Howdy SJFS friends!
I’m going to try something a little different in 2026. While I have spent considerable time and energy building a powerful community on Facebook, it’s time to “take it back,” so to speak. As the community has burgeoned to over 220,000 members, it became clear to me that the personalization aspect is almost non-existent now. The whole purpose when I created the group over 7 years ago, was to build a close-knit community of food and dining enthusiasts in our region. A way we could connect over our common interest and share our favorites!
While that was wholly successful, it was almost too successful; and it’s now daresay even “too big.” It functions more as a broadcast group than as a true, unified and supportive community. The group will always be there. It’s become a valued resource and certainly still serves a vital purpose – shining a bright spotlight on our wonderful food scene and featuring small businesses. But I want to get back to the basics of what a real community should be!
I will be rolling out a few new things this year. They are in various stages of development, but all with one goal in mind: bring the community together closer than ever without all the noise and clutter that other social media platforms have.
The first thing I am doing is focusing on my mailing list and newsletter. While I will still be sharing news stories here on my website, the Substack will be a place we can foster a deeper connection, and return to the basics of the community I originally built.
It will also be a place to get news and information directly in your email, instead of being buried due to an insane amount of clutter, or an algorithm never even showing you. This became an big issue last year when important announcements about the community were never seen! This was especially evident when a community event occurred and hundreds of people never even knew it was going on, they only learned about it after the fact and felt sad they missed it. I don’t want that to happen again.
Additionally, this has been a surefire way to communicate updates in the Frequent Diner program, which will be expanding this year to include more events, giveways/contests, and other exclusive offers and benefits. Also, when new participating businesses are added, it will be directly communicated and you won’t miss any of notifications.
And frankly, all of this started because I’m a writer, reporter, and freelance journalist. Running a hugely large group took me away from what got me started in the first place. I am a storyteller at heart, and I feel like I was pulled away from that. And don’t get me started on AI. You can Google pretty much everything and then Google basicially gives you the story right in Google. It takes the reporters and storytellers — you know, humans! — out of the equation!
If you support storytelling, yearn for something beyond the din of the usual Facebook clatter, and want to be a part of something bigger, please subscribe to the Substack.
Thank you and more news coming soon!
SJFS is dedicated to food, dining, restaurants, and drinking in South Jersey. Got a news tip? Email southjerseyfoodscene@gmail.com.