who gets those 10 qualifying scores first. And we’ll be in the hunt, so please wish us luck.

This doesn’t mean that Chelsea Update will go dark while we’re showing, but readers won’t see the number of stories each day that they have grown accustomed to reading. And, people who try to contact me won’t get the usual quick response.

So, if you have information that you want to see published in the first three weeks of November, please get it to me as soon as possible. I’ll be in the office off and on to play catch-up. And of course, I will keep you posted on our progress.

All that said, I’d like to thank the following people for generously supporting Chelsea Update recently.

• Jenn Ridley
• Phil Zubik
• Gretchen Zale
• Sheryl Ulin and Lynn Schachinger
• Martin and Janette Tobin
• Vince and Shirley Burg
• Kay Heller
• Daphne Hodder
• Joan and Edward Driscoll
• Sharewords
• Tom Higgins
• Gail Looney
• Jeffrey Frank