By David Gewirtz
Welcome to the December 1998 issue of PalmPower Magazine. Amazingly, this issue marks the completion of our first year of publishing PalmPower! And what a year it's been. For a minute I'll talk about the business of publishing PalmPower and then I'll move into the more heartwarming aspects.
We've published twelve complete issues of PalmPower. 81 articles, almost 300 days of news, 52 weekly tips, and over 1,000 individual news items. Our readership has grown as well. From about 9,000 readers the first month, our best estimates indicate that we're reaching nearly 300,000 readers now.
Although there were many naysayers, we've proven that a Web-based magazine can function as well as, or better than, a magazine in the physical print world. We've retained many of our advertisers month after month, meaning that you, as readers, are making it worth their while for them to advertise and making it possible for us to publish a free publication, available to every Palm device user, worldwide.
A lot of people have helped make this work. In our office here, Denise Amrich, Stephen Amontis, and Heather McDaniel have done an amazing job running the publication. Our newest member, Donna Rose, is coming up to speed on her responsibilities like a champ.
But PalmPower is way more than just the few of us in the publishing offices here, just outside of Princeton, NJ. There are ten active PowerBoard hosts who help our readers each month. We also have about ten outside editors who bring enormous value to the publication. Beyond that, there are the writers who contribute articles. But most importantly, there are the readers. You.
What an amazing group of people you are. The best way to get to know the "personality" of our readership is to visit the PowerBoards. There, you'll see wonderfully constructive questions and answers, and kindness in nearly every message. If the Internet breeds community, we've got the best of show right here.
I want to share an example of that community. Peter Lee, a PowerBoard host residing in the UK, recently wrote a letter to us. I've reproduced it below. Following his letter is a short email exchange between Peter and Denise Amrich, PalmPower's managing editor.
Peter Lee's letter
A few weeks ago I decided that I really wanted a Stetson hard cover for my trusty PalmPilot Professional (a new job meant that it spent more time in my pocket than previously and I wanted to protect the screen without adding bulk).
