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Nuggets From the Navigator
The One Constant…
Is change.
We had better be willing to embrace it, as it just keeps coming.
Who would have thought gas prices would soar the way they have? That a
woman could become vice president this year, or that a black man could
become president this year? That the stock market would change the world
as we know it? That our country, built on capitalism, would see the government
buy a stake in our biggest banks? A select few. The rest of us had no
clue.
Most change is out of our control. What we can control is how we react to it. We can go down kicking and screaming, or we can feint like a boxer and move out of the way. Take it all in, assimilate it in our minds and do something about what we can.
The way we get our news is changing. Technology is changing and we have to change with it. Our newspaper isn’t going anywhere. We will not only survive the change within our industry, we will profit by it, and so will you.
The major paper mills have merged, and closed plants to keep prices high, so we need to make a move too. Since I have owned Irish American News I don’t believe I have ever used plain newsprint. I have used paper which is whiter and several grades better than newsprint. But, with this issue you will notice we are using newsprint. Until the demand is higher for paper, and the mills reopen and LOWER prices again, we will run on newsprint. Not quite as pretty, but it gets the job done, and allows us to hold our prices while everything around us is going up.
We have been surcharged to death by UPS and FedEx because of soaring gas prices. They post one price, but have the right to charge us more for our mailings with surcharges, and they have been. We haven’t passed it on, and with the price of gas falling again, maybe we won’t have to!
We are embracing the internet.
Before the end of the year, we will have a beautiful new site that incorporates relevant videos that we have taken which will bring our website to life. Each video will have it’s own ad on it, very low key, and discreet. The advertisers will be Irish products and services that you are interested in. I urge you that want to advertise on the videos to call me and get the lowest prices before I know what to charge for them! You, the reader, will watch what you want for free.
Before the end of the year, you, the reader, will be able to send us your news, your calendar items, and even your videos for posting on our community friendly site.
We will also begin selling Irish books on our site at www.theirishbookclub.com. Soon, if there is an Irish book you are looking for, we will probably have it available. As the site develops, we hope to have an Irish Book Club up and running across the country that you can participate in. If you have an Irish book for sale, call me about being on our new site.
Stay tuned for more change.