John Poling

As I turn 60 this Xmas, I have been reflecting on the many changes I have seen since founding this paper almost 10 years ago - changes in Portland, in the metaphysical community and in the globalization that is changing the face of our entire planet. As a young person I used to wonder if I would experience the shift to the new millennium and what the future would hold. Having now reached it, I feel the wonder of it all.

In my lifetime I have seen a shift from a gold-backed monetary system to an electronic currency, e-commerce and e-banking over the electronic pathways of the Internet, which has been called the global brain. The implications are enormous, and we have enjoyed keeping up with the latest technologies and meeting both the challenges and opportunities they present.

Already your e-mail address and URL are as important as your street address or phone number. They offer two-way communication from anywhere in the world and have revolutionized the way we work. For most of us, the biggest challenge in making the transition to the "Net" is building a Web Page. Small businesses can't usually afford the luxury of a webmaster/web mistress, so we have recently added a new facility to our online services that we call "Self-Publishing."

This revolutionary feature is an option that you get with Key membership and display ads in LinX - our online directory of Resources for Conscious Living. It will allow you to use our simple template for maintaining your own Web Page on our site. It can be used to list events, workshops, Feature of the Month, Sale announcements, essays, articles and the like. All this, including your Web Page and e-mail address, is available for less than $40 a month. For less than $10 a month you can create your own 3rd party catalog of products and services and offer them over the Internet at www.communityconnexion.com.

2000 was a transition year for us. We changed the look of our paper and revolutionized the functionality of our website. We have integrated all our services so there are cross links to articles, calendar of events and the LinX directory. 2001 will be the year of true publishing on the Internet. Not only do we run all articles from the paper on our website, but we have launched Community ConneXion Online, a free e-mail newsletter with a digest of the latest news in each of our interest areas (see color-coded section in the index on the front cover.) This newsletter service provides more opportunities for us to market your services and to bring you important information at any time. As our online readership approaches 100,000 or more, like our printed edition, we will be developing a competitive rate structure for banners, buttons and e-mail marketing. Currently, we offer hot links from our directory and sectional Web Pages to your e-mail or website.

We have reconfigured the LinX directory to allow you to publish your own ad, and proof it yourself or make changes online at any time. Changes made after we go to press with the annual LinX directory will be reflected in the next edition.

All these innovations are the result of a big investment in research and development, and we are moving, in the New Year, to a new rate structure that more properly reflects our costs. We will be replacing the current 50% members' discount with a new formula. The new rates are effective immediately.

This leaves only to wish all our readers and advertisers all the joys of the Holiday Season, and we look forward to serving you even better in the New Year.