That headline is misleading because even though Not Fake News did, indeed, roll past its second anniversary on September 19, we didn't exactly have a celebration. In fact, I didn't even realize that it had happened.
But here we are, two years later churning out daily blogs about everything political and nonpolitical that strikes our interest, to the point where this one is number 748. Don't know about you, but that seems pretty incredible to me.
Now I said "we" and "our" above because NFN no longer is a one-man operation. Not by a long shot. I'm proud that in these two years we've attracted several additional talented writers who contribute commentary on a wide variety of topics and from various perspectives.
Our current roster includes Stacy Fitzgerald, Chris Waldron, Steve Hamelman, Helen Bass, V. Susan Hutchinson and Stacie Pearman. Others have contributed along the way and I'm always happy to consider additional writers who have something to say. If you're interested, just let me know. Just keep in mind, only fame, not fortune, is involved -- and, I get to edit.
The whole point of Not Fake News is to comment about key developments in the news with at least some degree of insight and perspective. Our blogs often offer humor, satire, and share interesting human interest stories and are generally just two to three minute reads. While that eclectic mix of subjects make things interesting from my perspective it confounds Google, which likes to pigeonhole you with key words tied directly into your theme. "Cookies" or "Diving", for example.
As a result, our Google ranking is never that great, but still we've been able to attract readers from many countries abroad -- and we only publish in English. Still, we've attracted readers in just the last four weeks from Canada, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Israel, India, Pakistan, Uganda, Kenya, China, The Philippines, and Australia.
Along the way, we've added some new features, like our Pic of the Week, which we publish on Sundays, featuring photos submitted by readers (more pics are needed!), and our NFN Snap Poll, published on Fridays. However, after a good start, responses to the poll are abysmal, so it will be replaced by something else unless it picks up. BTW, the deadline for this week's poll is Friday at 3 p.m.
More successful is the new Bob & Jackie Show, which is published on the new Not Fake News YouTube channel. With just four episodes in the can, views are increasing and soon Jackie (my wacky wife) and I will, I'm sure, be much in demand on the late night shows. Other videos supporting our articles, including discussions with authors, also appear there.
We also added a NFN online shop, which features shirts, caps and other nonsense. I just designed four new "Dump Trump" shirts and a funny "Give Trump the Boot" cup, which you can find there now.
Looking ahead, our blogs are sure to get ever more interesting given the times in which we are living. Trump's pending impeachment, the upcoming 2020 elections, and all of the craziness that is sure to develop will provide no end of ideas for commentary.
But that's where you can come in. Several of our readers regularly submit ideas that end up being turned into blogs. You can do it by sending an email to info@notfakenews.biz, posting a comment or direct message on our Facebook page (@notfakenews.biz), or including your idea in the comment section below individual blogs (members only).
That reminds me. If you haven't subscribed, do so -- you'll then get our blogs via email and not have to rely on Facebook or some other means. It's free. Just fill out the form that keeps popping up and irritating you. Or, better yet, sign up as a member. That way you have comment privileges on individual articles and free shipping on anything you order from the store.
So there you have it. Time to move ahead into year three and see what that brings.
Meanwhile, if you have any questions or concerns about Not Fake News, please contact me at info@notfakenews.biz.