It took us some time again, but we made it through with this issue as well, the first of 2011 and the first of the new decade! As you can see, having looked all the way back to this page, our friends in the community showed up once more, and we got a good number of ads which will help us keep publishing for a few more months. We are seriously contemplating doing another issue in February so that we can remind you of our presence without a gap until March. Right now, we are exhausted and happy. Although the number of pages is the same as January last year, the number of ads is higher, and that makes a big difference.
My purpose is not to make an open estimation of revenues this time or to show off saying how good we did, because there is always more to be done, and we need many things to improve before we can express deep satisfaction and relax in any sort of professional security. However, from the beginning NEO has been a project in direct communication with its readers who happen to be its major supporters as well. It’s this relationship that enables us to be so open and straightforward with you, in good or in not so good times.
This year we are going to work hard not to just keep publishing beautiful issues, but to take NEO to the next level. When we started out, four and a half years ago, although we all agreed on a basic formation for this magazine, each one of us had his own, particular idea, of how the publication should look and what kind of purpose would it serve. In my mind, I came to formulate the shape of something like an American Greek Vanity Fair kind of magazine, one that would feature thoughtful and provocative stories, offering at the same time glimpses at the social aspect of our people’s lives here in the US. With many ups and downs, I think that, within very strict limitations, we have managed to tilt in that direction. And by constantly improving, more and more people, even skeptical ones, have come to at least appreciate what we are trying to do. And that is a very important first step, in order to go, as I said before, to the next level. That means establishing this publication on a more professional and secure basis, giving it the financial support it requires in order to blossom. Already, people have expressed interest in joining the effort as investors and hopefully their words will convert into deeds, because it really doesn’t take a huge financial commitment to turn an already successful project into a much bigger one. We will keep you posted as the story unfolds, and hopefully you will keep supporting us as we move forward. We are optimistic because we know what we can do, and we have come to know what you can do as well!
Happy NEO Year to all!
