Who Signs My Paycheck?

Running KIC, especially now, has its ups and downs. Enough ups and downs to make Diamondback look like the Kings Island and Miami Valley Railroad. One thing in particular that seems to be a burden that will never go away is the mentality that we have some sort of special relationship with the park.

I wasn't too surprising when someone sent me a link to a web site in which someone on their forums claimed to have inside information about KICentral and how we're actually associates of the park, sit in on board meetings and violate Cedar Fair's "fairness act" by getting more attention than other web sites.

All of the claims above are in fact NOT true. I've never been an associate of the park. Some of my staff members have or are, but never to the extent of being any type of decision makers. We're talking rides associates and Haunt SCAREactors exclusively. If that was some sort of violation of Cedar Fair's policies then I was never made aware of them, and neither have they.

We sit in on board meetings? Not true at all. In fact, due to the structure of the company if I was some sort of board member and I claimed otherwise it would be a crime.

Cedar Fair's "Fairness Act"? Oh please. That doesn't even constitute a response if you ask me.

This whole cencept isn't new. People have made claims about KIC and its origins for many years... since back in the Paramount days. I remember getting a PM when we were only about a year into the project with someone claiming that they knew the "secret of KIC" in which Dane and I were actually Jeff Siebert and Maureen Kaiser... I'm not joking about that one.

One time I was leaving the park after the nightly fireworks and I overheard a group of people discussing different elements of the park. Someone brought up KIC. One person said that the reason why KIC is so successful is because Dane and I played for the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks when Don was their PR guy in 1997-2004. I kept my mouth shut. Hearing that was one of the funniest things I had ever heard. The ironic part is, I used to be at all of the Ducks games... as a fan. I didn't even meet Dane until 2003, a year before the Ducks disbanded.

I guess you want to know the truth. The truth is actually very anticlimactic. Sorry to disappoint, but here to goes:

We do this for fun. That's it! We do have a signed contract with Cox publishing in which they link to us from all of their local papers, and we do generate a little revenue from that but all of that money goes directly back into the site. It's how we fund things like sponsoring a kid from A Kid Again for the First Rider Auction, or supplementing the cost of the Offseason Blues Party in order to make it only $6 so anyone could afford it in the midst of a recession, or paying top dollar for a server that will run quickly even when there are thousands of people exploring KIC, or even hiring graphic designers to make the graphics that make KIC what it is.

Every day I'm a little more blown away by the success of KIC. You guys have no idea, really.

Back in February, the park contacted me and asked how the KICentral Universe would respond to the First Rider Auction. I didn't have an answer for them at the time. The truth is I had no idea. The morning of the actual first rides, I was blown away by how many faces I recognized. It was absolutely moving to see that we put something in front of the KIC community to the tune of, "Hey guys -- the park really wants you to be associated with this, so we're calling on you." and the reaction was tremendous.

The key to success in this community (or 'fan site' as it is so commonly inappropriately categorized) is the contribution of each and every one of you. I know, I know... I've said that a million times before and it's almost a cliche' now, but it's true. I am very proud of the accomplishments of myself and my staff, but the thing that sets KIC apart from a 'nice to know' web site to a captivating trend-setting empire is the total commitment and activism of so many members.

So what now? KIC members have nothing but excitement in the future. As the community grows, so does our ability to do more. One thing that you'll notice about KIC is that there's always something 'going on' -- big or small. Sometimes it's easy - everyone was made happy with Diamondback updates all offseason, but now the dust has settled and most people have ridden it. That's when we kicked in the t-shirt contest. That's something that will be a lot of fun for the community and a great way to represent the site and shake a few hands during Ride Warriors Coaster Weekend -- and I PROMISE, the details are coming soon!!!

Until Next Time,
Ryan "BoddaH1994" Suhr
From Under the Black Hat