Dear Talbot Spy readers,
I want to give you some important news. The Spy’s web server account manager last week shared a great but challenging message with us.
You and other readers in Talbot County have hit our site over the last three weeks as many times as you hit it over the entire previous year. It amounts to a startling four million-plus pageviews. Having never seen anything quite like this, the account manager had his tech engineers verify this wasn’t linked to any Russian bot campaign, which was not the case. These were real human beings seeking out important COVID-19 information.
You and your neighbors honor all of us at the Spy with your engagement. As great as it is to know that more and more of you are coming to the Spy more often, we’ve been handed a real challenge. Once the great news sunk in, we realized our web utilization charges would approach an additional $9,000.
It was a bitter-sweet moment at the Spy. Nothing can compare to the satisfaction is seeing objective evidence that this tiny nonprofit enterprise is indeed fulfilling its mission to the communities it serves. This particular data point, in the midst of one of the greatest threats to our region in history, documented in a real and meaningful way that the Spy is doing its job. Speaking for our reporters and writers, we are truly humbled to be considered so useful.
Still, the reality we are confronting is that while we are working to do even more for our readers, this overcharge is taking us well over our modest budget, and we must find a way to pay for the success we are experiencing.
These are not easy times for any of us. Indeed, our generous sponsors are as challenged as anyone in the community. For all of these reasons, your help now with our annual spring campaign is critical.
Your help now will allow the Spy’s continued coverage of the COVID-19 crisis along with the traditional work we do covering our community. We ask for your donation today at our website or by mailing a check to the address below. We pledge our continued commitment to you and our readers as we go through this time together.
Dave Wheelan
Publisher
Please make a donation online here
Checks can be sent to
Spy Community Media Fund
Mid-Shore Community Foundation
102 East Dover Street
Easton, MD 21601
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.