Editor's Column: Living the Dream!

Note: this is from the June-July 2015 Issue of WildIndiana Magazine

As we embark on this third issue of WildIndiana, the most common question I hear is, “How is the magazine going?”

In a word: great!

If there was anything that we did right during our run-up to publication was the belief that the outdoor community in Central Indiana is not only alive, vibrant and larger than imagined but was also under-served by outdoor media.

To say that we have been embraced by the community would be a vast understatement.

Actually, the only major shortcoming at this point is the fact that there isn’t “more of me to go around.” With all the questions, invitations, opportunities and interesting folks to meet, there aren’t enough hours in the day to meet all the possibilities and responsibilities.

Of course, that’s a great problem to have!

My worst fear before our first issue was sitting in front of a blank computer screen saying, “What in the world am I going to cover now??” Three issues into the adventure, that concern has been the least of our worries. Now, it is more a matter of attempting to pare down all the good stuff into the limited real estate of a paper magazine.

Has there been a downside? Perhaps a small one: mileage.

Of course, that is both a blessing and a curse. I try to take care of my vehicles and drive them as conservatively as possible; most of them last a very long time. However, since we have started WildIndiana Magazine, the mileage on my SUV has been wracking up faster than the zeroes in our national debt.

On the other hand, I’ve seen much more of Indiana than I believed possible so if I take the dollars-and-cents, pragmatic view out of things, wear-and-tear is a small price to pay for the privilege I’ve been granted.

Thus, in the end, when someone asks “How is it going,” I can say without a hint of irony or trace of sarcasm that, “I’m living the dream!”

Above all, I have you, the reader, to thank for that!

SOCIAL MEDIA- I’ve never been a fan of all this newfangled social media stuff. As an unreconstructed and unrepentant old-school writer, I prefer my information in long form with semi-readable grammar that uses all the noun-verb-adjective stuff that my old English teacher used to harangue us about.

However, once you launch a magazine, it is pretty much required by the rest of humanity that you actively venture into the world of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Thus I have been dragged kicking and screaming as a conscientious objector into the world of social media. And now, Heaven help me, I’m finding out that the whole thing is not only enjoyable but a great way to communicate with the members of the WildIndiana community!

There, I said it!

Heck, now I’ve actually learned that the verb is known as “Tweeting” rather than “Twittering,” The whole things still sounds funny to my ears but at least the kids don’t laugh at me anymore.

So, since we’re here to stay in social media, I’d invite you to check in on a regular basis.

You can visit the WildIndiana Facebook page at Facebook.com/WildIndiana or follow our Twitter feed at Twitter.com/WildIndianaM. We also have a YouTube channel at YouTube.com/WildIndianaVideo

Of course, in the meantime don’t forget our website at http://WildIndiana.com for special web-only content and daily news updates to keep you informed about what is happening in the Indiana outdoors.

We hope you like the June-July 2015 issue and someday soon I hope to see you somewhere out in WildIndiana.