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Posts Categorized as "Bloggers We Love"

21
Dec 10

Attention Must Be Paid to Such a Neighborhood

Posted by Esther Brown in Bloggers We Love / General — View Comments

Sophie's: The Bar That Started It All. Image: AHistoryOfNewYork.com.

Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing the anonymous blogger (aka ‘E.V.G.’) behind E.V. Grieve , a hyperlocal blog that covers the East Village neighborhood here in New York City. As we spoke, I found myself hearing echoes of that famous monologue from Arthur Miller’s classic play, ‘Death of Salesman,’ (about how attention must be paid to a man upon his death, even if he wasn’t a famous man or a rich man) and I couldn’t help but think about the monologue in the context of the East Village and all the changes its seen in the last half-century.

If you’re at all familiar with New York City, you know that it’s not only “The City That Never Sleeps,” but that it’s also a city that’s constantly in flux? perhaps the most reliably constant thing in New York is change itself. The East Village is no exception to this phenomenon, as Wikipedia notes:

The East Village […] was once generally considered to be part of the Lower East Side, but began to develop its own identity and culture in the 1960s, when many artists, musicians, students and hippies began to move into the area, attracted by cheap rents and the base of Beatniks that had lived there since the 1950s. The neighborhood has become a center of the counterculture in New York, and is known as the birthplace and historical home of many artistic movements, including punk rock and the Nuyorican literary movement. It has also been the site of protests and riots.
The East Village is still known for its diverse community, vibrant nightlife and artistic sensibility, although in recent decades gentrification has changed the character of the neighborhood somewhat.

What was once the epicenter of the counterculture movement has, like many parts of Manhattan, become increasingly gentrified. There are now fewer artists, higher rents and more college students and affluent young professionals in the East Village than there once were. Of course, there’s also less crime and many, many new vibrant businesses as well.

Whether you like it ? or not ? development happens in New York City. Neighborhoods grow, change, evolve and re-invent themselves. A resident of the East Village for roughly two decades, E.V.G. has seen a lot of changes: some for better, some for worse. On E.V. Greive, he’s documenting it all and, perhaps most importantly, paying attention. That’s why he’s a Blogger We Love.

We hope you find his reflections on hyperlocal blogging as fascinating as we did.

ON WHY HE CHOSE THE EAST VILLAGE

While he didn’t grow up in New York City, the East Village is the only New York City neighborhood E.V.G. has ever lived in:

I’ve been here for about 20 years. Some people might say, ‘hey, who are you to judge [development], you’ve only been here 20 years!’ I’m well aware of that, and there’s really nothing I can do about it. I got here as soon as I could! I think it’s [because of] my father, really ? he had never lived here, but he was an Allen Ginsburg fan, and it really rubbed off on me? [the East Village] seemed like such a magical place.

ON WHY HE BECAME A HYPERLOCAL BLOGGER

“I started the blog after reading an item on Page Six ? it said that Sophie’s was going out of business. [Before I read that], I was really just moving around in a blur. I wasn’t really paying attention to what was going on in the neighborhood. I wasn’t really noticing. But Sophie’s ? that was the last straw. I was so pissed. I just thought, you know what, I’m going to start putting together all these [news] items about [Sophie’s], and then I was just going to go to the Sophie’s people and create this great time capsule about this great bar, this great place. So, that was the plan.”

ON THE EAST VILLAGE, THEN

I think we do make things better than they were?sometimes you only remember the good parts. It’s like High School. There’s a danger in romanticizing these things. Even Sophie’s ? back when the bars would open at noon, and men would go there because they had no better things to do ? they were waiting there to die. A lot of places along The Bowery were like that. Just ask someone who’s been to The Bowery in the late 1960’s: this was an awful place. It’s nice to look at these old vintage photos and say, ah, look at this great bar. But this was skid row. People were drinking themselves to death and it wasn’t anything to celebrate. But, at the same time, we don’t need to tear down the whole G*ddamn boulevard and build $2 million condos.

ON THE EAST VILLAGE, NOW

I think I like living here more now than I ever had before. I still think there’s a lot of energy here, now. Maybe a different kind of energy. There’s not that menacing undercurrent now?with [a lot of] the drug dealers [gone]. Sure, there was something cool about it [before], but it’s safer for my wife now. I don’t miss that [menacing energy].

ON THE YOUNGER GENERATION OF EAST VILLAGERS

These kids don’t care at all ? I kinda feel that way. Some of the new generation living in the neighborhood… they don’t give a sh*t. They’ll throw up on your stoop, they’ll pee in your stairwell. So, I don’t necessarily see the respect as much as I did before. But I don’t hate NYU students. I speak to a lot of NYU students who love to live here.

ON DEVELOPING YOUR VOICE AS A BLOGGER

I don’t know, sometimes I take the attitude that we’re all in this together. I think it’s important to speak in a regular, everyday voice. I think people come to see you as a friend, as a trusted friend. I mean, how do you choose a movie to see? Do you go by the critics, or do you go by a friend’s recommendation? I personally always go by a friend’s recommendation. I think it’s important to be nice, too. You create more of a rapport with the readers that way. Sarcasm in small amounts is fine, but the world can only take so much. You have to be careful.

ON BLOGGING ANONYMOUSLY

It was never supposed to be about me. I like to think I’m pretty fair, I’m not just blasting people and taking pot shots. So I don’t fee like I’m hiding behind an anonymous pseudonym. Someone offered to send me a review copy of the new Keith Richards book, which I do want to read… but then someone would have my address. That would be awkward.

ON REPORTING AND BLOGGING REVENUE

I work in publishing. I like being a reporter, so it’s fun? it doesn’t seem like work to me. I started out in journalism, too, so cranking out a lot of copy on a short deadline [comes naturally to me]. I’m sort of in the volume business right now? though this isn’t a business. I don’t have any advertising. It doesn’t really matter to me. Even with good traffic, I could only make like $100 a month. It doesn’t really seem worth it, so it’s not a priority.

ON HOW TO WORK THE NEIGHBORHOOD BEAT AS A BLOGGER

Reach out to store owners here and there. It’s important to go to community meetings, too? you can’t always link to other people. You can’t always say, ‘Oh, Eater will be there,’ or ‘DNAInfo will be there.’ Sometimes you have to sit through the 9 hour meeting yourself.

ON GETTING BREAKING NEWS TIPS FROM READERS

There was this terrible fire on 14th Street at Avenue A ? I was at work, stuck in an office. Someone from the scene kept sending me photos and providing a narrative of what was happening. Those breaking news stories are always really big.

ON BREAKING NEWS AND GETTING PICKED UP BY MAINSTREAM MEDIA

I got a lot of pick-up on Labor Day weekend. There’s this place called Diablo Royale, and I started getting all these emails about a ‘Boats n’ Hoes’ party they were having? it’s a reference to a movie with Will Farrell: they pretend they’re rich, famous rap stars. It’s funny? anyway, somebody who lives near there was sending me all these photos of 19-year-old NYU students waiting in line in really appalling, suburban outfits. It got picked up by Eater, Grubstreet and someone at The [Village] Voice, I think. It was just one of those things. A lot of people found that delicious. It’s kinda fun when you find out your blog is being linked to by crazy celebrity blogs in, like, Italy.

ON WHAT MAKES IT ALL POSSIBLE

I couldn’t do this website without the encouragement of so many people? people who are as passionate about the neighborhood as I am: people sending in tips and photos, people commenting and keeping the conversation going. I’m amazed, too, that people take the time to comment. The people that take the time? to me, that’s really the best thing. I really appreciate that passion and I certainly couldn’t do it without so many contributions. I’m really thankful for that. It really speaks to the passion of the neighborhood.

ON WHAT MAKES IT ALL WORTHWHILE

What makes it all worth it? [Interviews] like this. I really appreciate it. I know that sounds really corny, but it’s true.

25
Oct 10

Why Do You Blog?

Posted by Esther Brown in Bloggers We Love / General — View Comments

Recently, I surveyed the bloggers who subscribe to our occasional newsletter , asking them questions about their blogs and themselves (a big thank you to everyone who submitted answers!). While I don’t purport to have conducted an in-depth, analytical survey of the entire blogosphere, at least one the questions I asked received some answers that definitely warrant further examination.

I asked the bloggers ? the majority of whom identified themselves as ‘hyperlocal,’ bloggers ? what motivates them to blog. I listed four possible answer choices:

  • For money
  • For fun/as a hobby
  • For fame/notoriety
  • Other

The answers I got broke down like this:

What surprised me was not how few of the bloggers said they were motivated by money. My interviews with bloggers have already told me that very few bloggers (particularly hyperlocal bloggers) are making significant income from blogging, and those that do make money are generally motivated to write by something else.? For these bloggers, any income is simply a happy bonus.

Rather, what surprised me was how many bloggers selected the mysterious ‘Other’ as their motivation. After reading through the write-in answers, though, I realized that I had left out an important and likely answer choice to the question. What was it?

  • To increase community awareness/to make a difference/as a public service

Public service! It makes perfect sense. So many of the bloggers I’ve spoken to say they not only feel an obligation to their blog audience, but they also feel a larger sense of purpose and dedication to their communities.

Even though most of the bloggers I’ve interviewed don’t think of themselves as journalists, strictly speaking, a lot of them speak about their devotion to hyperlocal blogging in words similar to those a journalist might use to speak about their obligation to the truth. (Some bloggers do think of themselves as journalists, of course, but let’s not open the whole blogger-versus-journalist can of worms today.)

Instead, today I’d like to hear from more bloggers:

Why do you blog? What motivates you, and how have those reasons evolved?

11
Oct 10

Congrats! You’ve Won a Scholarship to The New York Times’ Hyperlocal Blogging Course!

Posted by Esther Brown in Bloggers We Love / General — View Comments

Last week, we ran a simple contest on our blog. We offered entrants a chance at winning a scholarship to an online, self-paced course on Hyperlocal Blogging , which is being taught by our friends at The New York Times. As promised, we randomly selected two lucky winners from the entries we received, and they are… (drum roll, please)…

  • Clay Williams, a NYC blogger , foodie, ‘professional geek,’ and aspiring photographer who’s interested in learning hyperlocal blogging skills (always great to see photographer-types getting in on the fun: photography is a core blogging skill, and it’s one that’s especially useful for hyperlocal bloggers);
  • Ginger Fawcett, a St. Louis-area real estate agent who’s interested in learning how she can launch a hyperlocal blog in her neck of the woods (a stellar example of one thing real estate agents can do to really stand out: after all, there probably aren’t a whole lot of people who spend as much time thinking about their communities as real estate agents).

Judging from the conversations I’ve had with each of them so far, they’re both really excited to begin the course, which starts today.

We’re certainly happy to sponsor both of them and we look forward to seeing how their hyperlocal blogging projects evolve (No pressure, guys, seriously! Just have fun with it and learn as much as you can).

6
Oct 10

Annandale Blogger’s Advice? Stay in School.

Posted by Esther Brown in Bloggers We Love / General / Tips & Tricks — View Comments

Annandale’s Tollhouse Park

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking with Ellie Ashford, who blogs about Annandale, VA, a suburb of Washington, DC. I used to live in Northern Virginia myself, so I know that the area is a huge suburban expanse? however there’s also a diversity of communities that exist within the general ‘NoVA’ umbrella. Annandale is a unique enclave all on it’s own, and its residents are lucky to have a dedicated hyperlocal blogger like Ashford, who’s always looking for new happenings and stories to share with her friends and neighbors.

That said, what I found most compelling about Ashford is her obvious passion and her intense curiosity about the world around her: this is clearly her driving force. So, let’s all take a cue from Ashford and explore some of the ways we can continue learning and becoming even better bloggers.

TIP #1: KEEP REINVENTING YOURSELF

When I first started blogging, I began because my job was winding down and I knew I would be laid off. So I started the blog as a way to make some contacts and learn about blogging and social networking and new media. It’s been great. My background was in education writing, so now that I’m freelancing, a lot of my clients are in education. I’ve gotten a blogging job working as a freelancer on a technology blog, too? blogging has just been really helpful. I’m working on lots of different projects and I’ve met so many people doing it.

TIP #2: TAKE A COURSE ONLINE

I’m always looking for ways to learn new things, like how to promote my blog using Twitter and Facebook. I’m also taking advantage of online courses at Lynda.com ? they have all these technology subjects you can learn about. You can explore all the classes for free, and then you pay $25 a month for unlimited access to the classes, which are all on video online. I’ve taken classes on WordPress and also SEO techniques. It’s a great place for people who are new to blogging.

TIP #3: SEE PARTNERSHIPS AS LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

I’m a part of TBD ‘s network, which has been great? they’re starting to offer some free classes to whoever is in their network through an arrangement they have with American University ? I’m taking a class this Saturday!

Some of my blog items are also posted on the local WUSA Channel 9 news website . I usually post two or three pieces a week on that site– after I post them on my own blog– to increase visibility for my blog.

Local bloggers should also try to get listed in whatever networks and directories they can find, like Outside.in , it really helps. Ask your local newspaper if they have a blog directory, too. Partnerships help you to keep learning about new technologies, stay current and meet other people.

TIP #4: USE TECH TOOLS TO STAY ON TOP OF TRENDS & STORIES

Fairfax County has all kinds of alerts you can sign-up for through their website ? they’re a really good tool for bloggers. Google Alerts have also been really great for getting story ideas.? I find a story idea that way almost every day. Here’s a really good example: I have an alert set up for Annandale, and I just found out there was some kind of cake decorating contest in Oklahoma, and the winner was a guy from Annandale . They have a catering company here, but they don’t even have a store? but they’ve been on all these cake decorating shows on TV. That was one of my favorite interviews.

Oh, and I just got something about 10 minutes ago from the school system, too? one of the National Merit Scholar Finalists is from one of the local high schools. So, I found her name on Facebook and sent her a message asking her to contact me, because I’d like to highlight her.

TIP #5: YOUR COMMUNITY IS YOUR CLASSROOM

I’ve been involved in community affairs all my life, so it come naturally to me. I’m involved with the Fairfax County Superintendent’s Advisory Committee right now, so that helps me get story ideas. I’ll also write about the issues that the Community Association is involved with, and I go to a lot of Chamber of Commerce events. I’ve learned a lot about how local communities work, how local government procedure works.

I’ve also been covering a lot of the Planning Commission’s meetings lately, because they recently approved a new plan to encourage landowners to consolidate small pieces of land to encourage developers to do larger, multi-use developments. Things have been in kind of a slump economically, but as soon as it picks up, there will be a lot of changes here.

TIP #6: LEARN HOW THE PROS DO IT… THEN FOLLOW SUITE

When I started doing this, I went to an event and I said: ‘ I want to be at the media table, I’m a blogger ,’ ? and they let me.? I’ve been a ‘professional journalist’ in my career, I have a degree in journalism. I use the AP Style Guide, which I’m comfortable with, and I try to verify facts. I won’t put out anything that I haven’t confirmed. So, yeah, I treat myself like regular media and that’s how they treat me.

Sure, I’ve had things where people have come in and submitted clarifications and I’ve published them as comments. But I think in the age of the 24-hour news cycle, being online ? being able to correct things immediately, as opposed to having to wait for the next printing and burying the correction ? that almost improves things.

5
Oct 10

CONTEST ALERT: Enter by THURSDAY to Win a Spot in The New York Times’ Online Course in Hyperlocal Blogging

Posted by Esther Brown in Announcements / Bloggers We Love / General — View Comments

We recently heard that our friends at The New York Times are now offering a course on Hyperlocal Blogging , which we think is great news. The online, self-paced course is designed for people who want to start a blog to serve the news and information needs of their community? no journalism experience required (though experienced hands are welcome as well). We think this is such great news that we’re offering scholarships to two lucky individuals who want to take the course.

If you’re interested in winning a scholarship, it’s easy to enter, but you have to act FAST: simply fill out this form by midnight on Thursday, October 7.

The two lucky winners will be randomly selected on the morning of Friday, October 8. Winners will be contacted via email and then announced publicly, right here on our blog.

According to Jim Schachter, associate managing editor of The New York Times:

There is no single right way to establish a successful community news site. But the experience that we’ve gleaned publishing The Local sites in and around New York ? combined with our rich, deep experience as reporters and editors at The Times ? gives us a lot of wisdom and short-cuts to share with anyone who wants to dive into this emerging world.

Taught by Deputy Metro Editor Mary Ann Giordano, Hyperlocal Blogging will cover:

  • The fundamentals of community journalism and local reporting, including how to find and present information, how to check facts and how to preserve fairness in local coverage;
  • Fundamentals of designing a site and building it out;
  • How to find and develop an audience, how to use social media to get a blog noticed, and how to get the community (including potential sponsors) involved and engaged.

Too excited to wait on contest results? Visit www.nytimes.com/knownow for more information or to register for Hyperlocal Blogging.

The first session of this brand-new course begins October 12, and runs through November 8, with course registrations accepted through October 10. Cost for the course is $175 (unless you win a scholarship, in which case it’s FREE!).

30
Sep 10

FACT: Adirondack Almanack = Awesome

Posted by Esther Brown in Bloggers We Love / General / Tips & Tricks — View Comments

Did you know that New York State’s Adirondack Park is the size of the state of Vermont ?

I didn’t know that, either… until I spent some time reading the Adirondack Almanack and chatting with its founder, freelancer John Warren (as John put it: “The size of the Adirondacks is incredible. In fact, the Adirondack Park is the largest protected area in the contiguous United States. It’s larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier, Grand Canyon and Great Smokies combined – and it covers 7 counties and 2 Congressional districts.”).

It turns out that Warren is not only a great local blogger (or, in this case, regional blogger) but he’s also a historian, among other things– so I learned a lot of interesting facts from him. Here are a few of my favorites!

FACT: The Adirondacks are more than just a tourist destination (though they’re that, too).

It’s also a place where people live, year-round. It’s like a microcosm for the country, because there are a lot of issues that are important here that are also national issues: development, the environment, the outdoors. That makes it a unique place and a great location to blog about.

Like any tourist place, the Adirondacks is divided between locals, newcomers and tourists. The newcomers tend to be more environmentally focused. The locals tend to be more interested in hunting and fishing in their backyard. So, the different camps come into contact a lot in terms of development issues.

FACT: Adirondack Almanack was started because Warren felt that local media outlets weren’t covering issues like development well enough.

Development is a big issue here: how do we develop an area that’s supposed to be a park? There are also economic issues involved: the need for industrial and good-paying jobs, for instance. We have traditionally had industries like logging and paper-making here, a lot of forestry products. Mining as well. But those jobs have basically disappeared over the last 50 years, and now ours is a tourist economy. So, affordable housing for locals in a tourist economy is another important issue.

I saw that none of the local papers were covering these important issues. The papers are usually pro-development– to a fault. They’re also usually against the Adirondack Park Agency — it’s been a traditional target for the local media for years. Property rights advocates and local newspapers have really hounded the Adirondack Park Agency for years, as well as the Department of Environmental Conservation. So, we needed another voice in the local conversation [which is why I started the Adirondack Almanack 5 years ago.]

FACT: The Adirondack Almanack is a group effort and a labor of love.

At first [the blog] was really me ranting [about local issues], but over the last 3 years or so it’s really transformed into a regular media outlet. We now have over 20 contributors from all parts of the Adirondack region. They write about different topics, from natural history to outdoor recreation to local politics, commentaries and family events. I write about history. They’re all volunteers I found and approached, and they volunteer for a variety of reasons: some want their voice to be heard, and some want to raise awareness about issues that they care about.

I’ve been really lucky in that I’ve had the ability to gather contributors who are all quality writers. They understand the issues they’re covering in-depth. They really contribute to the community. No one person can do this thing at all – there are over 20 people who make it happen.

FACT: You can also run a locally-oriented site without a small army of volunteers.

New York History is another site I run. I just do it myself – it’s mostly media-release driven. It’s kind of an interesting thing, because it shows how a local site can operate with low energy input. I don’t write all the press releases, I just re-craft the press releases. I edit them, then publish them using no byline, which is what a lot of major media sources do. I think of it as a resource for history, which is important because public history is really suffering. They’re closing historic sites all the time. I’m confident that New York History will help – that it’s going to be an up-and-coming sort of thing.

FACT: Bloggers can add a fresh voice to their local conversations.

We are providing a voice that wasn’t heard before in local media — the voice of the people who support the environment. But it’s not just an environmental blog. We also provide other perspectives: not just from the property rights angle, but also from those who just want to paddle down the river freely, even if it happens to flow through private land.

I also grew up as a hunter and a fisherman, so I understand those issues, too. I remember what it was like to have nothing, not even a movie theater. So, I have a different take on things. We live here in this park, so we have to work here and live here and survive, and we can’t do that without some development. But we’re interested in smart development – it’s the last real wilderness East of the Mississippi, and it’s something that we need to protect. I want to see every town connected by snowmobile trails, but they shouldn’t go through ecologically sensitive areas.

FACT: Your local blog can help you land a book deal (& get other cool gigs).

[Blogging] helps raise recognition of my work, for sure. For instance, the History Press contacted me and asked me to combine some of my essays into a book, which was published last year: Historic Tales from the Adirondack Almanack . So, I got a book deal. I’ve also gotten some research jobs — I do research for documentary films about the Adirondacks. It’s boosted my freelance work, for sure… only now I have less time to do freelance work.

You have to have a bunch of ways to make money [when you live in the Adirondacks]. I work several jobs: I teach media production and new media at Burlington College. I also work at the New York State Writer’s Institute, and I do development work for Maryland Public Television. I also get to go to conferences to speak, to lecture here and there. I recently found out that the Adirondack Mountain Club is going to give me their Communications Award this year. It’s a great honor, because it’s not given out to just anyone.

FACT: Bloggers shouldn’t be afraid to contact local sources for their stories.

Sometimes I’ll contact people who are in the news. In the winter, we had somebody who survived an avalanche. So, I found them on Faceboook and said:

‘Hey, would you mind writing a guest post about your experience’?

No one else did that.? And you know, people are reluctant to talk to the [mainstream] media — but here [was] his opportunity to tell his story in his own words.

FACT: Even if you’re not a “Professional Journalist,” you can still set your own journalistic standards for your blog.

I try to have reasonable journalistic standards on the blog. I teach media, so I know what journalism standards are. We try to present a balanced story – which doesn’t always mean two sides, since there aren’t always two sides of a story. It means we try to have a variety of voices and tell stories that aren’t told. Are we doing straight-up journalistic reporting? No, we’re not. But we try to adhere to good balance, and I think that’s important. We label something as ‘commentary,’ if it’s commentary.

I also believe that in journalism we all have a point of view. There’s no such thing as not having a point of view. Be clear about what your intentions are — it’s this foggy middle ground that just uses deceptive wording to send a message — that’s what really gets me. Every person who writes regularly knows that they can change a word or two and add a little phrase here or there that will change the meaning of a story.

23
Sep 10

Hyperlocal Fun in the Sun, California Style

Posted by Esther Brown in Bloggers We Love / General / Tips & Tricks — View Comments

Photo courtesy L.J. Williamson

“You know, there was all this stuff about ‘ hyperlocal is the big wave of the future ,’” freelance writer L.J. Williamson says, when I ask her what prompted her to start her own hyperlocal blog, Giga Granada Hills .

“I thought I’d give it a quick try,” she adds, “but it very quickly became more than just a money-making scheme and a career option.”

[Laughter.]

This is where L.J.’s great sense of humor begins to shine through. She clarifies:

It’s been much less than a money-making scheme, actually. In fact, I’m making no money at all. No bloggers are making any money. In the interim, though, I’ve gotten totally hooked on it. I’ve learned more about my town than I ever had before.

So, while she may not be making money, L.J. is having fun with Giga Granada Hills . A lot of fun, in fact ? almost as much fun as I had interviewing her for this post (she had me in stitches several times). With that in mind, I thought I’d share with you some of L.J.’s funnest (yes, I know it’s not a real world) ideas for hyperlocal bloggers…

DO FUN STUFF WITH HYPERLOCAL COUPONS

We’ve all seen the success that local deals companies like Groupon and LivingSocial have enjoyed, right? Well, why not think about doing something similar? though seriously scaled-down– for your own blog, as L.J. has done?

When I first started the blog, I walked into a local pizza place I like and I ask them if they wanted to put some coupons on my site. It’s like an ad, and when I go into the pizza place the [owner] says he gets my coupons coming back on a regular basis. [For my part], sometimes they give me $50 and sometimes they just give me a pizza. It helps that they’re one of the best pizza places in town. I feel good about having them as an advertiser. It would put me in an awkward position if I hated their food.

(We should add that L.J. does NOT think ad sales is fun: “I hate going around and selling ads. I did it the first week [after I started the blog], and 99 percent [of the local businesses I approached] said ‘NO.’ Selling is HARD. I don’t dig selling at all!”)

HAVE FUN WITH YOUR BLOGGER POINT-OF-VIEW AND PERSONA

There’s definitely an upside of not making any money: I don’t have to worry that I might lose an advertiser if I say something too sassy. You can get bland anywhere . So, I try to offer something else. Why not be opinionated? I’m not making any money so I might as well be having fun.

LEVERAGE YOUR BLOG TO CREATE FUN CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

I’m a freelance writer, so the blog has helped me a little bit. One of my stories was picked up by L.A. Weekly , and another story I pitched to them and ended up writing for them. I expanded a story that was a local story , about a community sports field [being re-claimed for industrial use by the Metropolitan Water District]. That was my biggest story in terms of being real reportage. Most of the time I’m just dicking around, but that was a real, reported story.

HIGHLIGHT FUN FOLKS IN YOUR COMMUNITY

I do some [more serious] reporting, but I try to balance that with local color. A lot of the stuff I do is mostly about meeting interesting people in the community. Like, we have a milk man. People are usually like, ‘wow, there are still milk men out there?’

I’ve also profiled a local piano teacher, and a lady who was on the Neighborhood Council and thought that all of the money for the council should go to homeless cats and dogs [instead of other initiatives]. There are so many interesting characters in this neighborhood. If we just went person by person, I’d have more stories than I could ever write.

PLAN SOME FUN PARTIES

I did a big event recently. That was really fun. The Neighborhood Council was doing a movie night where they get an inflatable screen and show movies outside. So, I said, ‘can we team this with the Food Truck Fest?’

There’s a big food truck revolution here [in Los Angeles], but a lot of the food trucks don’t even bother to come here. We might as well be on the moon as far as the food trucks are concerned. So, I went and rounded up as many food trucks as I could and it was a smashing success. They were flabbergasted by the response. I asked for donations from the food trucks, too, so I took a portion of that for myself [as an organizing fee] and 50 percent of that is also going to be donated to the local library.

We’re definitely going to do it again ? it has the potential to be really fun. Maybe some people think I’m supposed to be reporting about crime , but in my heart I really want to be throwing parties.

CELEBRATE THE FUN THINGS GOING ON IN YOUR COMMUNITY

I did a story about this woman who has a local belly dance troupe, and I found this really great local band that I love. And I would love them even if they weren’t from here. So, yeah, it’s funny because Grenada Hills has this reputation for being really boring ? so my mission is to find the coolest stuff that’s going on here and bring it up to the surface.

HAVE FUN WITH THE OPPORTUNITIES AFFORDED TO YOU AS A BLOGGER

You know, it’s nice having a context. If I see someone walking down the street that looks interesting, or a guy on a motorized tricycle with Mylar streamers, I engage them.

Before the blog, I may have felt intensely curious about someone but not talked to them. But now I have a context, an excuse to start random conversations with strangers. I’ll go up to someone and say:

‘ Hey, I wanna write about you on my blog… what’s your story? ’

16
Sep 10

A Rabble Rouser in Redmond?

Posted by Esther Brown in Bloggers We Love — View Comments

While I’m always happy that there are bloggers creating local and hyperlocal content in every vertical imaginable, it was Election Day this past Tuesday in New York, so I was reminded just how important it is to have bloggers who focus on local government and civic life.

Happily, last week I had the opportunity to talk with Bob Yoder, a semi-retired resident of Redmond, WA, who’s also the creator of the Redmond Neighborhood Blog ( RNB ), a civic-centered local blog. Now more than ever, in many communities across the country we need bloggers like Bob if we want to stay on top of local government happenings. The fact of the matter is, as Bob himself will tell you, “[Local] government reporters are just not out there anymore.”

Like all of the bloggers I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing, Bob Yoder is passionate about what he does. I trust you’ll get as much out of our conversation as I did.

How long have you been interested in local issues?

I’ve always been interested in the community. My grandfather gave me a sit down talk about it when I was just a kid. I come from Amish/Mennonite roots: they’re community-minded people, they like to raise barns together. My dad was always on the town council. [A few years ago] I wanted to join the Education Hill Citizens Advisory Committee, but I was unable to do so. It bothered me that access to and notifications about the Committee were so hard to find. But they let me sit in on meetings [as a guest] and, once I had the blog set up, I used it as a notification device early on, as kind of like an information kiosk.

What kind of an impact has RNB made? What are you most proud of?

I guess it would be in our efforts to raise water-quality awareness. Industries in SE Redmond have contributed a lot to building the infrastructure of Redmond. A lot of the politicians have gotten money to run for office from these people, so they’ve kindof been protected a bit from things.

One of the problems they have as an industry is that they create hazardous waste, and we noticed some barrels of waste on the banks of a local [salmon] creek. We thought it was a big deal, so I called up the [State] Division of Natural Resources and evidently I talked to the wrong person there, because they said it wasn’t a problem. But I’m really persistent and I like to walk around – and I kept seeing these barrels, and I thought to myself: ‘you know, this looks really sketchy.’

So, I called up the Code Enforcement Officer, who happens to be a friend of mine, and I said, ‘Carl, can you get out there? Something’s going on.’ So, Carl goes out and he discovers such a bad problem with hazardous waste that eleven different regulatory agencies were called out: some county, some city and some state. And they cleaned it up.

It turns out the big issue wasn’t the salmon [as we'd thought], but it was that all these businesses are located on an aquifer, and the City of Redmond gets 40% of our water from that aquifer, and the waste happened to be located on top of a critical area of the aquifer. What can I say? I’m really into water!

How has writing the blog influenced the way you interact with your community, personally?

I can’t say that people will come up to me at public meetings and say, ‘Hey, Bob!’ – I don’t get that often. And I don’t feel like I’m as much a part of the community as I’d like to be. I feel like it’s more like, ‘Watch out, Bob’s coming!’ – I come across as a ‘Super Activist,’ and it’s been hard. Still, I’ve learned to be [more]? friendly and [less] angry. I’m trying to be more of a catalyst for community building. When I go to meet with the government boards, I’m making friends with them and saying, ‘Hey, why don’t you publicize yourself? People should hear about you, they voted for you.’ I’m taking an on-your-side approach.

But the City government – they don’t recognize me, they never mention me.? It’s a real slight, because they’ll use me for public safety alerts and notifications, and the pulse I have on the community, so I know they’re paying attention to me every day.

What has been the biggest challenge to you as a hyperlocal blogger?

Monetization. That’s the big issue: how do you survive? How do you sustain yourself? [I've done it] using my own resources, mainly, just making sacrifices to follow my passion. It’s kindof, almost an obsession, to a degree. But it’s providing a catalyst and ‘making a difference,’ that fires my engine. Maybe you have to have an obsession to keep it going. So far it hasn’t detracted from my family life, and it’s constantly evolving and attracting more contributors. But that’s where I need to spend more of my time: marketing myself so I can sustain myself.

Are you saying you blog full time?

Yes, right now I do it almost full-time. Even though it’s hobby, it feels almost like a vocation. So far I’ve been able to do it, financially, but the economy has really taken a dent. I did medical sales for 25 years – I may need to go back into sales with this bad economy. I don’t know if I can make any money blogging – only one local blog out here is making any money at all, as far as I know. Everyone is acting like they’re making money, but they’re not making any money, really. I could always do this – I love it. I don’t think I’d ever stop– but I need to contain it. It’s like a wild animal: I need to harness it. Maybe someday these kinds of blogs can be recognized and be funded in some way.

Have you considered a partnership?

I have. I did sign on as a partner with the Seattle Times at one point, but then I realized they wanted [RNB] to be more of a news service [than I wanted it to be]. I went to some of the journalism classes they offered, and I did learn a lot, but I found I was struggling with writing conversationally [without injecting my own opinion].

I mean, I’ve learned that with blogging, people comment [on your posts] with their opinions, and you’re supposed to respond to comments. It’s hard to do that objectively. I mean, how can you stand away? People follow you because they like what you’re doing– it’s not just ‘The News.’ There seems to be a conflict between blogging and hard news. Since I’ve separated from [that partnership], I’m happier, more passionate, less constrained. But, they taught me a lot.

What about a grant? You mentioned wanting to secure outside funding for your blog.

Yes, [I was interested in grant funding,] but if the city were to give me money, that would influence my independence. I don’t want to write news that’s dished out to me, I want to write what’s really news. But how do I make money from that? This has been a fun ride, and if I didn’t have to pull away from it [for financial reasons], I’d continue to do it full time.

It sounds like you want it both ways: to monetize the blog while maintaining total independence. What does that mean for RNB, moving forward?

After exploring all the options, I’m taking the non-profit approach aimed at promoting ‘open government’ and transparancy. I realized my type of blog could never be transformed into an online [for-profit] newspaper. I’m also going to cut back: I’m trying to write only one story a day now.

You clearly have access to a lot of public information and documents. How do you obtain those, as a blogger?

I was always afraid to ask for public information because I considered it their information, and I felt I was intruding on them– the government– and being nosy. What it turns out to be, though, is this: those public records are the public’s records , not the records of the administration.

Don’t be afraid to request records. [Every local government should] post record request proceedures on their website. They’re hard to find, of course, and they probably won’t identify who their Public Records Officer is. Here in Redmond, the Public Records Officer] happens to be the City Clerk. Fill out the form and write the request. If they can’t complete your request within 5 days, they have to tell you why — and, eventually, they have to come up with [the information, or an explanation as to why they can't provide it]. It takes a lot of work, but it’s worth it.

13
Sep 10

A Blowhard Blogger Looks at 40: Mike Doyle’s Top Blogging Tips

Posted by Esther Brown in Bloggers We Love / General / Tips & Tricks — View Comments

Mike Doyle

  1. “Don’t be a dick.”
  2. Write. Write some more. Keep it up.
  3. Have the courage to write what you really think or feel.
  4. Be gracious about it when you write something controversial or potentially offensive. Think twice. (See #1).
  5. Your blog is not an island. Be grateful for that fact. Celebrate it.
  6. Fear is not an excuse not to write. Just do it. You’ll learn from the doing of it.
  7. Have a viewpoint. Know what you want to say. You wouldn’t write a press release if you didn’t have any news: the same goes for a blog post.
  8. Go into yourself. Know yourself. Figure out what’s motivating you to start your blog, because that’s what’s going to motivate you to keep writing. Figure out what it is you’re trying to share and why.
  9. Your blogging will impact your professional life. Consider that. If you’re constantly critical, no one is going to be brave enough to hire you.
  10. Your blogging will impact your professional life. Consider that: “I’ve gotten about $40k in work over the past 5 years [that I wouldn't have gotten had I not been blogging].? Blogging has brought me a lot of professional and social connections, some of which have been financially rewarding.”
  11. Give yourself more credit. Give others more credit, too.
  12. Don’t pressure yourself to blog every day.
  13. Get over yourself.
  14. “It’s really important to keep the technology of your blog current. If it still looks like 5 years ago, it makes others wonder about how serious you are about building a community on that blog. There are crappy-looking blogs out there that have incredibly large communities and are very influential, but those are rare. If you’re going to blog, put as much love and care into the design of your blog as you do the content. People want your blog to be a fun place to come.”
  15. You don’t have to hit your readers over the head with a 2×4 in order for them to ‘get it.’
10
Sep 10

On Honey, Vinegar & Bees (A Blogger’s Midlife Crisis)

Posted by Esther Brown in Bloggers We Love — View Comments

Ok, folks: what is the #1 lesson Chicago Carless blogger Mike Doyle has learned in his 5+ years of blogging about Chicago, ADHD, blogging, not driving a car, technology and all aspects of his personal life?

Hint: it’s not about managing his ADHD, nor is it some tip about how to come up with blogging ideas year in and year out. And it’s certainly not what you’d expect if you’ve ever spent some time reading Doyle’s blog.

Give up? Very well. Here’s what Mike wants all you bloggers and wannabe bloggers to know:

“Don’t be a dick! Please, please, please quote me on that.”

So, there you go. 5+ years of hyperlocal blogging and that’s the takeaway: listen to what your mama was trying to teach you. It’s simple enough, but there’s always more to the story. Mike goes on:

I think I blog a little too much at the expense of others. I just turned 40, [and] I’ve really been reexamining and rethinking my relationship with my blog and my relationships with the people I blog about. I do a lot of navel gazing on my blog, which a lot of people do? but now I’m really taking responsibility, emotionally, for my relationships, [which has made me realize that] I can be a jerk on the blog. I’m a big believer in not taking back the things that you’ve said, and I plan on being equally opinionated? but a lot more inclusive? on the blog. I share the blogosphere with others, and I want to celebrate that. My blog is not an island.

To a lot of us, that sounds really simple: you’ll catch more bees with honey than with vinegar, and you should treat others the way you’d like to be treated. We strive to live our lives? both online and off? in accordance with those simple principles. We certainly have other personal shortcomings and lessons to learn, but we’ve got that one down, at least.

Still, for others of us, this is a lesson that’s less obvious in the online realm, and it’s a lesson that must be learned the hard way. This was certainly the case for Mike, who’s probably made just as many enemies as he has friends in the last 5 years. One example of this can be seen in a blog post he wrote after choosing to leave the blog network ChicagoNow . The post got him plenty of attention, and not all of it was positive, Mike admits:

My criticisms [of ChicagoNow] stand ? but I could have been less ad hominem. There are things that I said that I find disappointing. I am upset that in the comments on Windy Citizen I named names and called people out. Yeah, I regret that?because I don’t think I was fair. The thing that I was missing there is that [just as I was] doing my best, [a lot of the people at ChicagoNow were doing their best, too]. Sometimes I don’t give people enough credit.

So, bloggers ? let Mike’s experience be a lesson to you, a cautionary tale even. It’s often tempting to go for the jugular and really write the zippiest, snarkiest, most bombastic blog post you can come up with ? but sometimes your words can come back to haunt you. The internet never forgets, so be sure you’re prepared to live with everything you’re writing before you hit ‘publish’!

PS. Tune in next week for the rest of Mike’s top tips for local and hyperlocal bloggers!

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