The Inertia is one year old. We got a new logo, a cake with a candle, and some icing...We got it all. It's gonna be a good year.
They said it couldn’t be done. They said the Internet was dead. They said we’d fall flat on our face. They were wrong. Every last one of ‘em.
Just joking. No one really said any of that stuff – at least not to our faces – but I must admit that to be standing here (errr…sitting at a desk with a fluorescent light bulb burning my eyeballs at 1:45 AM) one year later feels like quite an accomplishment, because when we hit the big, red button to go live at about the same twilight hour one year ago, I was scared. I was nervous. I asked my team and myself repeatedly why we felt compelled to do this. It could flop. It could (somehow?) inspire people to hate us. I might never get an assignment for a surf magazine again. But in my view, it needed to be done. I wanted The Inertia to exist so badly that no gloomy financial modeling or impending doubt could obstruct it.
Needless to say, I didn’t sleep very well that night. Too much to do. Too much to think about. Too many emails and calls and visits to make. Too many possibilities. And that’s kind of how every single day since has been. Tack on an inspiring and enthusiastic crew, and it’s been the best. I absolutely love it.
In the beginning, I hoped to combine the best elements of a publication like Rolling Stone with the best aspects of a new media outlet like The Huffington Post. Much like Rolling Stone encouraged debate about global affairs among its base of music fans, we hoped to address surfers as dynamic individuals with broad interests – beyond surfing. Surfing is awesome; don’t get me wrong, but it’s not so interesting in a vacuum. Throw in some music, politics, business, and comedy and we’re talkin’. What can I say? I prefer context, and I also prefer to hear from a more diverse group of contributors than I was used to. Why not democratize surfing’s narrative? While the political bias of an outlet like The Huffington Post has glaring shortcomings, its mixture of citizen/celebrity journalism is brilliant, because it places the onus on ideas – precisely something I wanted to exchange more freely in surf culture. No more muzzles on compelling, complex topics. They’re unnecessary.
Luckily, we’re equal employers of your ideas. You bring the insight; we’ll provide the platform – even if we don’t necessarily agree with you. (Within reason.)
Judging exclusively by the numbers, it’s worked. In the past 365 days, we’ve published 477 stories from 152 contributors. We’ve attracted nearly 1,000,000 page views. We’ve solicited zero dollars from external investors, and we’re on the verge of profitability. (Yes, the business trip to Snapper was worth it. No apologies. I’ll get around to writing about it soon enough. Promise.)
When it comes down to it, watching this community develop has been immeasurably rewarding, and I’m honored to be a part of it. The Inertia’s contributors are posted up all over the world, and your many perspectives make this site exactly what I was hoping it might become. Whether you’re reading this site for the first time, commenting on every article (Stu!!!), or working on your next post for our community to check out, I just want to thank you for being a part of The Inertia. You make it all worth it.
Here’s to another year! -Zach
Also: Be on the lookout for new tee-shirts with our brand-spanking new logo (courtesy of Matt Bauer Designs)! We’ve still got a small number of women’s shirts left (ladiessssss, get after it!) that we’re selling at discount, and if you really love the site, then SUPPORT US and SUBSCRIBE! 20% of your subscription goes to a partner charity of your choice, including: Surfrider Foundation, Save the Waves, Surfers for Cetaceans, and Surf Resource Network.
Thanks again for checking us out, and get some waves!
