Chadds Ford Live to go subscription only in August

Posted by Emily Myers on July 16, 2009

Chadds Ford Live is entering its fourth month of publication. The response from the community inspires us daily to write the good story and develop the new services in response to our readers. We’re getting more than 10,000 visits per month. Chadds Ford is an awesome community.

The opportunity to build an information fountain for our community expands with each news update and with each reader response. We are not constrained by a print parent company dictating to our form and content. Chadds Ford Live stands alone and offers many advantages over legacy print media. Breaking news can be published as soon as it happens. Reader interaction with the stories makes content vibrant and informative.

Decision Design Research, Inc., a 25-year-old Chadds Ford technology company, has taken the challenge of keeping our local reporting presence alive since the demise of the Chadds Ford Post in January. Web design is not new to DDR Inc., but prior work had been to deliver client’s content. This project is the content and delivery. We are excited by the opportunity and are putting all of our energy to making Chadds Ford Live a vital connection within our community. We hope you’ll feel as comfortable logging on to our home page as you do stopping by Hank’s for a cup of coffee and catching up with friends and neighbors.

We vision the Chadds Ford Live forum so much of a community builder that we considered getting the .org designation and being not-for-profit. During our early discussions, Richard and I realized we wanted CFL to survive us. Ongoing survival means structuring and executing a solid business plan. We do, in fact, own both the chaddsfordlive.org and .com domain names for future development.

Our financial viability depends on you. We need paid subscribers and advertisers. Parts of the site will be reserved exclusively for paid subscribers in August. Headlines will remain free for all readers.

We particularly appreciate our early advertisers who jumped right on board our fledgling enterprise. Please support our advertisers: Ascend Capital Management, Brandywine Radio, Brandywine River Museum, Eckert Agency, Chadds Ford Business Association, Chaddsford Winery, Kennett Symphony, Prudential Fox Roach - Jim DeFrank, and Spencer Graphics.

Thanks also go to our columnists which contribute to the distinctive local flavor of our publication: Sally Jane Denk, the Brandywine Blogger; Ellen Le, Know Your Finances; Eric Miller, The Naked Winemaker; and Dr. Kayta Gajdos, Mind Matters.

We have invested in the best technology to get you what you want to know in the way most convenient to you. You can stream our headlines into your e-mail inbox with RSS feeds. You can get e-mail headline blasts. Chadds Ford Live has Google search on the top bar. We want to be your home page.

I wonder what speed internet connection you need to deliver hot coffee to the desktop! Then again, maybe some ideas are best left outside the box. Be assured, we are going keep working for you. Help us make a great community even better. We invite you to join us as a reader, subscriber, advertiser and contributor.

Emily R. Myers
Publisher
Business Manager
Chief Cook etc.
The buck stops here (we hope)

About Emily Myers

Emily Myers has lived and worked in Chadds Ford for over thirty five years. She founded the parent company of Chadds Ford Live, Decision Design Research, Inc., in 1982. ChaddsFordLive.com represents the confluence of Myers' long time, deep involvement in technology and community. Myers was a founding member of the Chadds Ford Business Association and currently serves on its board of directors. Her hobbies include bridge, golf, photography and Tai Chi. She lives with her husband, Jim Lebedda, in Chadds Ford Township.