Is Modesto Famous gonna just die?

So I'm curious.. did McClatchy (Modesto Bee) buy this website to just let it die?

I look at Fresno famous and it looks great.. advertising, links to the Fresno Bee site. Looks like whom ever does the internet migration down in Fresno has really embraced the purchase and work well with Jarah.

So then we have Modesto Famous... Ruben (Mojo) has never said it to me but it feels like he's kind of getting left out in the cold. Whose responsibility is that? The Modesto Bee, McClatchy or Jarah?

I was there for the first focus group with Jarah when we tried to talk her into building Modesto Famous. I helped design and draw the logo. Now I don't want anything other than what I thought we were building.

This isn't a slight on Ruben (I think he's done a good job) but if Modesto Famous was purchased to die then I think we should start another website. Ruben, you don't even get paid to my knowledge or for what you do, very little.

Modesto Famous Needs:

• Constant content oversight and Management (NOT EDITING)
• Community Advertising (beyond the demographic that it's hit up already)
• Guest bloggers that people will read and comment on
• the Modesto Bee or McClatchy or somebody needs to tell the readers here why we should stay and why just the purchase isn't a reason to leave.

Tell me.. tell the readers and the bloggers.

Submitted by angryf on Fri, 2007-01-26 16:04.
tags: Media | Modesto | Modestofamous modestobee McClatchy
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Modesto Bee

I don't want to see Modesto Famous wither, but unfortunately its new owners have higher priorities right now. I think it's a shame the Modesto Bee can't coordinate with the Fresno Bee, which is doing a great job of taking over Fresno Famous. But until the Mod Bee thinks it has the time or resources to devote to the site, they are going to be hands off.

The platform is built, there's a lot of great content already on here. I think it will be up to the community of readers to decide if they want to continue to post to the site; if they think its a useful tool.

Submitted by jarah on Mon, 2007-01-29 12:20.
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Thanks Jarah...

Thanks Jarah, I appreciate the response and I want to thank you again for creating Modesto Famous as an resource for our community...

The Modesto Bee has responded or at least made a statement in regards to the State of Modesto Famous here:

http://www.modestofamous.com/node/1695

The response by Eric Johnson was somewhat informative and well lets face it the only official response or information since the purchase about Modesto Famous specifically...

Although not exactly a plan or anything more than an effort to maintain the status quo for the time being I understand where he is at in the whole purchase/management situation.

Thanks for the response.

Now for the criticism... err I mean suggestions

For some reason I can't respond to your post.. I think that is against the spirt of Modesto Famous right from the get go.

Second please consider some of my original suggestions when you do implement a management policy.

• Constant content oversight and Management (NOT EDITING)
• Community Advertising (beyond the demographic that it's hit up already)
• Guest bloggers that people will read and comment on
• the Modesto Bee or McClatchy or somebody needs to tell the readers here why we should stay and why just the purchase isn't a reason to leave.

and a few more:

• let your Advertising department sell some adds
• talk about it in the Modesto Bee..

Thank you

Submitted by angryf on Tue, 2007-01-30 13:59.
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Oh, Eric Johnston.....

First of all, "angryf" is right - huge mistake making your post so that others cannot reply. If you knew anything about ModestoFamous or gave a damn about it you would have known that's against everything it stands for. And I guess you've done enough digging behind the scenes of the site to figure out how to do that..block replies that is.

Second, I'm not buying your "popping the hood and checking out the engine," crap. You are owned by the same company who is now successfully running Fresno Famous, why not just ask them how it's done?

Third, you say the "future lies with-in the community" - the community is here and waiting and ready to keep the site going, but that can't happen without SOMEONE updating current events, Famous recommends, weekly photos and Featured Articles, and editing spam. Give a damn about this site enough to delete the spam! It's the same thing as graffiti on your backyard fence to us.

Lastly - What about Mojo?? Uh? No, you can't air dirty laundry, but you could handle yourself more professionally and with a little more dignity. Ever thought of calling Mojo up and being upfront with him, because you post about him HERE, and he has to read HERE instead of hearing from you. This the first news he's had from The Bee in a very long time. HE CARES about this site. Ever thought about truly explaining your situation and asking him to continue a little longer? He's been doing it for virtually free for so long now, a little longer wouldn't have made a difference; but he quit because it became expected of him and he got treated like crap for all his hard work.

WE DON'T care about your "strategic internal reorganization." WE DON'T care about your "limited immediate resources." WE DON'T care about your "back-end technical stuff." WE DON'T care ABOUT YOUR EXCUSES.

What we DO CARE ABOUT is Modesto Famous, and we want to SEE some answers in the works here, soon. WE care about this community and this community deserves a voice.

Submitted by Megan on Tue, 2007-01-30 17:15.
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Lame Response Eric..

My favorite part of Eric's reasoning, "it is my responsibility to be a good steward of our company resources regardless the amount."

Letting Modesto Famous whither on the vine while the Modesto Bee sits in the bureaucratic duldrums is a piss poor use of company resources.

Weak Eric. Very Weak.

Submitted by Famous Guest (not verified) on Tue, 2007-01-30 19:09.
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censoring? ***updated***

I guess every time someone edits a comment that the system sends out a topic notification.. so that what it was...

but from my end I kept getting all these topic notifications and no responses, looked suspicious but I wasn't calling anyone out just trying to figure out what was happening...

this was my post:

why do I keep getting notification responses via email to this post but nothing is appearing? It's like somebody is censoring comments... I don't know that but I've gotten 4 or 5 notification that people have responded to this since the last post and nothing is here?

Submitted by angryf on Tue, 2007-01-30 19:10.
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Mojo

I have known Mojo for a while now and I love what he brings to this site and this community. Without him here doing what he did to make this site what it once once was, it just won't be the same. There has to be a way to make all of this come together. Has anyone called him and just asked him to clean up this mess and at least bring it current? He is a decent guy. I bet that he would be glad to bring it up to date and move forward. I'd hate to see all of this just die. Modesto needs this site and it's fearless leader.

Maybe the people at the Bee don't know it, but Mojo is not the healthiest guy in town. It seems to me like this site breathed as much life into him as he did into it. My girlfriend and I miss him passing out flyers and pins downtown. He cares more about this town than many others and he certainly ranks up there with The Edwards', Murphy, Ricci and all the other people that bust their butts to make this town sing.

Get him back. Give him a few bucks. Please don't take away this site. If you do, resentment will surely follow and hurt you in the long run.

Submitted by Anthony (not verified) on Wed, 2007-01-31 03:55.
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Efren’s take on the Recently not so Famous

Efren’s take on the Recently not so Famous
IM thinking what it might take to create such as this. I will be looking into it just as soon as I get back from Vacation. I have a degree in Computer Science and know a few good people that would most likely want to come aboard on such a project. Those who know me, Know that anything’s is Doable God Willing. I will keep a close eye on what happens here. & yes IM a real big fan of No Censorship and a stickler on putting a face with a name. I Love this site & I would hate for it to just fade out and not give Modesto a Place to See, Hear, or Speak!
Well have to get back to doing this vacation thing.
Adios From Cabo
Efren

Hey Mojo, I will call you when I get back.

Submitted by Efren on Wed, 2007-01-31 09:08.
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Save Famous!

Just got back from being in LA for a while. What happened here? Where is Mojo? Is he alive? This looks like a wasteland. If Mojo is out there....Dude, you need to do something about this!

Submitted by Famous Guest (not verified) on Wed, 2007-01-31 15:02.
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I think Everything was a

I think Everything was a done deal when this site was sold out to the Modesto Bee.. and anybody who criticized the decision were told to either drink the Corporate Kool-Aid or Fuck off.

Submitted by fukglobalization (not verified) on Wed, 2007-01-31 18:58.
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The Bee

Maybe they will come around and see that the people of Modesto found this to be a great site. I have watched this site be promoted by Mojo and his wife and they both really love it. I have never seen another couple walk into the Speakeasy on a Sunday night and actually get respect out of Jay Smith. This was never all Mojo. His wife was a huge factor here too.

Let's put this all back together! Modesto needs Famous to help forget why we are really famous!

Submitted by Sarah B (not verified) on Thu, 2007-02-01 10:03.
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modestoinfamous///?

I saw the myspace note that few been writing in, no new forums. What is up.

So I posted one, and also once the comment thing got fixed, for whatever reason, perhaps clever? readership frustration new feature.

sites like famous, needs some stuff as angryf here notes, also features like his recent energy blog, its' reader and user generated, input from places you don't usually see published in the Bee, where I admit I once worked driving that truck I damaged.

post while you can, but I too was wondering what all the update to my blogs, was it the tags, or what, as I went to check threads i.e. comments to what I posted, and I get them sometimes, and elsewhere, to see what new had come up. Get there, same old blog I'd posted earlier, and some way back there.

That's not popping the hood, that's reformat, which I noticed when I went to email you from the site eric. May I point out there is a sometimes used email post function for subscribers here, but I got some sort of form to come up, using Outlook,which I don't use so I emailed you from my jdc104@yahoo.com email.

This is not the HIVE, nor Chris Murphy's Modestoview.com though I've added notes in both.
This is not welcometoModesto.com this is, or was, open forum genuine bloggerization, artist, people networking type place, and should be kept up that way, as you start editing down, the readership goes away, thus investment and advertising.

if Bee actually into shutting it down, odd......this has been a source of news and discussion of community issues featured in the Bee that has been listened to, read outside modesto as well.

Anyway, let's post them blogs, comments, forum topics, or .....
that Efren, what an idea guy, a new site.....

jim, mercenary graphics. http://360.yahoo.com/jdc104

IN the B93 arguments, I didn't notice, does the Bee own that, or ...

Submitted by jdc104 christiansen on Fri, 2007-02-02 14:28.
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