Volume 3, No. 4. February 28, 2003
Eric's
Turn
Feeling
50
Yesterday, out of the clear blue, came a strange phone call. It was a web hosting
company looking to entice me away from my current host, Lexiconn. However, early
in our conversation, the company rep’s expectations were dashed. He had
stumbled upon this web site, then checked out my new site, www.ericminton.com,
and determined that I must be a web site designer by profession. His company
is geared toward designers needing to host sites in bulk, and he wondered how
many other sites I herded. To his disappointment, I only have the two sites
and, furthermore, they are the only two sites I’ve ever designed (my previous
design experience is strictly in the publication sector, doing magazine pages,
brochures, guidebooks and manuals).
My ego won’t let me question whether he was being honest in praising my
design capabilities; for sure, he thought that was my chief forte, and that
alone merits the moment being listed as a milestone in THE LOOP’s two-plus-year
odyssey. When we started I didn’t even know what a web host was; now I’m
regarded by one as a bona fide site designer.
This particular issue of THE LOOP represents a more significant milestone: this
is our 50th issue. On February 9, 2001, we posted the first LOOP from Anaheim,
California, where I was covering the opening of Disney’s California Adventure.
Think about it: that park is 50 LOOPs old. How time flies, doesn’t it?
Each issue is something of a milestone, of course. In today’s amusement
industry, surviving is accomplishment. But, truly, we have much to be proud
of. That first LOOP attracted 1,161 visitors to our site. Our January 24, 2002
LOOP—the last issue we have figures for—attracted 7,410 visitors to
our site. The LOOP has generated a strong following in every sector of the industry,
and every week this year it seems we’re fielding inquiries from developers
wanting insider information pertaining to the industry.
Gazing back over our first 50-issue arc, I can’t help beaming with pride.
Yeah, the web design is good enough, the content is strong and, as a writer
who is harder on himself than anybody ever could be, I think I’ve turned
a few good phrases and written some nifty headlines. However, my greatest source
of pride is in the effort, the talent, and the dedication of the team that makes
THE LOOP happen issue after issue. I would like to express my appreciation and
kudos to:
Our newest team member, Ian Minton, who is proving to be a tremendous find for
his quick learning curve, his creativity and his professionalism;
My ally, Gary Slade, and the Amusement Today team of Sammy Piccola, Tommy
Le, Bill Rea, Scott Rutherford, Paul McDonald, Tim Baldwin, Kristina Bosquez
and Bubba Flint, for the mutual support and dedicated teamwork;
Our ad manager, Lynne Mosman, who has been on board since the beginning building
our subscription database and then taking over our marketing and advertising
program, and whose innate wisdom has proven to be one of our most valuable assets;
and,
My partner and wife, Sarah Smith, who happily takes up the task of webmistress
and has maintained an unwavering level of support and encouragement.
My thanks, too, to the readers, and the advertisers—the latter featured
on our Connections page—who
keep us going. THE LOOP launched right as the amusement industry started its
current slump. We’ve made it to number 50, folks, and that should infuse
everybody in this industry with at least a sense of hope, if not confidence,
that we all can prosper together and in time.
See you at the next milestone.
THE LOOP is written and produced by Eric Minton, Minton Enterprises, LLC. To see more examples of Eric Minton's work and Minton Enterprises services, visit www.ericminton.com.
©2003, Minton Enterprises
LLC
All rights reserved