The fifth  Cobb County Courier “Meet the Editor” is going to be held this Friday, Sep. 28, 2018, from 7:30 – 10:30 a.m., and I’m doing it at The Cenacle Coffee this time.  The address is  2844 Veterans Memorial Hwy SW, Austell, GA 30168.  [Thanks to sharp-eyed reader Mickie Higgins for pointing out that I initially posted the wrong date for Friday]

At Cenacle Coffee this week

I’m always easy to recognize when you enter the coffee shop because I’m the old guy with the blue blazer and a sign on the table that says “Cobb County Courier.”

I invite you to come with suggestions, questions, or complaints.  I’ve set a high priority on hearing from the Courier’s readers.

To be honest, even if no one shows up I wouldn’t consider it a catastrophe.  I have plenty of work I can do on my laptop.  But I do hope you’ll pay a visit.

The paragraphs below are a repeat from the previous announcements, and will probably be a feature in all these announcements since the purpose of these events isn’t likely to change.

Why am I doing this?

As editor and publisher of the Cobb County Courier, one of my goals is to cultivate a growing readership.

There are several ways to do this.  One is to advertise and promote the Courier heavily, but that’s expensive.  Another is to structure the articles so that search engines find them (aka Search Engine Optimization, or SEO).  We’re doing that, but it’s an impersonal and technical solution to a goal that’s very human.  A third way is to choose topics that encourage readers to regularly return.

But the best way to build an audience, in my opinion, is by regular conversations with readers, to find out what people in Cobb County really want to read about. And the most effective conversations are face-to-face.

So I invite you to visit me for an informal talk.