thebatavian

This fine group of people are residents at 400 Towers. They came out today for a little lunchtime talk about The Batavian. They asked a few questions and talked about how they get their news. Bea McManis, in the back row with The Batavian sweatshirt on, organized the event and said very nice things about the site, its news and its readers.

Here were the most viewed posts for October, 2010:

• Notorious woman allegedly trashes buffet at South Beach, by Billie Owens
• Suzanne Corona has yet to agree to carry 'I Stole At South Beach' signs
• Fire at house on East Main Street in Batavia, by Billie Owens
• Suzanne Corona agrees to 'Walk of Shame' outside South Beach
• Mother accused of delivering drugs to son in Genesee County Jail
• Sign carrying in front of South Beach not in Suzanne Corona's future
• Rooming house on Main Street, Batavia, destroyed by late afternoon fire
• Today's Poll: Should food stamp recipients be barred from buying soft drinks?
• Head chef at Alex's believed to have died in accident in Orleans County
• Democrats pack Larry's to hear campaign speech by Cuomo

October traffic:

Visits: 250,077
Page Views: 454,039

In October, 2009:

Visits: 147,531
Page Views: 296,348

Reminder -- just in time to order Christmas presents, The Batavian is offering deep discounts all of the photos we published from our 2010 high school football coverage -- in most cases our sale price is 75 percent off suggested retail price.

To browse the game coverage albums and order photos, click here.

We've reduced the prices on the pictures from our 2010 high school football coverage.

For the month of November, football prints can be purchased for as much as 75 percent off the suggested retail price.

Click Here to view the galleries.

Some months ago, people started asking me about buying photos on The Batavian, and the number of requests have even increased in the past few weeks.

Awhile back, I got in contact with a company I've worked with before in previous jobs -- it provides a service to newspaper websites allowing readers to buy photos that the newspaper publishes.

It's taken me a lot longer to get things set up than I anticipated, but we are now, finally, able to sell pictures that we publish.

I've already set up galleries of several things we've covered in the past few months, such as Notre Dame's sectional playoff game against Dundee, Town of Batavia Fire Department's Harley Raffle and the Alexander Parade.

There's also a section for barn photos and another of Genesee County shots.

Most of the photo requests, though, have come from parents and grandparents wanting prints of their kids involved in sports. All of the sports photos that are available can be found here. 

All of the galleries can be found here.

Of course, as we cover more events, we'll make more pictures available.

It's gratifying that so many people enjoy the pictures we publish. I hope this new reader service will be of value to the community.

When we were first launching The Batavian one of the ways we tried to get the word out about the new site was to take out ads in the Genesee County PennySaver.

The first time I met somebody who said, "Oh, yeah, I read about you in the paper."

I was like, "What?"  I knew the Batavia Daily News hadn't published anything about The Batavian.

It took three or four times of people telling me that they had read about The Batavian in "the paper" that what they meant was the PennySaver.

It's a common problem that broadcasters have long complained about -- exclusive ad campaign gets credited by viewers and listeners to "the paper."

Often when I'm out taking pictures, people who know very well who I am and all about The Batavian will tell their friends, "oh, your picture is going to be in the paper."

My general response is, "No, even better, The Batavian."

Once or twice a week I get phone calls from people who think they're calling the Batavia Daily News. During the Wendt trial somebody told me they recently had an argument with a neighbor who insisted that the Daily owns The Batavian. (For those who don't know, that's not true -- Billie and I own The Batavian and we have no affiliation whatsoever with the Daily News.)

The point of all this is, I know The Batavian's advertising is very effective. I hear from readers all the time about how much they like our ad layout and that they do support our advertisers. Further, from what I've been told, Wine Walk ticket sales skyrocketed as soon as the BID's ad went up on the site. And one advertiser told me recently that he got more calls in two weeks than he did in the previous years of advertising in print.

Billie and I appreciate your support of The Batavian but it's important to remember that, when you take advantage of the services of our sponsors, you tell them you saw their ad on "The Batavian."

And here's our thanks to our sponsors -- the list of the local businesses and organizations you should join us in supporting:

3 D Wine & Spirits
Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle
Alberty Drug Store
Alex's Place
Anglican Community Church
Baker's Frontier Kitchens
Barrett's Batavia Marine and Sporting Supplies
Beds 'n' Bones Pet Lodge
Beverly's Flowers
Blue Pearl Yoga
Bontrager's Auction
Bontrager's Real Estate
Carlson's Studio
CASA
Cedar St. Sales and Rentals
Center Street Smokehouse
Charles Men's Shop
Christiano Cellular
Classic Home Improvements
Crazy Cheap Cars
The Daily Grind
D&R Depot Restaurant
Delavan's Restaurant and Tavern
Empire Tractor
The Enchanted Florist
Fastec Automotive
Foxprowl Collectibles
Genesee Dental Group
Genesee Graphics
Gilmartin
Hair Studio 25
H.E. Turner & Co.
I.R. Systems
The Insurance Center
Jason the Juggler
J. Leonard McAndrew
John's Service Station
Ken Barrett
KleenAll
Kraving's Kafe
Lamb Family Medicine
Larry's Steakhouse
Lawley Genesee
Lawrence Sealers
Lewis and Lewis
Main St. Pizza Company
Making Memories of Travel
The Mane Attraction
Margarita's 
Mark Lewis Agency
Matteo & Mullen, CPA
Matty's Pizzeria
Max Pies
Michael Tomaszewski
Mobile Dog Grooming
Movies in Motion
Mr. Wine & Liquor
Next Level Fitness
O'Lacy's Irish Pub
Oliver's Candies
Optique
Pauly's Pizza
Pellegrino Auto Sales
Pheasants on the Flats
Photos by Roth
Present Tense Books
Pudgie's Lawn and Garden Center
P.W. Minor
Red Osier
Select Collision
Settler's
Sloat Tire
South Beach
South Main Country Store
St. Joseph's School
St. Paul's School
Stafford Trading Post
Southside Deli
Tender Loving Family Care
Terry Hills
T.F. Brown's
Topline Shirt Company
Valle Jewelers
West Main Wine & Spirits
WNY Blacktop Sealers
WNY Fireplace Outlet

Top 10 most viewed posts for September:

• Notorious woman allegedly trashes buffet at South Beach, by Billie Owens
• Jury in Wendt case finds him guilty on all 11 counts
• Batavia man with lengthy criminal past sent to prison for five years
• Guy on porch with rifle prompts calls, police response, by Billie Owens
• Batavia woman accused of letting drug dealers operate from her home
• Batavia PD asking for help in IDing larceny suspect
• Report of knife fight on State Street
• Law enforcement kept busy on concert nights at Darien Lake
• Today's Poll: Can Paladino beat Cuomo?
• As city finances improve, council balks at raise for manager

Total Visits: 240,776
Total Page Views: 403,533

A year ago:

Total Visits: 137,705
Total Page Views: 302,986

I will be leaving shortly for Buffalo to catch a plane to Chicago. I'm attending a conference called "Block by Block: Community News Summit 2010."

The one-day event is perhaps the first time all of the publishers of the top local online-only news sites in the U.S. have gathered in one location. In all, about 40 independent publishers will be attending, plus some editors from larger companies.

I'll be leading one session on advertising sales.

In the meantime, Tim Walton is helping with Ron Wendt trial coverage and Ethan Thompson will cover Attica at Pembroke football for us on Friday night. Of course, Billie will be around to monitor the scanner and handle anything breaking that comes up, and WBTA is available to pitch in as needed, as well -- so there should still be news coverage while I'm gone.

Not to mention, of course, I'll have my laptop with me and stay on top of things as much as possible.

Here are the top 10 most viewed posts for August:

• Disturbed concert at Darien Lake: 13 arrests, 8 citations issued
• Police Beat: Allegedly no tire for 11 miles, no license since 1977, driver accused of DWI
• Three young people, including former Oakfield-Alabama football star, killed in accident
• Oakfield deals with another young death after motorcycle accident, by Tim Walton
• Adultery charge against Suzanne Corona dropped, by Geoff Redick, WBTA
• Batavia woman's body found next to railroad tracks in Stafford
• Today's Poll: Do you believe Barack Obama is a natural-born citizen?
• State seizes Margarita's over alleged tax issue
• Report: Plumbing board has history of not operating in Batavia's best interest
• Investigators looking for any information that might explain death of Batavia woman

It was also another record traffic month for The Batavian.

Visits: 256,391
Page Views: 443,330
Unique Visitors: 70,638

Here's how that compares to August 2009, which was a record month at the time:

Visits: 131,763
Page Views: 292,176
Unique Visitors: 38,057

Billie and I are back in Batavia.

Thank you to WBTA and especially Geoff Redick for helping with the news coverage while we were gone.

It was great to see friends and family -- and the first place Padres at Petco (picture above of Heath Bell signing autographs before the game) -- but we're glad to be home.

I didn't take as many pictures as I imagined I would, but I did take a few. The Bell picture above is one of my favorites, as is the cactus picture below. These silver dollar cactus plants are growing in my dad's back yard. They started with cuttings from the silver dollar cactus we had in our yard in Bakersfield when we lived there. 

This afternoon, Billie and I board a California-bound plane.

We'll be on the West Coast for one week.

We'll be visiting San Diego, Bakersfield and Ventura.  In Bakersfield, we'll gather with the whole family to celebrate my parents 50th wedding anniversary.

While we're gone, the staff at WBTA -- particularly Geoff Redick -- will update the site with breaking news and other news items. Billie and I will post any news that comes in over e-mail -- particularly, of course, crime and arrest reports. And I'll try to have a daily poll and a couple of deals of the day.

I've done a sort of informal survey of people I've talked to over the past week about posting pictures from California while we travel and there was general enthusiasm for the idea, so I plan on doing that.

Unfortunately, Pachuco can't make the trip, but he is happy and cozy at Beds-N-Bones, his favorite pet lodge.

So, here's a song of California -- Tom Russell doing "California Snow," which he co-wrote with one of my favorite singer-songwriters, Dave Alvin.  It's topical -- dealing with immigration -- and it mentions El Cajon in the first verse (the whole geography of the song is a part of California I know well).

Here are the most viewed posts for July:

• Photo Essay: An alleged DWI arrest
• The 25 highest paid public employees in Genesee County
• Motorcycle hits deer on West Main Street, Batavia, two injured
• Five suspected meth dealers busted in early morning raids
• Multiple raids this morning on suspected meth distribution ring
• Today's Poll: Should Batavia have a public pool?
• Bike-riding fundraiser arrested on sexual abuse charges
• Today's Poll: Should the U.S. continue the war in Afghanistan?
• Dispute over ducks, other complaints, has Oak Street man headed to court
• Multiple sexual abuse charges filed against Batavia man

Here are the audience stats for July:

Unique visitors: 48,130
Visits: 206,603
Page views: 354,273

So far too few people have joined the “voluntary subscription” program. I’ve thought a lot about what it will take to get the program to really take off, and what it boils down to is — a lot more work. For the most part, feedback about the program has been positive, but that hasn’t translated to people taking the time to join in the kind of numbers we need to make it profitable. I could get out and actually sell it, or I could try to hire somebody to try and sell it, but either approach means a good deal more work with maybe a coin-flip chance of being successful.

With that in mind, I think my time can be better spent for the sake of The Batavian, our readers and our advertisers, if I don’t work that hard on the membership program and instead worry about producing content for the site and taking care of the needs of our advertisers.

I’m suspending the membership program. Perhaps in a year or two, the time might be better to give it a try again.

If you mailed in a check, I can either mail it back to you or let me tear it up (I’ve not deposited any of the checks yet). If I don’t hear from you, I’ll just tear up the check.

If you paid by PayPal, I’ll refund your money.

BTW: Top Line Shirt Company will still provide free T-shirts to the people who did join. They just need to bring in the voucher we sent to them last week.

After giving a lot of time to this program over the past couple of months, it's not a joy to suspend it, but I also feel a good deal of relief that there will be less of a distraction keeping me away from writing stories, taking pictures and working with advertisers.

We have an exciting new offer for people who join The Batavian's voluntary subscription program -- a free T-shirt from Top Line Shirt Company.

The T-shirt is printed with The Batavian logo on front and back.

All members -- including those who have already joined -- can receive the free T-shirt.

To receive your T-shirt, once you join (and current members have already gotten this e-mail), you will receive an e-mail with a PDF attachment that you can print out and take to Top Line T-shirt Company at 212 E. Main St., Batavia. The voucher must be redeemed in person. T-shirts will not be mailed out.

And of course, as a voluntary subscriber, you will still get vouchers at local businesses for up to $600 in savings, all for less than $60 per year. For a list of savings offers, click here.

The cost is either $4.95 per month or $59.95 per year. You can pay through PayPal, or mail us a check.

For details on the program, click here.

Paying by check: Send a check or money order to The Batavian for $59.95. For those paying by check, only the annual subscription rate is available. Please be sure to include on a separate piece of paper, your name, address, phone and e-mail address. Mail to: The Batavian, LLC, 200 E. Main St., #5, Batavia, NY 14020.

PayPal Buttons:

Monthly Subscription Fee: $4.95

The monthly subscription fee will automatically be deducted from your PayPal account until you unsubscribe via PayPal.*

Annual Subscription Fee: $59.95

Here are the most view posts for June:

• Sex in the City: Batavia 'adultery' case getting wider media attention
• Brad Paisley concert results in eight arrests, 32 citations
• Couple allegedly caught having sex on picnic table in Farrall Park
• At least 67 arrests and citations at Dave Matthews concert in Darien
• Friedman: No decision made yet on whether to pursue adultery charge against Suzanne Corona
• Woman accused of adultery for alleged sex in park plans legal challenge
• Batavia 'adultery' case now fodder for British tabloids
• Masked man kicks in door, pushes woman down, flees, by Billie Owens
• Naming names in police reports
• O-A casts nearly unanimous vote for Prom Queen with Down syndrome, by Billie Owens

It was also, across the board, a record traffic month for The Batavian.

• Unique Visitors: 62,421
• Visits: 225,458
• Page Views: 384,110

Last week, we announced a new "voluntary subscription" program.

The idea is to create a win-win for readers of The Batavian. You win with as much as $600 in annual savings at local businesses, and you win because the additional revenue from the program is expected to help us expand coverage of Genesee County.

There are three ways to join: Use PayPal to authorize either a monthly payment of $4.95, or an annual payment of $59.95, or you can mail a check to The Batavian for $59.95 for an annual voluntary subscription.

For more information, click here, or just use the PayPal buttons below.

PayPal Buttons:

Monthly Subscription Fee: $4.95

The monthly subscription fee will automatically be deducted from your PayPal account until you unsubscribe via PayPal.*

Annual Subscription Fee: $59.95

Our mailing address is: The Batavian, LLC, 200 E. Main St., Batavia, NY 14020.

People who read The Batavian love The Batavian.

We're hear it all the time: I'm addicted to your site. It's my favorite place for news now. I'm on there at least four or five times a day. The Batavian is just what Genesee County needed.

We appreciate your support, but now we're going to ask you for another level of support.  We're asking you to help The Batavian grow, but we're going to give you something back in return.

We'll give back to you expanded coverage, more features for site members and more valuable savings with local businesses.

All we're asking from you is $4.95 per month.

Let me be totally clear: We're not asking you to pay to read news on the site. We're not going in that direction. I believe news should be free, and commenting on the site should be free. That won't change on The Batavian.

But if enough readers pitch in $4.95 per month, we'll be able to do things such as hire staff and expand our coverage.

Here's the best part: In exchange for your $4.95 per month you will receive exclusive coupons and gift certificates from local businesses. Right now we have 20 businesses participating in the program. The total potential annual savings for you is at least $600.

That's right, for about $60 per year, you can save at least $600 a year on things for your home, your car and to dine out at some of the best places to eat in town (the food savings alone is more than $200 per year).

And we will likely sign on more businesses to the program, meaning more savings for you.

• Click here to find out more about how the voluntary subscription program works.
• Click here to review a list of participating businesses and the discounts they're offering to members.
• Click here to join.

Ask me any questions you like in the comments. Thank you for your support!

Every day, Billie and I feel fortunate to live in Batavia and to be part of this community. We enjoy the four seasons, the beauty of Genesee County, the things we can do around here, and the friends we've made.

One thing we truly appreciate about Batavia and Genesee County is all of the great local businesses here. They offer great service and great value.

Strong local and regional businesses are essential to the vibrancy and success of a local community. Dollars spent at local businesses stay in the community, and local and regional businesses give more, and more frequently, to local charities than the big chains -- not to mention the many, many hours of volunteer work put in by small business owners.

We encourage you, as always, to make it a priority to shop local whenever possible and as much as possible. Let your buying decisions be a benefit to your friends and neighbors.

And we especially appreciate it when you frequent the sponsors of The Batavian, and let them know you appreciate their support of our news and conversation site.

Here's the current list of sponsors:

3 D Wine & Spirits
Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle
Alberty Drug Store
Alex's Place
Anglican Community Church
Baker's Frontier Kitchens
Barrett's Batavia Marine and Sporting Supplies
Batavia Downs Casino
Beverly's Flowers
Blue Pearl Yoga
Bonarigo & McCutcheon
Bontrager's Auction
Bontrager's Real Estate
Carlson's Studio
Cedar St. Sales and Rentals
Center Street Smokehouse
Charles Men's Shop
Christiano Cellular
Classic Home Improvements
Crazy Cheap Cars
D&R Depot Restaurant
Delavan's Restaurant and Tavern
Dog Grooming
Empire Tractor
The Enchanted Florist
Fastec Automotive
Genesee Dental Group
Gilmartin
Hair Studio 25
H.E. Turner & Co.
Herbly Wonderful
Holland Land Office Museum
The Insurance Center
J. Leonard McAndrew
Jackson St. Grill/Belladessa's
John's Service Station
Ken Barrett
KleenAll
Kraving's Kafe
Lamb Family Medicine
Larry's Steakhouse
Lawley Genesee
Lawrence Sealers
Lewis and Lewis
Main St. Pizza Company
The Mane Attraction
Margarita's 
Mark Lewis Agency
Matteo & Mullen, CPA
Matty's Pizzeria
Max Pies
Michael Tomaszewski
Movies in Motion
Mr. Wine & Liquor
Next Level Fitness
O'Lacy's Irish Pub
Oliver's Candies
Optique
Pauly's Pizza
Pellegrino Auto Sales
Photos by Roth
Present Tense Books
Pudgie's Lawn and Garden Center
Sallome's Italian Deli
Select Collision
Settler's
Sloat Tire
Small World Realty
South Main Country Store
St. Joseph's School
St. Paul's School
Stafford Trading Post
Southside Deli
T.F. Brown's
Valle Jewelers
WNY Blacktop Sealers
WNY Fireplace Outlet

Two photos that were first published on The Batavian will represent Genesee County in a statewide contest aimed at finding photos that showcase New York's landscapes and landmarks.

The winners of the Genesee County stage of the contest were announced by County Legislature Chairwoman Mary Pat Hancock today.

The winners are "Barn Storm - LeRoy, NY" by Le Roy resident Darrick Coleman and "Old Courthouse at Sunset" by Batavia resident Howard Owens.

The Coleman photo is being submitted in the landscape category and the photo from Owens is in the landmark category.

The contest is sponsored by the New York State Association of Counties.

Genesee County received more than two dozen submissions from about 12 photographers.

For more on Coleman, here's a video Philip Anselmo made about him in 2008. For more of Darrick's photography, click here.