The Geeky Little Red Hens of Amador County

I have what I call "Little Red Hen" syndrome. I've had it for a long while now. I get enthusiastic about an idea or project(s), share the idea with others, then when it comes down to the, "Great! Now, who will help me?", well...cue the cricket chirps.

Not saying there are those who don't appreciate what I do. There are quite a few who do like Amador Community News, and appreciate the fact that they don't have to subscribe, log in, or remember a password just to access it. Many of my supporting advertisers who believe in the concept of community media have been loyal for the past five, almost six years. Some have thought me crazy for offering an advertising fee of a mere $5/month or $50/year...and don't understand why I don't charge more (but are grateful that I don't). Sure, I could, but...that's what everyone else does. Some say I'm being "too nice", but that's okay. I'd rather be known for being too nice than too expensive.

I'm a staff of one. I have no reporters, no photojournalists, no editorial staff, no copy writers. Everything you see on ACN and our Facebook comes from you, the readers and supporters of ACN, and is managed and posted by myself in more of an ombudsman role than anything. It's not necessarily because of that old saying, "If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself." I simply let the information flow as given to me. I'm not complaining, but yes, it's very time consuming. From the very beginning, I've wanted to offer Amador County a community media alternative - not to compete with existing media and/or publications, but to complement them, offer a resource and information site that all demographics who have access to the Internet can find value in. I'm grateful for Facebook, which reaches an incredibly large demographic (the world is a pretty big place). It has made ACN easier to manage and get information out quickly, not only to Amador County, but about Amador County to a local, regional, national and global audience.

However, sometimes when it comes to a plea to have continued support and investment in ACN, I often feel taken advantage of. I've done a lot for free; many of us have. I don't think $50/year is too extravagant to ask for a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" type of deal. But then again, sometimes it feels like more and more are growing longer fingernails, forget best business practices, and take advantage of peoples' time and good graces. It's like the geek that does homework or final reports for the jocks and the cheerleaders, simply for at least a little bit of social acceptance and respect, but never quite gets it.

It used to be that you'd get fined for an overdue library book. In my day, it wasn't much; maybe fifty cents or so. These days you have Kindle, e-Books, Wikipedia, and a plethora of other online libraries, sites and blogs. Unless you haven't paid your electricity or Internet bill, or if the power goes out, you can always count on the ol' tried and true. But your local libraries or new/used bookstores need to keep their lights on, too. The good folks at Hein & Co. aren't passing books out for free. Would you expect them to? The Friends of the Amador County Library are holding more book drives; they've been struggling to keep our libraries lights on for years.

Yes, I realize that there are many geeky "little red hens" out there, working hard for all kinds of causes; I'm not the only one, my cause just happens to be community media. What has been a bit disheartening is when I see businesses, groups and organizations replicating themselves. Even though I've been approached numerous times on the subject, I've never had the intention nor desire for ACN to replace the Ledger Dispatch as the local newspaper. Why? Because we need a variety of local media. We need reporting newspapers, we need local radio and TV stations, we need to be informed through different ways and means. But saturate the market with too much media, and your readers and audiences eyes and ears are dulled, and you're back to your initial problem.

I live in Sacramento now, and when I get out and about, I'm bombarded with visual media - from small mom and pop business signs to humungous electronic billboards, to sign holders dancing on the streets trying to get attention. I walk into cafes, stores and restaurants and the entryways are cluttered with all sorts of publications, magazines, newspapers, tabloids, etc. I go to the post office and see huge trash bins filled with direct mail pieces, inserts, brochures, flyers, pamphlets and cards. I think of how much money is wasted on desperation to grab attention, when what is really needed is for communities of people to come together,  focus upon just a few of the greatest strengths, and work towards making whatever projects they already have a simple and excellent thing.

I'd like to give one example of unnecessary replication, this time in the non-profit realm. A while back, I had been a part of the founding of the Amador Student Music Fund. I felt it a worthy cause, being that I'm a musician myself, and very much believe in supporting music in our schools. Little did I know at the time that there were already two existing groups that were trying to accomplish the same thing, the Twin Rivers Music Foundation, founded by Dave Stark and David Vasquez, and the Amador Student Arts Foundation (which is now a part of the Amador County Arts Council's "Arts In Education" program). I eventually found out (and this was only after I had moved to and from Nashville) that, behind the scenes there had been a history of unspoken and/or undealt with resentment, triangulation, hurt feelings, a lot of egos, and a whole lot of politics that surrounded the formation of the ASFM.

In all fairness, and certainly not to minimize ASFM's growth, benefit and support to student musicians today, it appeared to me that the manner in which the ASFM pushed its way to the front of the line when existing organizations/foundations were trying to create, develop and implement a similar program could only make me think of one thing: greed and being on top. Money, control...most of all, who has the control of it.

Some might say, "Who cares how our schools get the money, as long as they get it." When governmental agencies can't seem to balance a checkbook, when not voted upon, automatic pay hikes are passed in city councils ("How L.A. City Council Got Those Huge $178,789 Salaries", LA Weekly, Feb 26, 2009), citizens might start to care.Who decides who is worthy to have what? What goes on behind the doors of board meetings, councils, committees? I tried to offer voice lessons under the ASFM - the very organization I helped found - and was denied. I recently approached the Amador Community Foundation with simply the idea of possibly making ACN a non-profit news network and was denied there, too. I'm sure both organizations have their reasons, their bylaws, their parameters (maybe for the geeks, that is...not the jocks).

Oh well, I suppose that's how the bread crumbs fall. Maybe I should just keep on making and baking my own bread. It's really good...and I do share.

Carol Harper, Editor
Amador Community News
NewsAmador.com
Facebook.com/AmadorCounty

P.S. By the way, Dave Stark and his world beat band, Cuca Maluca plays at Back Roads Coffee House in Sutter Creek on Saturday February 16 from 12 Noon-2PM. A benefit for the Twin Rivers Music Foundation. No cover charge!