When I started Tribeca Citizen last spring, I figured that it would grow into whatever it wanted to be. Nine months later, I have a much better sense of what the site can offer—as well as of how much work there is to be done. (That “nine months” seems apt: Having birthed the site, I’m now wondering what I got myself into.)

From the beginning, I hoped that readers would consider the site as their own to such a degree that they’d want to participate in it, the same way that concerned locals tend to a community garden. And I’d like to give a hearty thanks to photographers Asha Agnish (Writing on the Wall, to name just one of her photo essays) and Marcena Hopkins Peterson (Capturing Tribeca), and also to writers Alicia Kachmar (Parking Day), Jennifer Gilbert (party-planning tips), and Marissa Vicario (health and wellness).

But if there’s one great thing about the Internet—besides the ability for kindergarten classmates to hunt each other down on Facebook—it’s that there’s always room for more content. You don’t have to be a “writer”—the important thing is to be curious. Rather than pen an essay, for instance, you could do Q&As with interesting people. You don’t have to be a fine-art photographer; you could take snapshots of open houses. And you don’t have to know what you might want to write about, or photograph, or illustrate—believe me, I have a million ideas. (For one, you could help design a better logo…. Those buildings aren’t Tribeca, and they drive me bananas.) I’d love to get together for a coffee, my treat, to talk about possibilities.

Creating content is just the beginning. Now that the site has an identity, it’s time to get the word out. If you have any ideas about how to do that—if, say, you have an email newsletter you could mention the site in—I’m all ears. I haven’t been ready to make the leap to accepting advertising, but there may be other ways to make such relationship mutually beneficial. Even if you simply forward the newsletter to anyone and everyone, that’s a big help.

Of course, if you do want to advertise, I could make that leap…. At some point, the site will have to accept ads in order to pay for itself. One of the virtues of partnering with a small-but-growing site is that it can be much more creative and nimble about how to make the most of any advertising or marketing. Let’s talk.

Actually, business owners, let’s talk even if you don’t want to advertise. As the site has developed, I’ve become convinced that it should be a conduit between business owners and locals. Businesses may have databases of loyal customers, to whom they send newsletters or with whom they communicate on Facebook, but the challenge, it seems to me, is to build awareness with people who might become loyal customers. I can’t make this point strongly enough (but I’ll try by putting it in boldface, too): If you own a business, please send in any news you have, no matter how small. I’m watching on Facebook and Twitter, and I try to subscribe to any newsletters I come across, but the surest way to get included is to email me at tribecacitizen@gmail.com.

I don’t like asking for help, but the growth—and ultimately, the existence—of Tribeca Citizen depends on other people getting involved. The site is a fun hobby, but at some point I’ll probably get a real job; the sooner Tribeca Citizen can become an entity that can survive without me, the better. So if you’ve enjoyed reading it so far, please take a moment and think about any ways you might contribute. I’m about to take off on vacation, but if you email me, I promise I’ll respond as soon as I’m back.

And if nothing else, thanks for reading!

Erik Torkells
Editor
tribecacitizen@gmail.com