dotCANTON.com Suspending Operations

By Steve Wilder dotCANTON.com

A year ago today, thousands of 5½ by 8½-inch postcards were being mailed to every household and post office box in Canton, inviting the town to check out dotCANTON.com.

“Log In, Look Around. You’ll Like What You See,” was the message.

Many thousands have looked around in the year since, and I am deeply grateful for that. But today, on the one-year anniversary of that mailing, I am announcing that dotCANTON.com is suspending operations immediately.

I have learned much in the 14-plus months since May 22, 2010, when I put up my first post, a standalone photo of the soon-to-open ShopRite store in the Shoppes at Farmington Valley. dotCANTON.com has been a virtually constant companion of mine every day since, and not having to think about what I’m going to post tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that is going to feel odd. I haven’t left home without a camera and a notebook in a long time.

But the learning process has exposed several difficult realities that come with a one-person, privately-owned operation such as this. Key among them is whether a business plan can be developed that would produce enough revenue to properly market and maintain dotCANTON.com in this format or another.

I have no intention of turning off the lights on the dotCANTON.com website, so if you haven’t already done so, you can still sign up for the dotCANTON.com newsletter and be certain you will be notified if there are any important developments or a decision to restart. I would also use Facebook and Twitter should I need to get out any information. And you can still reach me at editor@dotcanton.com.

It is important that I close for now with my sincerest gratitude to everyone who has contributed in any way to dotCANTON.com. We live in a terrific community filled with caring and creative people. I am proud to be part of it.