Posted by Rich/Mohican Press on June 24, 2001 at 07:35:00:
Before I say another word, let me say that the 4 Great Mohican Gatherings have coincided with 4 of the most memorable weekends (plus) of my life. What a coincidence! They have positively impacted me, and others, and I have, as have others, put everything I've got into them each year. SO ... is it clear I am not trying to belittle the experience?
Elaine has addressed this previously, but I feel I must have my say-so, as well. The issue, raised by John, was that the web site might wane if the Great Mohican Gatherings were discontinued. He then went on to constructively suggest fixes, based on this supposition.
Well, I completely disagree, and here's why ... the web site waxed (as opposed to waned) long before there was any notion of "Gatherings." And, it continues to wax. On any given day, we can expect between one & two thousand unique visitors to the Web Site. Over the 4 year span of the Gatherings, we have lured well under 300 people, total, to a Gathering - and many of those are repeats! Over extended periods of time, our most visited pages deal with history and the movie. These are enduring, like the novel that indirectly inspired this site, and we would expect interest in those topics to never wane. The Web Site spawned the Board; the Board spawned the Gatherings ... not the other way around ... and this is good, EXCEPT ...
Folks sometimes confuse the Board with the Site. The Board is a PART of the Site. Banter on the Board has constantly waxed & waned, with pre/post Gathering periods most definitely causing a rise in use/posts. Though individual page accesses may vary, in the short run, the visitation charts would look very steady over the long haul ... whether it might be December or June. Overall, though the Board use might deny it, the Gatherings have very little impact on overall Site use.
And there's the rub. The Site is [mostly] serious. It takes days, or more, of research & writing for much of the stuff we put up. The Board is fun. It takes minutes to compose the average post. It may appear differently to the user, but to me ... one of the webmasters [I HATE that term!] ... the Board is just one of many aspects of the Site ... Is it disheartening when I see a post receive more accesses on a day than something we just put up that we worked long & hard on? YES! But, that's another story ... Anyway, over time, the "article" far outlives the "post."
Remember, the first function of this Site is to sell a book; it then evolved into a reference tool, of which we are very proud; it is also a marketplace; it is a promo piece for a movie and its participants. As such, it has gained respect, in many circles. Well, over a million people have passed through here. Compare that with, what, 40-50 regular users of the Board? On the other hand, those 45 are real, live people we've come to know, as opposed to the thousands who are faceless IP addresses.
So ... our site's popularity has nothing at all to do with the Great Mohican Gathering's future. That all rests on a courier to Webb ... and, whether or not it continues to be fun. The future of the Great Mohican Gatherings is not the issue, anyhow. This was simply a response to a well-intended thesis that somehow its future would impact the Web Site.
More Gathering thoughts:
Could it have been any better? I mean, what more can be done? (Ok, ok, so I do have an idea, or two, [as I'm sure a few of you do, too] one of which I discussed with a few of you at the Gathering). This was like the [almost] Perfect Gathering! Itinery went like [almost] clockwork. The weather was [almost] perfect. Wes Studi made a great guest! The music was oh so sweet! We raised nearly double the money for Ariel as we did last time ... more than that, actually, when you add in the money not yet collected. Woohoo!
Thank you, Kate, for undertaking this "little" project! Your Ariel area was beautiful & the results speak for themselves. Thank you, all of you, for your contributions, whether they were in the form of donated items or purchases!
Speaking of donations ... each year, it seems, there are a few fine folk who donate something to our raffles who are not present. They just do it to be a part ... and to help ensure our good time. Pretty neat!
Our Gathering pages now consist of my sappy recap, 2 pages of photos (one from contributions - more to be added shortly, courtesy of Clabert & Cyndie) - a Wes page, that includes a video clip - more of those to come in a few weeks time - and another "odds & ends" page. Hope you enjoy them. Hope they bring back warm memories for a long time to come.
Judging from our e-mail & the posts here on the Board, I'm far from alone in taking a very long time to return to normal after those 4 days. I go back to work tomorrow, and I feel not at all ready. Michael Baby celebrated his first birthday two days ago ... even that didn't quite snap me out of it!
All in all, it was a very fine time, among very company, amidst very beautiful scenery ... that was the result of very hard work by our cohorts in crime!
Thanks, one & all ...
PS - Don't forget to read "The Courier." It's YOUR newspaper!
One other note ... unbeknownst to us till now, our server space was increased by about 60%, which means we have LOTS more room. Yiiiiiii-hiiiiiiiii!! What to fill it with??? Ahh, choices, choices ... keep them cards & letters comin'!