blog overview
Climate patterns indicate the earth will not be able to meet current energy demands forever. In fact, most of the world’s known oil reserves will be gone before we die, and C02 emissions have already tipped the ecological balance. This site not only explores how each presidential candidate plans to stem greenhouse gas emissions, find sustainable energy alternatives and lessen our dependence on foreign oil, but also compares these plans with candidates’ respective records in office.
community snapshot:
Current data from Google Analytics indicate my audience is mostly local, highly familiar and small. Of the 88 unique visitors I’ve received, it’s likely half of them were classmates, friends and family members. My mom is the site’s most loyal visitor. This could be because I don’t have very many Facebook friends, or that I don’t even own a Myspace page, but more likely it’s because I haven’t established enough valuable connections with like-minded individuals in online environmental communities.
I also partly blame it on the recent preponderance of environmental news reporting and blogging. Award-winning documentaries like An Inconvenient Truth, combined with a post-Bush political climate, have given environmentalists a renewed sense of optimism, something to talk about. Quite simply, there are a lot of environmental blogs out there, which is all the more incentive to keep mine narrowly catered to a particular audience.
My blog topics are national in scope, so there’s no reason my audience-base shouldn’t expand beyond the reaches of the Midwest. The most effective way of doing this would be to (1) update my blog entries more regularly, and (2) gain wider exposure through links on other environmental news sites. My current blogroll is long and impressive. Each of the blogs is bigger, better and more popular than mine however, meaning I’m probably still too small to be mentioned. I’m confident implementation of some of the changes listed below will lead to a steady rise in visitor traffic.
Click here for a detailed look at environmental readership.
plan highlights:
“Cut to the Chase” – One section of the site will keep tabs on each of the various environmental bills on the docket in Washington. The “Cut to the Chase” section of the site will attempt to flesh out each bill’s provisions, note its co-sponsors, its stage in the legislative process, as well as include links to any notable commentary it has received.
“You ask the Candidates” – Ambitious? Maybe, but wouldn’t it be a great way to engage the community? If Gristmill can do it, I, at least in theory, can too. In the months leading up to the Democratic and Republican conventions this summer, I will invite readers to submit their most nagging questions on environmental policy to the presidential candidates. In one-on-one interviews with candidates, including third party nominees, I will communicate readers’ concerns.
“Energy: Whence it Came, Where it Went” – Legislative proposals for renewable energy mean nothing if readers don’t understand the basic components of things like photovoltaic technology or combined heat power generators. Sure, nuclear power reactors emit virtually no greenhouse gasses, but how did we get a hold of that enriched uranium fuel in the first place? This section of the website would hold readers’ hands along each step in the process of harnessing energy, from the coal mines to your computer processor.
“Original Photos and Artwork” - Author-shot photos lend credibility to any piece of writing, or at least I like to think this is true. So far I’ve been able to draw from an eclectic collection of random photos I’ve taken on escapades through abandoned Kentucky coal mines and desolate Indiana corn fields. I intend to budget for travel expenses needed to continue capturing fresh, imaginative photos to complement blog posts.
