Tomorrow will be my last day serving as the Executive Editor of Sayfie Media and an Associate of NetPower Strategy. I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity of serving in these two organizations with the talented teams that make up both, making my decision to move on all that more difficult.
I am very proud of the work that has been accomplished at Sayfie Media and NetPower Strategy over the past year-and-a-half. During my time as the first Executive Editor of Sayfie Media, traffic to SayfieReview.com has increased more than 25% and advertising revenue is at an all-time high. Earlier this year, SayfieReview.com was named one of the Best Florida Political Blogs by the Washington Post. In 2008, the Sayfie Review was awarded ITFlorida’s first-ever Excellence in Web 2.0 award for our cutting-edge integration of social media. Our presence on Facebook and Twitter as well as our Sayfie Review TwitterRoom continue to serve as standard-bearers for online news organizations in Florida. On Election Day 2008, we pulled off a first in Florida history by broadcasting live streaming reports from voting precincts across Florida via cell phone video cameras. In the past year-and-a-half, Sayfie Media has launched 3 new sites (SayfieBusiness.com, SayfieReview.tv and SayfieBusiness.tv) and undergone massive re-designs of SayfieNews.com and SayfieReview.com.
It is humbling to see how far Sayfie Media has come since Justin Sayfie launched SayfieReview.com in 2002. The success of what some have called the "Sayfie Media empire" is a testament to Justin Sayfie's vision, brilliance and dedication as well as the incredible team of Editors that I have had the privilege of working with. I have been honored to spend the last year-and-a-half learning from one of the internet's leading thinkers and entrepreneurs and will be forever grateful for the opportunities Justin has opened up to me.
As many of you know, this past July marked a significant change in my life as I entered into marriage. In an effort to spend more time with my wife, I have decided that now is the time for a change of pace, leading me to accept a position with a family business in Tampa where I will begin work immediately.
Many of you have already asked me whether or not I will continue to be a voice for promoting online engagement in the Republican Party through Twitter (@JordanRaynor) and this blog. My answer is an emphatic yes! Over the past few months, I have received numerous invitations to speak on the internet's role in politics and journalism today. I have even been encouraged by close friends to consider developing my recent piece on "online footprints" into a book. In the coming weeks, I will be evaluating these options and informing you on the progress of them on Twitter and this blog. For the very latest from my blog, be sure to subscribe either by RSS or email.
The past year-and-a-half has been an amazing period of my career. Thank you to all of you who have helped make it an experience I will never forget.
