Havana Times: We’ve Made it to Year Two!
By Circles Robinson
HAVANA TIMES, Oct. 23— We’ve made it to year two of Havana Times, and the online publication has continued to grow both in audience and contributors.
Without any publicity effort, relying on word of mouth and the search engines, the site now occupies an important space in the digital press on Cuba, providing a voice to numerous individuals who care about the island and its future.
Despite the publication now being edited from abroad, plus the communication problems faced by most of the Cuban writers, we have been able to keep pace and actually expand the amount of articles and photos presented.
Havana Times remains visible for the relatively small segment of the population in Cuba that has Internet, as the censors have not classified us as part of the dissident blogger world that gets their sites blocked. E-mail has also proven a good way for readers on the island without Internet to receive our articles and even the posted comments.
In recent months our readership figures include a modest average of 1,600 visits and 4,000 page views per day in English, and 350 visits and 750 page views in Spanish, though the figures have been considerably higher in recent weeks.
We’d like to put out an invitation to Cubans and readers from other countries to join in the debate on different issues regarding Cuba by commenting on articles presented on the website. We do moderate the posts, but only to cull out personal attacks or serious unsubstantiated accusations.
Two years! Keep it up! You’re doing great! No, I won’t place you in the dissident blogger category either. You’re different from the official media, that’s all. Your photos give me an updated view of Cuba and Cubans. My last visit to Havana happened 21 years ago when I was a guest of the Jose Marti Institute of Journalism in Vedado. Havana had looked rosy at that time. Long live the Cuban people!
A belated congratulations to Circles and all the writers, photographers and others who make HT possible. It is essential reading for me, and I am confident your site will continue to grow, both in numbers and in influence. I’ve just returned yesterday from a month (yeah!) in Cuba…and I’m missing it already! Until I can get back again, I depend on HT, its writers and photographers, to tell me what’s going on. At this point I know that I’ll never really understand Cuba (there are too many contradictions), but at least HT helps me to see, “as through a glass, darkly.”
Oye!! I missed the date! Felicidades to all. Lift a cybernetic cup and drink to the health of HT, which sends wafts of street-smells and honest thought pouring out of the screen, not to mention beautiful pictures. A special congratulations to your writers: they feel like friends I have watched grow and mature over these two years.
So glad you’ve survived. Keep it coming.
Circes as for censoring in Cuba..why not..amerikkka does it under the liar POTUS Obama.. The imperialists even listen to thier cits conversations and peek into thier bedrooms..that is why i returned to Cuba..so much for sensoring….Amerikkka needs to cean up its own act…
And u did it regardess of the outsiders who still hope to get a foot in edgewise, force thier sily agenda on us as a free nation and seek the 3 b’s//OL ..i love this site and share it wil al ..I AM CUBA!..GRACIAS CIRCLES AND STAFF
Conragulations.
We are regularly translating articles from your site and publishing in our blog at:
http://lahy.wordpress.com/
Keep up with your good work.
un saludo
Thanks for driving traffic to our HavanaTimes.com where people can read the truth about HavanaTimes.org
Clearly the Cuban government has approved, edited and financed your operation for two years.
Congratulations, Circles. Yours is undoubtedly the best and most balanced web-site about Cuba on the web. I hope that things are going well for you all in Nicaragua
Michael
England
Circles, congratulations to all of you at havanatimes. Best to all.
I am hoping one day soon the Cuban government will understand about the futility of censoring information. People should be able to read all different points of view and to also allow them to pick what point of view they like to listen to.
That is the essence of Freedom.
I share many points of view with some of havanatimes writers and I disagree on many others but that is what it suppose to be. We do not all have to think the same way.
Thanks for some incredible insight on what’s going on in Havana. Great writers and photos makes this
a must read. Stay alive and thrive!
Congratulations, Circles, on this second HT b/day. Thank you for providing a forum for discourse on issues relating to Cuban and world socialism. I honestly don’t know what we all would do without HT, and I hope we never have to find out. My offer to subscribe still goes. With gratitude and great admiration, Grady
Well done HT! As a former journalist of 40 years, I look forward to your publication seeing many more anniversaries.
Journalism is about reflecting what you see and feel in an environment that allows you free expression. Until the Cuban people decide collectively the time has arrived to move to that free environment, the HT and others have a great and responsible part to play in informing the world about Cuba, its people and it massive potential.
Please remain resolute in reporting Cuba as being a proud, independent, creative and caring country. From the UK, our love and admiration.