Many of you have chosen to support Wally's Weather over the year through various means, and two of those options are the Big and Small Shout. Many of you started this support almost a year ago and the time is approaching where you will decide to either make your support a one off or add another year.
I want to let you know the difference you have made this year.
First we saw the new board game Dam Filler. This game provides a gamified approach to learning about the weather. I was also able to give those who bought the first edition a free year Big Shout.
We went from a monthly forecast that not many people read to a valuable tool for business, and added a long range forecast that looks over 6 months in advance. These take a lot of time to update and maintain.
A daily forecast that is available to all that is also emailed out to all that sign up. This provides a useful historical record as well. The hours spent on this have been endless but the readership has continued to grow.
Plain English explanations of specific events like Cyclone Jasper / Kirrily where complex forecasts have been explained in a way that all can follow. Such as my drawing in synoptic charts to explain why Jasper made the moments it made.
Gathering information using paid apps and providing details in a form that can be digested easily.
Run several Get Ready Townsville and similar events to provide free information and give aways to the community. (Thanks Wally II for stepping in for one)
Put together a number of items for those that would like to support in other ways such as the Calendar, Photobook, Puzzles etc.
Connected people during crisis such as preparing for Jasper.
Provided some one on one support to individuals who are new to the region and unsure what to expect.
Prepared educational workshops for kids and adults who want to learn the basics.
And so much more that you don't see. While my family (and one or two hard core supporters) are a massive support and step in during the busy times, the rest of the time it is just me. No moderators or administrators.
We have a unique community that doesn't need to overstate to exist, we don't need to divide on opinion and we have zero tolerance for troll behaviour. And it now appears to be rubbing off onto other sites that realise that fear is the way to the dark side.
So for those who are coming up to their anniversary, I ask that you consider what could be achieved with another year of your support, be it a Small or Big Shout. And if you feel you have given all the support you can, you can cancel when you wish to. This may cost, but I want to approach this with full transparency.
Thanks again and I look forward to continuing this journey together.
Wally
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