CHANNEL GOES ONLINE  %=)

by Roger Jacques 
------------------
     The first issue of the electronic version of The Channel was transmitted
on August 15.  The number of subscribers is 432, and growing.  About 40% live
or work in the East Bay, 30% in Silicon Valley/SF/Marin, 20% nationwide,
and 10% overseas (from Australia to Italy) -- not a bad ripple from our
little pond.
     Most of the readers were 'netted' by posting an announcement to
selected newsgroups on the Internet.  Newsgroups -- and there are over
5000 of them -- are clusters of correspondents who send email to a central
mailbox centered around a specific topic (which can range from a discussion
of MacDonald's mustard to quantum physics.)  Among the newsgroups The
Channel posted to were those devoted to books, food/restaurants, art,
travel, politics and bicycling.
     The announcement asked that the respondents describe themselves and
their location.  Here is a somewhat random sample of the responses:
   
     "Sounds interesting.  I already know about The Point since I own a
couple of properties there.  Spent about 7 years living in 'The Village'"
     "I currently live in Dublin, Ireland.  Any job postings in your
channel would be more than appreciated."
     "I live and work in Berkeley. I have been to Pt. Richmond a few
times - the most enjoyable via bike. My favorite Pt. Richmond thing is the
fact that you have a "Natatorium."  Looking forward to your historical
tidbits...."
     "Saw your note in ba.seminars -- I have a friend in Pt. Richmond
so am there rather often!"
     "I look forward to receiving your publication.  I know where Point
Richmond is but haven't been there for some time."

     One advantage to e-mail is the ease and speed of communication, so The
Channel hopes to maintain an active and lively relationship with its
readership.  For example, several subscribers are helping us with the
technical problems of being able to send graphic images -- such as Deirdre's
photographs and Joel Beck's cartoons -- in a form that readers can view and
print no matter what kind of computer equipment they have.
     Another resource we have yet to tap is the literally enormous number
and range of information databases that are retrievable through the Internet
(if you know how to search for them).  The Channel hopes to make good use
of this facility in assisting our intrepid reporters as they research future
stories.
     What good is a modern newspaper of any size that doesn't use wire
services?  In addition to the giants, such as AP and Reuters, we will have
access to a growing number of the indigenous and independent services that
are springing up all over the world to take advantage of the ability to reach
wide audiences through the Internet.  For example, I am now in contact with a
news bureau in Port-au-Prince, Haiti that is providing very specific,
on-the-spot news about what's happening there in response to the impending U.N.
invasion.
    I hope to have a detailed report to publish in the next Channel -- a global
scoop for Point Richmond!
     Given modern electronic communication tools, there is no reason why a
small-town paper has to rely on the Multi-National Networks to find out
what its readers need to know beyond the city limits.
     Now that we have a subscription base and a tangible product to show,
we are exploring new advertising possibilities, both to attract a new,
wider range of advertisers and to broaden the customer base of our current
clients.  Since the commercial usage of the Internet is still a controversial
and fuzzy subject, we are proceeding in this area with caution.  Contact us,
however, if you are interested in this new business frontier.
     Last, and not least, two weeks ago we transmitted the first issue of
Currents, The Channel's literary supplement, to our readers.  A collection
of short fiction, poems, and book and art reviews drawn both from Point
Richmond residents and from a poetry newsgroup and an electronic fiction
workshop residing in 'cyberspace' on the Internet -- it is, as yet, only
available in the electronic version.
     So if you want access to it, you're going to have to connect to the
Internet.  You'd be surprised how cheap and easy it really is, and how it can
benefit both your personal life and your business.