At Ragan we feel we're having a kind of Renaissance—a frantic Renaissance that teeters on the edge of a budgetary crisis—as we gradually transform our basic product from dusty, musty monthly newsletters to sprightly, daily, interactive articles on Ragan.com.

But it's paying off, if not yet in massive riches, in a feeling of immediacy (write the article today, see it appear tomorrow morning, watch comments gather throughout the day) and in the sheer fun of innovation. The young sons of a friend think it's unbelievable that "Uncle Murr" has a TV show! So does Uncle Murr.

And it's paying off in comments we hear from our readers. "You've really upgraded your offerings," people say.

That's nice to hear—especially in a world, and in a U.S. economy where it seems nobody is upgrading their offerings.

At the grand old Mayflower Hotel last week—where my grandfather once stayed, when it was brand new, in the 1920s—I looked forward to requesting my first wake-up call, cozy in my memory that, with your wake-up call they always asked you if you wanted free coffee or tea delivered at that hour, and whether you wanted the USA Today or the Washington Post.

"Seven thirty, coffee, and the Post," I always answered, with a special emphasis on "the Post", to let the hotel employee know she wasn't dealing with a total Midwestern clodhopper.

But this year? No free coffee, no Washington Post option. And, insult of all insults, an automated wake-up call system that requires me to punch in the time I'd like to wake up.

It's good to be part of something that's changing, rather than something that's just hanging on.