The calendar says it is time to say goodbye to 2013 and welcome in 2014. We didn’t know how 2013 would turn out when we were counting down last New Year’s Eve. We were leaping into unknown waters and having faith that the water was deep enough, there were no hidden rocks, and the fish wouldn’t bite.
We were starting a new business, something we had never attempted before. There were many factors that happened to put us at this pool of water, but most significant was that we like where we live. We didn’t grow up in Osage County, but this quiet, rural community has become our home.
So we worked on a plan to create our dream. A dream that required us to keep the values and ethics our profession had engrained upon us, but would help us deliver a product in a new 21st century package. Our dream was to report local news in a format available 24 hours a day seven days a week to any reader. We researched online news sites and took what we liked, reworked what we didn’t, and like a puzzle, tried each piece until it fit together. Then in late winter we launched our first edition of Osage County News on www.osagecountyonline.com.
It began like a snowball, remember the snow last winter? Starting out small but growing over the months as it accumulated article after article, column after column. And now it has melted into a history of Osage County in 2013.
As we’ve gained support from sponsors, we’ve been able to continually deliver their message to interested viewers whenever they’re online – day or night.
Another essential part of our plan was to attract local participation. We asked for reader input and news tips. We’ve found willing local writers ready to share their expertise with the community in the form of regular columns. We’ve also had numerous news tips, along with comments through the site’s reader comment system. All of this support and participation brings Osage County flavor to the website, making it unique and representing the place we live.
New Year’s Eve is here. As we look ahead at 2014 we still have our heads above water, having faith in ourselves and our ability to swim. The pool of unknown waters has become clearer, showing us some of the underwater hazards and the upcoming rapids that we will have to negotiate.
We want to say thank you to our readers, sponsors, columnists and community reporters for a wonderful 2013. It has been exciting and quite an adventure. Thank you for taking the plunge with us.
Happy New Year from all of us at Osage County News!
Jan Williams and Wayne White
