A Message From The Chief
Ha! Sorry, I couldn’t resist using that title. After pouring through scenes for my annual season end awards (coming later today), that scene in “Criss Angel Is a Douchebag†again emerged as a favorite.
Anyway, I wanted to take some time to deliver a “Welcome to Hellatus†and “State of The Site” message so to speak. No, I’m not going to bombastically throw out well twisted phrases designed to bring everyone to their feet in applause upon mention. At least I think I’m not. We’ll see what happens.
Hellatus
I borrowed the term from elle2, who took it from BuddyTV, who I’m sure aren’t the first ones to come up with it. So, to whoever the bastard is who actually said the word first, thanks the letting us borrow.
Summer is here, the return date is unknown, but it’s fair to say it’s too long. As in September too long. To pass the time, elle2 and I are feverishly working on diversions designed to help us all through these difficult times. The idea is to post something daily, but hey, since elle2 and myself have day jobs (since blogging makes nothing) that might be a challenge. Still, we refuse to give up.
I’m rotating through the archives to bring you “Hellatus Time Killers.” They’ll be refreshed every few days or so. These articles may not be new, but judging by the stats, they’re new to you! Please notice that some will actually be dated but hopefully still entertaining.
State Of The Site
So much has happened in the last six months since the site went from my head to becoming a reality thanks the the hubby’s mad programming skills. After I had good run on blogcritics, issues emerged. I wanted to do so much more with content. I wanted to do articles that weren’t subjected to a word count limit, do lengthy recaps complete with numerous screen shots, do polls, video clips and post according to my time schedule, not theirs.
At first a quick little blog was thrown together using b2ev, but my visions were grander. After two months of planning, designing, programming, testing, then reprogramming, in early January the new site went online, all to the sound of one hand clapping. Total visits in January were limited to gun dealers using Google search to find a Winchester and accidently clicked on our site.
Eventually though, the hubby and I got smart about things. We learned how to use Google search to our advantage. We actually got a url for the site, rather than going through our main family portal. We got on Yahoo search. Finally, I started posting plenty of content not published on blogcritics, giving fans a reason to come here. Thanks to my friends a Support Supernatural, the site was even part of a print ad distributed at Creation cons in both Cherry Hill and LA.
Each month has shown improvement, so much so I felt confident enough to ask elle2, to become a contributor. Her articles have been slowly gaining in popularity as well. Slowly but surely, we were getting the word out there, so much so that instead of one hand clapping, we were getting faint applause.
That is until May. Wow, something happened in May. It was probably the high profile of my “Reality Check†series, but The Winchester Family Business has hit heights I couldn’t possibly imagine. Traffic has tripled since our record month in March. We are very close to 15,000 visitors and 700,000 page hits. For my little site? For my crazy idea blossomed by an overly obsessive love for a TV show? Wow!
The list of countries represented by everyone is mind-boggling. I think I might start a list of countries that haven’t been represented on the site. That list would be shorter.
So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you everyone for making this site a growing success. Sure, we’re not close to being a Buddy TV or TV.com, but hey, for a place that highlights the rantings of a mad woman, not too bad.
Keeping up interest this summer is going to be an impossible task. I expect site stats alone to rival those of January. We’re not giving up though, so stay tuned. We will make it to September together. There will be more polls, clips, top ten lists and if I play my cards right, some interviews too. So, put thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com on your browser links, and when that urge comes for a fix of anything Supernatural, please think of us. You won’t be disappointed. If you are, we’ll know it when we hear one hand clapping.
Got any suggestions? Feel free to send them through the “Contact Us” section or leave a comment below. We have some pretty thick skins, so as long as you aren’t insulting mothers, candid comments are allowed.
Alice Jester is the founder, editor-in-chief, head writer, programmer, web designer, site administrator, marketer, and moderator for The Winchester Family Business. She is a 30 year IT applications and database expert with a penchant for creative and freelance writing in her spare (ha!!) time. That’s on top of being a wife, mother of two active kids, and four loving (aka needy) pets.
Yours is a site I go to every day Alice, hoping for something new about my favourite show.
Please, don’t try to be like Buddy TV! When I first went there, it was a good site for a Supernatural lover, but somewhere along the line it changed with the writer to a nasty scuzzy place to go. Since giving that writer a piece of my mind (along with many other posters) I haven’t been back there.
So thanks for keeping us busy through the hellatus Alice. Much appreciated.
Post something new every day???? What???
Just kidding (I figure comments count LOL)
I’m working on some other stuff and I’ll admit, even when I’m not ready to post a new article, I come here every day just to ‘hang’ out with my Supernatural buddies for a moment or two (or three or four…)
It’s a great place to browse around, jot a note and come back again for more.
🙂
Can we have a top 10 nasties list, please … go on, you know you want to …
Ooh, I second the motion for a top nasties list!!
This is my favourite website. It’s my first must-go-to when I am in front of a computer (any computer, anywhere, which is very distracting at work and in class). Everyone on this site is wonderful – sharing and respecting the opinions of others sounds simple but it’s tricky to find a place that has that. I am looking forward to enduring Hellatus with everyone here.
I would like a nasties list too.
Ooh, ooh, what about a top 20 list of Winchesterisms? (or maybe top 10 per season would be easier to pick?). Whatever is posted – I can’t wait to read it.
Alice,
I am with the others who’ve posted here. I come here first for my Supernatural for the same reasons others do. We can all discuss our mutual love of the show and have our differences of opinion in a reasonable but fun way as agressive, inconsiderate rivalry is not welcome here.
I’m digging in for the long haul. GRIN
Hey, sorry I’m late … Chundering children then loads of tattooed samurai and giant fish ( guess which was more fun? ) 😆
With the Nasties list perhaps you could have seperate categories for long and short term evildoers as it seems a bit unfair to put someone like the Benders, who were pretty horrid in their own small way, up against major league badness like the YED or Lilith.
Perhaps you could do a fantasy list of Wrong-uns-to-come, as suggested elsewhere … This isn’t another plug for my alligator fixation, honest … Really, I’d be almost as happy with undead Gordon … Although come to think of it I’m not sure you can have zombie vampires as they’de sort of cancel themselves out and vanish in a puff of logic!
PS. Regarding Tigershire’s title, how about First To Recognise A Good Thing When They Saw It … ?