After publishing a few articles about the importance of a businesses website we ran through a self assessment and determined it was time for some improvements.  What we came up with is a format that is easier to read, cleaner and  more contemporary.

The month of October saw a great spike in traffic for us, akin to the spike in tourism that Salem sees each Halloween season.  Our pages were served up to over a quarter of a million people and we were just too busy.  Now that things have calmed down a bit we are going to focus on some items we let slip by us.  Look for some new resource pages, and some unique advertising around town.  Also in the works a series of historically based articles, another photo contest and if things work out a new dining critic, who many of you already know and love.

With all that being said, we aren’t going to forget our roots – being the insiders guide to restaurants, bars, nightlife, shopping and living in Salem Massachusetts.

gone fishin'

Thought I would have access while I’m away on a short vacation.  That is not the case.  Fret not dear readers, someone is working on the weekend post and we have a bunch of fun stuff in store for you next week.

In other news.

Another photo contest will be announced later this week.  We are getting a good prize pack together, if you are interesting in working with us,  drop us a line.

A few authors have expressed interest in doing guest posts.  Look for some coming soon.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the most recent poll.  We were right on target with the age range expected.  Your help will make for better articles and information of interest to you.  Thanks again.

TheSalemInsider.com Summer Internship Program

TheSalemInsider.com seeks undergraduate & graduate applicants for our 2008 Summer Internship Program. Interns will work in all areas — account service, public relations, field reporting and op-ed. Applicants are required to submit writing samples and photography / graphic design knowledge is a plus.

A summer intern will work with a blog author or contributor and be responsible for publishing a minimum of one article per week. Ideal candidates will be 21+, residents of Salem, have general working knowledge of blogging, have an interest in music or the arts; as reporting on Salem’s night life is a major focus.

2008 Summer Internship Timeline

• 4/24 – 5/17 Applicants are required to contact us with small bio and writing samples (no more than 3 can be in word format or links to online samples)
• 5/18 – 5/24 Finalists are interviewed
• 6/9 Internship program starts
• 8/15 Internship program ends

To apply or for more information contact us.

With a tear in my eye and sequins on my dress I rise to the podium to thank you all. We at TheSalemInsider.com have been busting butt to deliver some quality information about Salem Massachusetts. We try to keep you informed as to what’s happening where and if its worth it to go here or there.

Today our efforts are getting noticed. Fellow blogger and Salem resident, Rippin-Kitten gave us the big E, This Blog is Rated E for Excellent. It is our duty to hold on to this, live up to its standards and then pass it on.

Thanks Rippin-Kitten from all of us at,

TheSalemInsider.com

Our latest addition is the Restaurant Review Map. With this handy page you can see a list of all the restaurants we have reviewed, where they are in town, a quick line about each place and a link to the full review.

Check it our and let us know what you think.

You may remember that back in October we had a crash and lost a bunch of data. Looking back at the numbers it appears that our misfortune shook things up and worked out for the best. The average daily readership went up 120% from six months ago, with some weeks spiking into the 10,000+ mark. In the same time our RSS feed has had a 400% increase in readership.

Our design is continually if not slowly getting where we want it and a heavier emphasis has been put on photographs. One reason pictures have been so relevant is due to the number of out-of-town visitors this site gets. Almost 62% people who read this blog are from outside this area, many it appears are tourists interested in where to stay and what to do in Salem. The remaining almost 38% are locals interested in the latest restaurant reviews and events.

Top read posts for the past six months were:

• Cafe Graziani restaurant review
• The coffee connection
• Staying in Salem

We are devoted to continually giving you reviews and updates of what is happening in Salem from an unbiased point of view. We welcome your feedback and suggestions and look forward to making the next six months even better than the last.

I have had a ton of other projects to attend to and playing with the code here just got shifted down the priority list. Now that Halloween season is back and I am fielding all sorts of questions from tourists about what the Salem Insiders do and where they go, I have no choice but to suck it up, start fresh and give this blog a kick-start. I will retrieve all the old posts and try to archive them, in the mean time however, things are going to change.

With Version 2.0 of the Salem Insider Blog, things will be slightly less structured than before. You will still get the great content and inside scoop on what to do, where to go and how life is in the Witch City but some new features will be added as well. I’m going to be featuring more photographs of Salem and people have asked me to do a Q&A section. Please stay with me during this metamorphosis and offer up your opinions, suggestions and questions.

Soon we will all be Salem Insiders.