Arcata1.com is an online community news site serving coastal Arcata, California. Local resident, Fred J. Weis, launched The site in 2022 to cover details of an emerging redevelopment project known as the Gateway Plan. The following is an interview with publisher-editor Weis. Disclosure: Fred J. Weis is this writer’s uncle.
Can you give a general description of the planning project taking place in Arcata that you created Arcata1.com to cover?
The government of the City of Arcata determined that more housing is needed in Arcata. The "Gateway Area" -- a region about the size of downtown Arcata that is adjacent to downtown and an easy walk to downtown -- was selected as an appropriate place to upgrade the industrial and underutilized parcels in order to promote the construction of multi-story apartments.
What motivated you to create your own site to cover the Gateway Plan, as opposed to contributing articles to another paper?
The quantity of articles, maps, and graphics required to cover the Gateway Area Plan would simply not fit into any existing local print paper -- nor, I would think, the editor of any local journal want to devote so much print space to a single topic.
Do you have a background in journalism? Or anything similar?
I have no specific background in journalism. I have been writing and engaged in writing for "forever" -- ever since I learned how to read and write.
What has been the community response to your site?
"Community response" can be looked at in a variety of ways. Numerically, certain articles have 500-1200 views, which in a small community with a small number of actively involved citizens is a good figure. But other articles, which I may consider to be valuable or important, may have received only a few dozen views. On a more subjective scale, Arcata1.com is recognized throughout the community as a "go-to" source for factual information.
Do you think community-oriented websites like yours have the potential to become “journals of record” for important matters in the community?
As I mentioned above, Arcata1.com is now recognized throughout the community -- and by Arcata's Planning Commissioners and City Councilmembers also -- as a "go-to" source for factual information. If a person wants to look up a map, a city-produced document, or the results of a City Council decision, it is easier, faster, and more productive to use Arcata1.com than any other source, including the City of Arcata's website.
What is your business model?
I have no business model, really. Arcata1.com has no advertising, no link for contributions, no income source. The costs are low, and I bear those costs personally. If I had a few thousand dollars to spend, I'd hire someone to do social media placement to drive more viewers to the website.
What are the best things you've learned about publishing since starting your site?
Perhaps that, as a result of being barraged with semi-factual and non-factual articles and opinionated rants, people do respond positively to straightforward journalism.
What are your plans for the future of Arcata1?
The implementation of the Gateway Plan will take place over the next 20 to 50 years, so there's lots of room for articles on how things are working out. I may want to shift the focus of Arcata1.com to the themes of: a) How to provide housing that working people can afford; and b) Monitoring and promoting transparency in our local government.
Some edits were made for clarity.
