I thought I’d like to write a weekly travel column, and I was right. I did like it. Writing this column for mountolivetribune.com has been equal parts challenging and rewarding.
One of the interesting things about undertaking an endeavor like this is that you never know how how long it’ll last. It’s only when it’s over and you’re looking back that you can answer that question. And, in this case, as “When the Kat’s away…” comes to an end, I can now say it lasted seven-and-a-half months. This is my 33rd and final column.
All my previous writing experience was with print media, and, as anyone reading this knows, the Mount Olive Tribune no longer exists in print. The “paper” now exists only online. An online newspaper is very different from a printed paper. When reading a printed paper, you turn each page, thereby glancing at almost everything — some stories will catch your eye and you’ll stop to read them; others, you’ll pass by. Either way, you’ll quickly get an idea of everything offered. With an online paper, you’ll see what’s on the homepage on any given day, but because new stories are added throughout the week (sometimes daily), each story (necessarily) becomes less prominent with time. If you just glance at the homepage once a week, and you don’t take time to “poke around” a little on the site, you’ll end up missing a lot.
I say all of this for two reasons, the first — and least important — of which is that I’ve realized the “hit and miss” aspect of an online paper makes it harder, I believe, to establish a following for a weekly column.
The second — and far more important — reason for my expounding on this topic is that I want to let you know that you’re missing a lot on the Tribune site if you just pop in and out. Under the leadership of our general manager, Sherry Matthews, we’ve laid the foundation for a really nice small-town paper. The smartest thing Sherry did, in my opinion, when she launched the new, online version of the Tribune (now under the ownership of Champion Media) was to recruit two very talented, local, experienced reporters to be part of the team: Steve Herring and Rudy Coggins.
Among other things, Steve reports on local government and top issues affecting the citizens in and around Mount Olive. When it comes to local sports — if you have a kid or grandkid playing locally, or there are kids in your church or neighborhood you support — Rudy’s coverage is first class. There are also other columns well-worth the read: For example, gardeners and plant lovers would appreciate the monthly column by horticulture agent Jessica Strickland, with Wayne County Cooperative Extension. Oh, and there are features by yours truly; even though I’m saying good-bye to the column, I’ll continue to write features that, I hope, bring an added dimension to the Tribune’s coverage.
So, as I close out this column, I have a simple ask: When you visit mounolivetribune.com, explore. Take time to go to the various sections; if you let more than a day or two go by between visits, chances are that a story you might have found interesting has slipped out of view to make room for something else.
And, lastly, this: Thanks so much to all who took time to read this column, be it sporadically or regularly. Thanks for your support and encouragement. Thanks for joining me on my travels. See you in the “features” section.
