ROBBLOG # 105

A mathematical quiz- if you will.

What’s the significance of 1461 days.
If you’re thinking it’s the number of days Conrad Black has spent in a Florida Jail before getting bail- you would be incorrect.
It’s actually the number of days that Swisssh The Website has been online.
Whaaaat? You say breathlessly. It’s been 4 years?
Yes.
One thousand, four hundred and sixty one days ago today, Swisssh the Website went online. Oh, I had big aspirations. I wanted a website that was to be read by thousands of people each week. I wanted Swisssh to have a readership so high advertisers would beg me for space to sell their wares.
Did that happen?
Not really.
Over the years, I did get a few thousand pages “viewed” each month but as for advertisers clamouring to place an ad- that didn’t quite materialize in the way I had envisioned.

I know there were even some readers that thought it was a “Gay” website. I could understand that with a name like “Swisssh”. Poor Swisssh. Yes, there was some Gay content on it but on the other hand there was information on Church Bake Sales and political stuff too and yet the site wasn’t branded a religious or overtly political site.
What’s in a name, eh?

Today most groups and organizations willingly pay for advertising space in newspapers, yet hesitate to spend money with a website. Most consider that it should be free. I don’t know why exactly. Swisssh The Website does have a server to pay and a domain name to keep active.
The name?
It was actually a dream I had. At the time I was writing for Jennifer Jaensch on her site called Artsbeat Huronia. She too was having difficulty getting theatrical and arts-related organizations to buy memberships.
I wanted a website of my own.
So, in a series of dreams over a few nights the name “Swisssh” kept coming up. You don’t have to hit me over the head with a baseball bat- I used the name Swisssh.
A website was born with a Martini Glass- olive and all, in the logo.
Swisssh was the sound that “crushed ice” makes when stirred in a Martini glass.
That was it. Nothing else. Plus it was kind of catchy sounding.

Originally it was- Swisssh- An Arts, Muckraking and Entertainment Website.
I love that word “Muckraking”.

Time moved on and the website changed. Back in January of this year I shortened the site to just one page from four pages. I don't use the words “Arts or Entertainment”. I moved the Swisssh Radio Page to prominence and the site now opens with information exclusively pertaining to Swisssh Radio.
All the other “info” can now be found under Community “Posted” Notes. The balance of the site-Muckraking, is made up of various columnists from Krista Storey to Deanna to Dame Clare Voyant to recent additions such as Bertha Gooddamn- our Political Columnist and a strange little bit of writing from “The Story Lady”.

Then in February 2010, I removed my RobBlog from Swisssh- although occasionally I reprint a blog on Swisssh and call it ROBBLOG Xtra. I started this new site on BlogSpot, mostly for my Blog . This site also includes Garage Door Player info, Dame Clare and a letters section.

So, the future?
I do need a site where listeners can easily “pick up” the Swisssh Stream and listen to Swisssh Radio. However, many people do that through iTunes, Windows Media,
Shout cast, World Stations, Receiva.com and others.

I still need a website for community info to be posted but quite frankly sometimes I wonder why I bother. One plus to the “blogspot site” is it’s just me.
I can be frank.
I can write about what I want.
Whereas with Swisssh, I kept things at a certain level of “taste” since it was an open site for the community plus there were advertisers.

Now, going into this fourth year there may be changes ahead. One significant change may involve only using this Blogspot Website. It’s free.
Yup, it doesn’t cost me a nickel.

Swisssh Radio may or may not continue this fall. For now I believe it will. Swisssh Radio takes up little of my time each day to operate and only occasionally does something “technical happen” that raises my stress levels. I usually call my friend Charles and say- “Help!”. For the most part, Swisssh Radio needs very little “hands on” care. It’s really pretty self-sufficient. That’s a good thing. That being said, Swisssh Radio was off-air for almost 2 1/2 hours this morning. Human error!!

But this Blog is all about Swisssh the Website. Swisssh has taken on a persona of its own and I do respect that. It will be difficult when I have to let it go.
I don’t even want to think about that day.

So, may I just take a few words and say Happy Birthday Swisssh the Website. This is the first year that I am letting the anniversary pass quietly by. There is a “happy Birthday” announcement on the site and of course this blog.
But that is all.


Thank You for reading “Swisssh The Website” for the past four years- and now this Blog. Overall, I have had a good time and appreciate the feedback. You can e-mail me anytime at swisssh@rogers.com