☀️Final Sun (of the Year)
Friday, December 30, 2022 - Vol. 01 No. 32
Good morning, Marysville! Only a couple days left for the Sun to shine on 2022.
With the change of the calendar year the Sun will also roll into Volume 2 next week, though there may be some changes to how the issues are named and organized. I’m still thinking about it, and see below for some other ideas and goals for the Sun.
☀️Sun Stats
Now that we’ve made it to the end of the year, how about some Sun statistics? According to Substack’s counting and not including today’s issue:
Total issues: 31 (over 33 weeks, so only two missed Fridays while the Editor was on vacation. Today makes 32 of 34.)
Total views: 9,244 (whether in email or on the web, averaging 298 views per issue)
Subscribers: 129
Most viewed issue: 942 views - Summer Sun - which included a guest post by Ginger Herr on the 3rd Street Trike Races, an interview about The Engagement Academy, and probably the Editor’s favorite Friday fun feature so far.
Least viewed issue: 166 views - Community Sun - which had a great report by Maggie Rothenberger on the National Night Out in Jennings Park.
Number of sun emojis ☀️ used: HAHAHA!
Average percentage of openers who clicked at least one link: 34% - which may seem like an odd and specific stat, but it indicates that, at least so far, most of the Sun readers stay put. It also means that the majority of readers miss the Friday Fun when it’s an embedded tweet that has a video, which is sad! And it means that there is great irony in how many links I’ve included in today’s issue.
Single-most responded to thing in any issue by far: mmhhm corn - there may not be analytics to back it up, but this had people palavering.
☀️Sun Highlights
This is a totally subjective list of articles/features from the first year that stand out to the Editor. But, I mean, this curating power is what it means to be the Editor!
The very first issue (so it begins!) with the why of this newsletter, why the name, and an introduction to the Editor
An argument for using our time and space against the so-called Pride Month
Joan Dabrowski’s poem: Ode to Marysville
The first book recommendation by the Sun related to a charge against stupidity in our city
Maggie Rothenberger’s first article about loving on Marysville
The Sun’s only Art & Culture review (so far) of “The Terminal List” (which also happens to be the longest article by word-count so far)
A first foray into promoting local youth sports
And community choir at Comeford College, part one and part two
Plus a couple of the best local interest stories: MFD rescuing ducks and when a cow caused I-5 to be closed.
Plus+ recommending local coffee spots, as one does in the Pacific Northwest: Walker’s Coffee, The Creamery Co., and some Marysville-adjacent recommendations, along with local tap-house 5 Rights Brewing on 3rd Street.
And here is the Editor’s favorite meme from year one, opening issue 12:
☀️The Sun Up Ahead
Ideas abound for the Sun. In the upcoming year we hope for the Sun to shine on some Marysville pastors and their churches, to highlight more Marysville business owners, and to interview some of Marysville public servants. The Sun wants to say more about local education and how locals think about significant political issues. More practically, there’s some hope to regularly schedule posts to publish at 7:00am each Friday (we’ll see!). There is consideration about providing an audible version of each issue for those who’d like to consume on their commute. Of course a PRINT edition, an actual newspaper, would be quite a thing. Turning on an option for paying subscriptions needs to happen at some point.
But the Sun has one goal for 2023: keep showing up.
☀️Friday Fun
Building comes with risks:
☀️Subscribe & Share!
With 129 email subscribers, the Sun is reaching less than .2% (that’s two-tenths of one percent) of the 80,335 residents in Marysville (besides, a good percentage of current subscribers aren’t Marysvillians anyway). This is all good, and there’s a lot of work that can be done out of the Sun’s offices, but if you appreciate what you’re reading it does help if you share it.
And of course you can subscribe if you haven’t already.
You can also like the Sun’s Facebook Page or follow the Sun’s Twitter or both. I do read all the comments sent through Substack (see the bottom of the post to comment) and you can email directly anytime: office@marysvillesun.com
Feedback helps, suggestions desired, letters to the Editor and offers for guest posts are accepted.
☀️Thanks!
Thanks again for loving Marysville and reading the Sun. Happy New Year!