We, the Daily Planet, held our second Board of Directors meeting on April 21, 2024, where we discussed next steps in legitimizing the publication as a self sustaining news organization.
2024 marks a decade since the Daily Planet first began on Twitter as a fan-driven, fiction-filled news source for happenings in the DC Universe and we’re celebrating by establishing the publication in the real world.
We conducted our first ever meeting in January where our Board of Directors was officially established and a plan of action was generated. As a group, we decided the best course of action for growing the Daily Planet into a reputable news source readers can trust and be a part of.
At January’s meeting, we decided to share every update possible. We also plotted out growth, content strategy, copyright and legality, as well as establishing a new distinguishable brand.
Our quarterly meetings are designed to keep me, the establishing Editor-in-chief, in check. They’re designed to assist me in boosting the Planet while I also work a fulltime job. And it’s working.
The second quarterly meeting was held at my apartment in Downtown, Minneapolis. Let’s explore what we’ve discussed at this previous meeting.
Board name change
The first item on our agenda at this second quarterly meeting of 2024 was a name change. It was previously established that we’d call ourselves the Daily Planet Board of Directors but decided to retitle after discussions with Chief Business Strategist & Board Member Ellie Gerst and Executive Editor & Board Member Brianna Taggart.
The new moniker for our group of establishers will be the Daily Planet Board of Creators. The reason for this change is simple: none of us is making any money. The Daily Planet Board is entirely made up of volunteers and we felt that the previous title would imply
Successes
The Daily Planet has published every day so far, a feat never done at this publication. This is due, in part, to our new Content Calendar, which was created and was followed consistently. We have also seen a constant flow of multimedia posts published to the site — podcasts, galleries, videos and podcasts to name a few.
Superman landing page: 2025 is going to be a major year for Superman, and we’re preparing for it. Our source of inspiration is no secret. We strive to be just like the Daily Planet from DC Comics, and that includes Superman coverage. So we created a special Superman-only page for all the super-nerds to indulge in.
Daily Planet Archive: I’ve been working on archiving all past interpretations of the Daily Planet in one convenient place. This past quarter saw the largest expansion of our ever-growing archive project.
Website traffic: The Daily Planet website saw a major boost in viewership in the past 90 days. Specifically, we saw a 255.8% boost compared to the previous 90 days. According to our analytics, the viewership in the first three months of 2024 have surpassed all of 2023, which was previously our top year number wise.
Social media: In the last 90 days, the Facebook page gained new followers, with a reach of 6.3K (a decrease of 48.2%) and 605 views (an increase of 9.6%). On Instagram, there has been a gain of new followers over the past 90 days. The reach has increased significantly by 259.5% to 4.6K, and there have been 411 views, indicating a 49.5% increase.
There is no way to track data, but Threads has had similar growth. Pinterest saw 38K monthly views. During the past 84 days (12 weeks), TikTok gained 23 new followers and experienced a reach of 9.3K (+209%), with 11.2K video views (+220.27%).
Failures
Even though the first quarter for the Daily Planet’s year of creation saw many successes, it also faced a few failures. Our Online Edition consistency faltered, our Newsroom Meetings ceased and I failed to dig up any research on legal avenues for establishment. I also failed to consistently publish on social media.
Second Quarter Goals
Our second quarter goals are simple. We plan to grow our presence physically. We’ll have more physical media such as printed works and merch circulating the planet. We’ll also be joining in on some events to grow our communities.
The Daily Planet has volunteers and content contributors from around the globe. If each one shares the Planet with their communities, we’ll become internationally recognized. So, to do this, I intend to send brand packages to those outside the Minneapolis metropolitan area.
As for the metro, we plan on reporting and attending every event possible throughout the Summer in an effort to connect with our home base.
In order to do this we will be campaigning on behalf of the brand at local events. We’ll share who we are as we report on the things happening in Minneapolis, or wherever we are as a team.
Rebrand Underway
One of the major points brought up at this second meeting was rebranding. We need to become more of a separate entity while still holding on to our source of inspiration—Superman.
I’m in talks with friend and designer extraordinaire, Becka Kottke, on what a rebrand would entail. She’s a trustworthy artist capable of great things and I’m excited to share any new developments from her in the coming months.
Rebrands take time and research, so this task won’t be completed until the Daily Planet becomes a business. Expect lots of polls and articles exploring what the audience may want as we develop our new look! Updates are coming.
As we continue to press on through this inaugural year for the Daily Planet, we continue to see great strides in developing it as a structured, self-sufficient publication.
In the times of fear and confusion, the job of informing the public was the responsibility of the Daily Planet, a great minneapolitan newspaper whose reputation for clarity and truth had become a symbol of hope for the city of Minneapolis.
A paraphrased quote from “Superman: The Movie” (1978)
The Planet’s trajectory towards establishing itself as a beacon of hope within this universe of uncertainty is truly inspiring. As we embrace this pivotal role, our unwavering dedication to integrity and truth brings renewed hope to a little boy’s dream. My dream.
In a world often shrouded by deceit or information overload, the Daily Planet serves as a powerful symbol of resilience and strength, embodying the essence of responsible and uplifting journalism. I can’t wait for you all to be a part of it.
