As Weelunk.com nears its four-month anniversary, we pause for reflection. It has been an amazing journey to say the least. In the fall of 2014 our stated mission was to “help make Wheeling awesome.” As with most start-ups, things change, and predictions are found to be way off. Our biggest learning over the past quarter is that Wheeling is awesome. Thus, we will continue to provide a platform for the ideas and stories of those who work hard to move Wheeling forward, to profile individuals and groups who do the same, and most importantly, to shout to our city, region, country and world that Wheeling, W.Va., is rising from the rust belt hangover it has been coping with for 40 years.
We would like to share some numbers that we feel validates the previously stated claims. Our “total page views,” meaning every page that has been clicked on since Nov. 1, 2014, total, 303,313, and of our 82,883 unique visitors, over half of them reside in West Virginia, Pennsylvaia, and Ohio, and all 50 states and 97 countries are represented. While our facebook page likes total 4,500, the average number of people actually seeing one of our posts is just over 30,000.
Our own Steve Novotney is impressed with the response so far:
“I was hoping for exactly what has happened — an eye opening and a lot of community support,” said Novotney.
“We’ve cherished the past, urged the present, and had the guts to peer into the future so we can foster the great ideas that can make Wheeling a better place to live than the city is now.
“The many contributors Weelunk has attracted speak volumes because it shows us all how badly our citizens have wanted to be heard for a very long time. Finally, they are within an unbiased format,” he continued. “Personally, I have been thrilled to have the opportunity to tell so many stories about the people who live here today. These folks have been overshadowed far to long by those naysayers who only wish to blame and not search for solutions. Weelunk is about solutions, and I am proud to be involved.”
What we have enjoyed the most is hearing from you. In 114 days, we have published stories from 67 “Weelunkers,” and we say thank you.
We are excited to let you know that in the very near future we will be revealing a new section, revising another, and introducing a new way to access weelunk.com.
If you would like to support Weelunk by contributing a story, sharing an event, taking advantage of the various ways to advertise, or by letting us know what you like or what we could do better, please contact us at weelunk@weelunk.com.