Woodstock Advocate passes 100,000 mark

Sometime, probably earlier today, the counter on this site passed 100,000 views. Thanks - many thanks - to all the readers of The Woodstock Advocate.

The counter has been on this site only since January 3, 2009, although the first article was published on April 15, 2007.

Initially, I didn't place on counter on this site. I was writing it because I wanted to write it, not because somebody might read it. One of the things I wanted to do on a second blog (www.WoodstockCrimeLog.info) publish the crime reports from the Woodstock Police Department.

I decided to install a counter, after I received a letter on behalf of the City on January 7, 2009, denying the Crime Reports to me. The City claimed that my site had only 2,000 "hits" in a year. They were looking for a way to deny providing Crime Reports of the Woodstock Police Department to me. The City also claimed that a blog (an online journal) is not "media", because the word "blog" is not used in the statute (although "electronic format" is there). What is a blog, if it's not "electronic format"?

50 ILCS 205/3 (c) reads, "For the purposes of this Section the term "news media" means personnel of a newspaper or other periodical issued at regular intervals whether in print or electronic format..."

So perhaps The Woodstock Advocate really does qualify as "news media" to receive Crime Reports from the Woodstock Police Department?

First, I had to find out where that "2,000" had come from, since I didn't know of a counter on this site. After searching around, I did find one that recorded the number of views of my profile (not of articles).

The 100,000 views have occurred since January 3. That's less than nine months. The counter records "views", not "unique" visitors. So every time you click on this site, the counter increases. And every time I click (for example, to post an article), it counts.

How many articles or stories have there been so far?

There were 282 in 2007;
There were 827 in 2008; and
There have been 841 in 2009 (to date).

Thanks to readers for your story suggestions and especially for your comments. (click)