1st Anniversary Issue
It’s been one year since we launched Dunnellon Online, and I thought I would evaluate its successes and failures in its inaugural year.
Any such evaluation would be incomplete without first examining the goals and objectives that motivated the introduction of the site. I will attempt to list the original goals, followed by my take on how successful we have been in achieving them. It has been a tumultuous year, in more ways than one.
So, why would someone spend several hundred dollars on web hosting and software to serve such a small community as Dunnellon? Just what were the motivations?
Clearinghouse
In the beginning, it was our intention to become a place where neighbors could meet in cyberspace, to share opinions and get to know their fellow Dunnellonites. To that end we launched The Back Fence, our online forum. With a few exceptions, it was an absolute failure. While the site was receiving over a thousand visitors per month, registration in the forum stagnated.
As I tried to evaluate the slow progress of the forum, I came up with dozens of reasons why it was not catching on. People were busy. People liked to read the site, but didn’t want to belong to an online forum. People were afraid of retaliation from the Regime. I had failed to advertise the site. I had failed to make the forum interesting. Take your pick. The fact was that after an initial surge, nobody was joining the forum, and only a few were posting. Never having done anything like this before, I mostly blamed my inexperience, and resolved to improve the forum.
Then came the spammers.
First, it was the investment scams, then the Viagra scams, then came the spybots and the data miners. The clincher was when the pornographers showed up. As fast as I could delete their posts and ban their IP addresses, they were back. Finally, some demonic creature posted material dealing with child pornography. Last straw. I shut it down immediately. The fires of hell could not burn hot enough for these “people”.
We have not totally abandoned the idea of a forum, but we have gone to more secure software, and hope to have the new forum up shortly. We plan on advertising Dunnellon Online, and hopefully, it will grow. It will require input from the readers, however. When the forum is back online, I invite you to join and share your life and opinions with the rest of us.
Politics – March 2006
One year ago the state of politics in Dunnellon resembled the Politburo of the old Soviet Union days. The Party Chairman made the decisions, and they were rubber-stamped by the Commissars. Dissent was put down through various means, including the punitive use of the Code Enforcement department. Anyone with the temerity to speak up against the Regime at meetings was heckled, ridiculed, or both. There was a climate of fear in Dunnellon, evidenced by the reluctance of people to respond to my early inquiries. People had been intimidated by this Regime, and even more. Those in the know will understand what I’m talking about.
Initially, I had no intention of becoming active in politics in Dunnellon. As a non-resident, I could not vote in city elections. However, I did have an abiding love for the Rainbow River, and wanted to see it preserved. In addition, after seeing how other non-residents, or “outsiders” were treated at City Hall when they voiced their concerns on issues that affected them, I was appalled. Attempts to illicit information from council members and staff were totally ignored, repeatedly. The one notable exception, of course, was Mrs. Hilton. She alone possessed that most elusive quality in a politician – class.
Politics – March 2007
One year later, there is an entirely new City Council in Dunnellon. There is a new City Manager. The Comprehensive Plan is under review and will be changed to protect the quality of life in Dunnellon. There is a moratorium on development in the offing, which will give the city time to asses its needs as they relate to all future development. There is a real possibility that the State will purchase a large portion of the Rainbow River shoreline, protecting it for future generations. I would like to think that D.O. had a small part in this accomplishment, but it was mostly due to some dedicated citizens stepping up to the plate and fighting against the Regime. We did what we could to expose the abusive arrogance of the Regime, usually through satire. We also offered an alternative to the local newspaper, whose editor, while well-meaning, was still accountable to the Chronicle group, who never met a developer they didn’t like.
These are major accomplishments, and represent a welcome step forward for Dunnellon’s future. There is still much more to be done, but at least now people can voice their opinions without being threatened or intimidated. There is awareness on the Council’s part that what happens in City Hall also affects those who live in Rainbow Springs, the Hills of Ocala, Rainbow Lakes Estates, and all of the other outlying areas.
Epilogue
In the last year, we have had some successes and some failures. It has been difficult trying to keep the site going while working five days a week and attending to other unrelated duties. I have not had as much time to write as I would have liked. We have not been able to attend as many meetings as we would have liked, or interview as many people as we had intended.
Still, it has been a rewarding experience, indeed a learning experience, and we have met some great people we are now proud to call friends. We look forward to growing Dunnellon Online into the kind of site the town can be proud of, and being a service to all those who love Dunnellon.
We thank you for reading this unadulterated drivel, and hope you will join us in trying to preserve the small-town charm and quality of life that drew us here years ago.
Bob & Penny Burke 
Dunnellon Online