Summary: Since November 2007 readers of the FM website have made 5.6 million page views on our 3,000+ posts, to which people have made 37,000 comments. The FM website has become an extensively cross-indexed machine on which one can find information and forecasts on a wide range of political and geopolitical subjects (see the right-side menu bar). It’s time to ask “why bother?”
The FM website contains a wide range of content. Much of this is journalism, in-depth investigation of topics lightly or poorly covered by the news media. That includes large subjects such as climate change, events such as this year’s Ebola and the 2009 Swine Flu epidemics, and narrow stories such as the 2010 Raymond Davis affair and last year’s fear of a super monster El Nino. We also do analysis of large-scale trends, such as our mad foreign empire — and its associated wars — and the 3rd industrial revolution now beginning.
But the FM website differs from other informational websites, which usually have a fixed political perspective but no obvious goal.
Consider Naked Capitalism. It provides a daily list of links to interesting stories plus articles giving long-form analysis. But what’s their goal? The About Page says N.C. is “an effort to promote critical thinking.” Since it provides a carefully filtered diet of information comfortable to Leftists, I doubt that it does so.
I’ve read N.C. daily for years (imo it’s a must-read). My best guess is that it provides entertainment for American’s version of the outer party, middle-rank functionaries in our corporate, government, non-profit, and academic bureaucracies. We read it and feel informed, giving us a feeling of vicarious participants. That’s an oxymoron, as we ‘re powerless participants. We have become subjects, not citizens.
Here you’ll find information and insights that challenge both Left and Right (see both sides squeal in the comments), with the goal of encouraging readers to participate in our politics — at any level, in any way — and help us regain control of America (20% of our readers are outside the US). Most posts end with some kind of exhortation or message. Fifty posts (so far) discuss ways to organize and help reform America; although these get few hits (after all, our disinterest in working our political machinery is our greatest problem).
Learn about the FM website’s politics here.
We’ve done very well if evaluated by the accuracy of our journalism and predictions: see the correct ones and the misses. We’ve done poorly as measured by the growth in our audience: our peak year was 2009 with 2,900/day (1.1 million total), and we’re doing 2,800/day now — publishing twice a day. Perhaps we should write the posts differently. Should we add humor or sex? Make them shorter or more dramatic?
We’ve done badly as measured by our impact: I doubt we’ve influenced many people — and perhaps influenced none.
My guess about major weakness is that we don’t belong to any of America’s tribes, and so have no natural audience. Americans run like trains on rails (trains for the Left, the Right, Greens, the religious, the Libertarians, the techies, etc). Here we hold up large signs for the people on the trains to read. It’s not an effective mode of communication.
Please tell us in the comments how you think we’re doing. What do you like? Dislike? Your suggestions for improvements in our content are especially valuable (there’s little we can do about the software). Also, if you like our work, consider hitting the tip jar (on the right-side menu bar).
For More Information about the FM website
- How accurately did the we forecast events in 2011?
- The 2014 report card for the FM website. What were the top hits?
- Re-envisioning the FM website, becoming soldiers in the war for American’s future.
