Last week, three unusual things happened in my life.

1) My computer was hacked, and I became a victim of identity theft. (Long, harrowing story that I’m still dealing with. Details some other time. Too traumatized for now.)

2) I listened to a terrifying podcast about AI, the direction it’s headed in, and the speed at which it’s moving – faster than any of us imagined or could possibly have prepared for. (Again, details later. Traumatized.)

3) I had a lingering lunch at Plums with Eustace Conway, a lifelong naturalist who lives mostly off grid . . . when he’s not on TV. (He was one of the mountain men on Mountain Men for 11 seasons, but has retired from that gig to focus on his 1000-acre wilderness camp on Turtle Island, in Boone, NC.) My lunch with Eustace was purely social – we have a couple of mutual friends – and though the man is a walking compendium of stories and a journalist’s dream subject, I assured him our conversation was off the record, so that’s all I’m gonna say about that.

I needed to mention it, though, to make a point about the three unusual things. Because one of those things is not like the others. And it was, by far, the best thing. Talking face to face with another human about things that matter, especially a human who eschews technology – doesn’t even text, so I wasn’t sure how to thank him later! – was the antidote to a very fraught, anxiety-ridden week when technology got the best of me… and brought out the worst in me.

And it got me thinking about Lowcountry Weekly – this paper you’re probably holding in your hands. Yes, it’s online – and I’m working to make our online presence stronger – but after 25 years, our print edition is still the mothership. Lots of you tell me you still like to pick up this paper. You keep it on your coffee table… cut out columns and mail them to your Aunt Marge… stick articles on your fridge.

And that makes me so happy. Jeff and I always wanted this paper to be physically beautiful. Tangible. A tactile experience. Something somebody, somewhere, might treasure… and maybe even keep. Jeff was particularly idealistic about print. Now that he’s gone, I’m trying hard to keep the faith.

But it’s a challenge. You may have heard tell that “print is dead.” I don’t believe it. Much like the Kindle didn’t kill the book, as feared, my gut tells me there will always be folks who like to hold a paper – especially if it’s pleasing to the eye and to the touch. Our high pick-up rate tells me my gut’s not wrong – we’re at 94% last I checked – and you can’t all be using this paper merely to wrap fish and line birdcages. (Incidentally, I find those uses perfectly respectable… after you’ve thumbed through the pages!)

But while print isn’t dead, it is expensive. That’s just a cold, hard fact. And a cold, hard challenge.

Another challenge of keeping Lowcountry Weekly alive is that it’s not controversial. I know that sounds weird, but in this era, it’s controversy that sells – especially online.  When I post our stories on social media, they don’t drum up much controversy. Plenty of hearts and thumbs, yes, but not too many heated arguments.

Because who’s going to get mad about a new art exhibit? Or an upcoming festival? Or a visiting author? Who wants to fight about gardening? Or grand parenting? Or health and wellness? Who doesn’t love a new recipe to try? I mean, occasionally we’ll get a “Duke’s vs. Hellman’s” debate going, but even that’s pretty rare.

We do get wonderful feedback, though! Just recently, someone from the Fripp Island Friends of Music thanked me profusely for always publishing her articles about their concerts. She says the articles greatly increase ticket sales, and the organization, in turn, is able to give more money to the music programs they support in our local schools. Love that!

And a local artist who shows her work at Atelier Off Bay just told me she sold a painting as a direct result of the ad Atelier ran in our pages. Not just any painting, mind you, but the exact painting in the ad!

These are just two recent anecdotes, but I hear them all the time. And it feels so good.

If I could pay my bills with good feelings, I wouldn’t have a care in the world. But alas, the printer keeps asking “cash or credit card?”

So, dear reader, I have a proposition for you! If you’re fond of this paper and would like to keep it around, and you have a business or nonprofit that needs showcasing – in a beautiful format, with uplifting content, that’s distributed all over Beaufort County, from Fripp Island to Sea Pines – why not consider advertising with us?!

No, we’re not controversial. We’re definitely not click-bait. But almost ten thousand people pick up every issue, and lots of them keep it around and pass it around.

Our ad rates are on the low side, by industry standards, and we have great non-profits rates, too. And unlike ads on social media, ours don’t pop up, make obnoxious noises, or harass people in any way. They just sit there, looking pretty, next to something pleasant that somebody’s reading by choice, coaxing the reader’s eye in their direction with subtle grace and charm.

Unlike the frantic battle for attention that is social media, our advertising/editorial content relationship is seamless, integrated, and wholistic. Perusing our pages is a relaxing interlude, a respite from technology, a shelter from the storm.

Okay, maybe that’s a bit much. But seriously, local advertisers, we need you – not just so we can keep this paper going, but so we can make it better. The more advertising we have, the more pages we can afford to print, and the more pages we print, the more feel-good stories we can bring you – stories that help bind a community together at a time when so many forces seem hellbent on tearing us apart.

The line above our masthead says it all. From the very beginning – for over 25 years  – Lowcountry Weekly has been delivering “Reflections on the Good Life in Coastal South Carolina” in a lovely package, free of charge. We hope to keep doing so for many years to come.

Won’t you join us? Won’t you associate what you do with what we do? By promoting your business or organization in Lowcountry Weekly, you’ll be helping us and helping yourself, all at the same time!

I love a win/win, don’t you?

 

For information about advertising in Lowcountry Weekly, please email Amanda at amanda@lcweekly.com