Updated 16 August 1998 URL is
http://our.tentativetimes.net/mission.html
If you are stuck in someone else's frame,
What's Our Tentative Times All About?
Once upon a time I was asked to make a magazine.... I'm Sandra Weinhardt, editor and writer here, photographer and proofreader here, advertising department and graphics bumbler here.
Although much of these magazines are written by a peacock named Otto, it is
the duty of the editor to formulate a mission statement. This I did at the
behest of the publisher, who had a right to know what he was letting himself
in for, or for what he was letting himself in. Nope, that ends with a
preposition too. He wanted to know what the heck Otto might do.
With no idea of what a mission statement is, I poured forth my dreams.
OTTO MISSION STATEMENT
I envision a magazine with appeal to several distinct groups.
One is the Bluffton expatriates, far flung alumni and people who lived here for any reason at any time. This is almost a full-time job, so I hope to get people to submit sports and maybe other coverage. I cannot replace Jim Barbieri.
A second is my music-world friends who have brought me so much joy. I will continue to cover the bands and individuals who make my life bright. I expect that this will give these bands exposure to people who would not have heard of them.
A third goal is to incorporate diversity whenever I can. It has been difficult living as an outsider in an all-white ultra-super-conservative community. Few of those conservatives will read Otto. The few who do will find a lot to complain about. But nothing will be tasteless, or meant to shock instead of inform. There will be no vulgarity except the vulgarity of the tyrant who feels he must impose his beliefs on everyone else.
A fourth goal is to bring some levity into this world. Tasteful levity.
A fifth goal is to inform, to bring the causes I care about to the attention of some other people. Otto would be a conduit for good causes.
A sixth goal is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, as all people of social conscience try to do. People in their uncaring cocoons need to be reminded of others less fortunate.
Seventh, I want to share my sheer delight in leadsleds and other custom cars. Sure, there are lots of car pages on the Internet. But Otto’s autos are local. When a family has put that much money into a project, they enjoy showing it off.
Eighth, I’d like to stay true to myself, not pretend to know what I don’t know, and not spend too much of my time on screamingly dull topics. I intend to spend no time at all on sports. Others can write that, and I’ll edit the spelling a bit if necessary, and get it posted fast.
Ninth, I want to give a voice to students. They may have computers in their schools, but that ghettoizes them. They should be able to express themselves in our magazine just as adults do.
Tenth, if a mission statement can go on this long, is to bring awareness of Gene Stratton-Porter to more people, locally and even internationally. She is a treasure. The letters I receive from Porter fans are incredible. She is truly an influence for good.
Eleventh, because there is a huge demand for information about James Dean, and because I get so much email about my Dean pages, I want to continue to bring my local slant on Dean to the Internet. I don’t know or care about Dean’s California and New York years. I am interested in how the town turned its back on him for so many long years. (Not that I'd dare phrase it that way, of course.) I seem to bring a fresh view to James Dean, a new attitude. I didn’t know much about him when I began the Dean section, but what I have learned has impressed me, especially the loyalty and good character of his fans. They are delightful people.
Twelfth, in staying true to myself I hope to avoid having to cover politics since I'm so opinionated. Since I'm only one person with limited time in a day, and limited time left on earth at my age, I prefer to use my mind for positive purposes, to encourage what I feel will be best for the human race. Or at least have some fun with the magazines.
I guess I see myself as Molly Ivins, if I have to boil it down to one sentence. Presumptuous of me, but you gotta have a dream. There is no way I will put a 13 in my mission statement, so this is the end. That’s all she wrote.
Sandra Weinhardt, Editor-in-Chief and proud of it, flaws and all.
Advertise in Otto so you can find new customers and we can hire a real graphics person!
Here is a link back to the opening page you may have ported here from.
