In the middle of November – on one of those dark, wet days – I met with Sue and Allison for my favourite meeting of the year. While our writers were working on their articles for the December issue, we were turning our thoughts to 2019!
As Editorial Director I don’t deal with the day-to-day editing, layout and administration of the magazine; Allison takes care of all those details. I get to think about the bigger picture. What content would our readers most want to see? What’s working, what isn’t and what do we need more of? I’m sometimes surprised that we manage to keep finding fresh content when we focus so exclusively on local issues. How is it possible? I think it’s because of the people of the community. They’re always changing, so we always have new eyes to look at things through.
Now January has rolled around again. Typically a time for reflection, for plans and, for many, to make changes. I’ve never been an “out with the old, in with the new” type, but at the magazine we’ve made some decisions. You’ll see them in the pages of this issue, and in issues to come throughout the year.
We’ve lost some columns, added new ones and revamped others. We’ve taken inspiration from other publications, from reader feedback and from our gut instincts. Now we get to share these changes with you, and wait (with bated breath) to see your response. You’ll see that we have combined our previous Arts Scene column with the What’s Happening and Kids Calendar into one expanded events section: Take Note (pages 39-41). Keeping our readers in the know about everything happening on the Peninsula is a large part of our remit and we wanted to present the variety of opportunities in the best way possible.
It’s hard to lose a column that has been running a long time, and please note I asked the team if they thought Deb’s Day Out had run its course – not yet was the answer! I hope you find the changes we’ve made refreshing and valuable, and that they ensure that Seaside Magazine is always the first place you look to stay connected with your community.
Happy New Year!
