Letter to the Editor <br /> <br /> The Changing Face of Downhome<br /> <br /> There has been a decided change recently in the face of the Downhome publication. In the past the publication relied heavily on input from the general public via submissions to its webpage, which was clearly at the root of its huge success. More of the content is now coming from staff writers and contracted writers. The various categories of submissions on the website are not so heavily relied on now, and one has to wonder where that leaves the webpage as a vehicle of input from the reading public. Many questions arise. Will the webpage cease to be the important vehicle of communication with the readers it once was? If the readership feels that its input is no longer relevant will they loose interest in submitting to the website? If this happens will this eventually mean the demise of the website as we know it? One example of this is the recent decision to discontinue publishing poetry in the publication because of a perceived lack of interest by the readership. For those readers who followed that genre it was obviously a disappointment. I for one who submitted my poetry regularly to the website was faced with the decision to continue to do so or not. <br /> <br /> I think what made the publication so successful in the past was its intimate contact with the readership, who felt that they were involved in its production. The recent decision has removed this relationship from the equation. One has to wonder now what the final effect will be down the road as the publication continues to evolve. <br /> <br /> I wish the publication every success as it continues to evolve.<br /> <br /> Sincerely<br /> <br /> John Cornick<br /> Halifax, Nova Scotia<br />   Submitted By: John Cornick