The Newburyport Blog

In the previous post I talked about Jim Roy and his new journal, The Newburyport Liberator, which hopes to engage people in issues in Newburyport, MA.

The Newburyport Liberator definitely follows, in almost everyone’s opinion, including Jim Roy’s, in the footsteps of Tom Ryan’s political journal of 11 years, The Undertoad.

The Undertoad talked about issues, certainly. It also talked about people. And Tom Ryan had a knack for creating very entertaining drama, “heroes” and “villains,” twice a month, out of, let’s face it, for the most part, pretty ordinary folks and pretty mundane lives.

Our little seacoast town, every two weeks, was the subject of compelling drama. Joe or Josephina citizen of Newburyport, MA, could be elevated to a “hero” or a “villain,” or an accomplice to one or the other. It was riveting stuff. People bought it, because, who knew, “villainy” or “heroism” might befall or enfold about the person you might be talking to over grapes at your local grocery store.

The ordinary folks of Newburyport, MA, became “important,” frequently way larger than real life.

Often it was like reading a local tabloid, all about Newburyport, MA. And in between all that drama, Mr. Ryan also talked about issues. In between reading about the “good guys and the “bad guys,” one also learned about how government was run, who was on the city boards, who was your Newburyport City Councilor, what were the compelling issues that the people of Newburyport were fighting for. It was the stuff that one might have read, or glanced at or yawned about or ignored in one’s local print media.

Do folks pay attention about who is on a local city board or committee when it is reported in our local print media? Rarely.

But if those same people were mentioned in the Undertoad, “villains” or “heroes,” folks were engaged. They remembered those ordinary folks, because they remembered the story that could be enfolding about or around them.

The stories of ordinary folks, raised to high drama, were the hook that got people interested in reading about the issues that affected their lives.

The caveat was that folks didn’t mind being the “hero.” But they sure didn’t like it if they, or their friends or loved ones, actually became the “villain.”

Jim Roy has been a long time activist in Newburyport, MA.

As folks, who are activists would know, there are lots of folks who have lots and lots of ideas, and most folks last for a couple of hours, maybe a few days, possibly a couple of weeks, on projects of varying importance.

There are very few people who actually would be willing to do the work, and actually do the work, which, in my experience, almost always turns into a fulltime job, often to 2 full time jobs, that often lasts for years (sometimes decades).

And as many activists have found out, after the initial enthusiasm has worn off, the activist project often ends up on the shoulders of one person, who cares passionately. Occasionally, there might be 2 people.

Over the decades, Jim Roy has been one of those few activists in Newburyport, MA who do the work, and who have consistently done the work, who “walk the walk” as well as “talk the talk.”

Jim Roy has been passionate about having an open waterfront in Newburyport, MA for decades. For decades he has worked on all sorts of committees to try and solve the traffic and parking problems in Newburyport, MA. He helped Frank Schaeffer find a solution to the hideous, looming, towers that were going to be built across the Merrimac River.

He was one of the people who stepped up to the plate for the fight to save High Street. Historic preservation has been one of his passions as well. There are many projects that Jim Roy has worked on behind the scenes, that no one knows about.

We as a city owe a lot to Jim Roy.

Jim Roy cares about the issues. Unfortunately, in our “Paris Hilton world,” people’s attention spans are short, and it is my experience that most folks don’t care about issues unless they directly affect them.

The fact that Jim Roy still has the stamina and determination to keep on fighting for what he believes in, is, in this blogger’s opinion, quite something.

Jim has started a journal in the hopes of engaging people in the issues that face Newburyport, MA.

It remains to be seen whether he would be able to entice folks to think about what the issues are, or whether, in our “Paris Hilton world,” people’s attention spans could be too short, and they might not be interested in the issues at hand, because the issues at hand might not apply directly to their lives.

The Newburyport Liberator can be bought at Richdales in downtown Newburyport, MA (that’s the one place so far that I have found it).

Newspapers are in trouble, for all sorts of reasons, from cable news to the World Wide Web, other stuff, multi-determined, not exactly new news.

I was reminded of this yet again by my friend Frank Schaeffer’s piece on the Huffington Post on the very same subject.

Newspapers are caught in the middle between the old form of print and, trying to persuade their advertisers to pay the same price for advertising on the World Wide Web.

I happen to read almost all my news online now, because I figure I’m saving a whole lot of trees. My small contribution to going “green.” I got a Sunday paper and felt as if I had felled a forest. No forests felled by reading stuff on my computer.

As Frank Schaeffer points out, the World Wide Web is instant news.

For example I waited for the Newburyport Daily News to report today that, from what I understand, our mayor and the Newburyport City Council got “served” by the landfill owner. Huge story. Huge, huge story. Not in today’s Daily News, that I can find. So if you might not have heard about that possibility, you have now.

And Tom Salemi did an excellent job in writing up in almost real time, the fact that yes, whew, a miracle happened, the Newburyport City Council voted “Yes” to designated a site for the Senior Center at Cushing Park. If you haven’t read it, read it here. And Gillian Swart was on the case too. Good go’n.

And the fact that we are losing newspapers, and newspapers are cutting back like mad, is, at least in the short run, for me, real bad news. Because there is less and less really hard journalism going on. All of this is discussed earlier on the Newburyport Blog, in particular in regards to Bill Moyers’ amazing speech on the subject.

Frank Schaeffer is always fun to read, and I’m glad he’s switched over to the Huffington Post.

A while ago a got an email from a gentleman called Shawn Gearin who has started a site called NBPTMA.com.

According to my email from Mr. Gearin, the site “covers the Newburyport experience from a blue collar perspective from 1950-1990.” In my mind, this would be welcomed perspective on Newburyport, MA on the World Wide Web.

Mr. Gearin’s desire is “to connect with people who remember Newburyport as she was during reconstruction, but prior to the current inflated home prices.”

The site is a work in progress and I hope Mr. Gearin preservers. We need more insight from people who know the history of Newburyport, and who have seen it change, evolve, whatever you would like to call it, over the years.

So far, my favorite part of the site is the marvelous photo album which is at the top right hand side of the site. You can either have a slide presentation, or see the photo album in its entirety. There are so many historic photographs that I have never seen, including one of the clam shacks, which I think is my favorite. So please, treat yourself and go take a look.

I am hoping that this would develop into another “treasure trove” of insight and information for those who love Newburyport, MA.

Kay Lazar has written an awesome piece in today’s Boston Globe North on the Newburyport Landfill, its owner and the relationship to Everett, MA. The article is a must read, so press here to read it.

Kay Lazar is a first rate reporter, and when I called her last week, she said it was her last day as a reporter at Globe North, and that she is being moved to another beat on the Boston Globe.

One of the joys of doing the Newburyport Blog has been getting to know various editors and reporters at different newspapers and publications. And I first got to know Kay Lazar when she did a front page article, September 17, 2006, on blogs on the North Shore and she included the Newburyport Blog.

A friend of mine had told me to be very careful of reporters, that unless I said, “We are off the record, you agree,” and they did agree, I was on the record, you betcha, and anything I said could be used.

Not having known this, and having been quoted in not too flattering ways in various civic endeavors that had been reported on, I was mighty wary of reporters, you better believe it.

And when Kate Lazar showed up to interview me, I was mighty, mighty on my guard. But Kate could not have been more professional or kind. And after that article was published, and I realized that she could be trusted, I’d like to say that we became friends.

So I will miss Kate Lazar, and her trusted reporting on Newburyport, MA and the North Shore. And wish her all the luck in the world on her new beat. Can’t wait to see what she is going to do.

Pulling a “New Yorker” in Newburyport, MA.

Good grief it is good to see The Newburyport Blog up and running correctly again. Whew!

(Please press here to go back to the main page of the Newburyport Blog if you are not on the main page already.)

After 2 weeks of being told by the hosting company that the blog was going to be just fine shortly–Nada, Zip, same old frustrating technical difficulties.

Oy veh. What to do?

Switch hosting companies, or summon the energy to throw a “New Yorker.”

(For those of you who have been reading the Newburyport Blog for a while now, back in November 2007 I wrote a post called Political Rules of Accomplishment that explains what a “New Yorker” might be. I was going to call the post “Rules of Engagement,” but then I realized that there was a TV sitcom by that name, so that title was out.)

I’ve been with this particular hosting company since the birth of my website, and I’m a sentimental sap when it comes to switching. So I summon up lots of energy and write one off the wall, angry, boy am I going to make your life miserable, message. And felt very sorry for the poor, probably underpaid techie who got the darn thing.

But, for the moment, throwing that darn “New Yorker” worked (I think, I hope). And I wrote the techie who made it happen a nice “thank you so much” note.

And as a PS. When the blog was completely down and I was at my wits end, I contacted some folks here in Newburyport called iMarc and got an email back right away saying they would be more than happy to help me and the Newburyport Blog.

I figured out the “why the Newburyport Blog wasn’t coming up at all stuff” in the end all by myself, and ended up not needing their help (yet). However, their thoughtfulness was a ray of sunshine in a dark, frustrating, technical difficulty day.

iMarc is a very successful small web firm located on Inn Street in Newburyport, MA. At one point after I discovered them on the web, I went over just to say “hello.” And I continue to be mucho impressed by these young, smart Newburyport entrepreneurs.

I’ve been missing in blogosphere action for a while. A sad amount of posts for the month of May.

But, personal stuff, due to the death of my Dad (along with lots and lots of technical difficulties, like the blog not even showing up at all, good grief, see previous post) has kept me off my blogger feed. We’ll just see how things go. And I appreciate the calls and emails checking in to see if everything is/was Ok. Thank you. That was very kind.

And, I’ve also been fascinated by what has been happening on the national political scene. A Democratic candidate, finally. Whew.

I love national politics. (It’s one of the things I miss talking with my Dad about. I have so many questions I’d like to run by him.) Part of the reason I started a local Newburyport blog, back in January 2006, was that I was so discouraged about what was happening on the national stage. (And there were lots of other reasons too.)

But now I am interested, really, really interested again. And I’m looking forward to how the whole thing will unfold.

And there are lots of things to say since I’ve been gone from the blogosphere. But the thing that most readily comes to mind, is that I miss Jim Roy’s column in the Newburyport Current. I hardly glance at the Newburyport Current now, it just seems so lifeless without his voice (which I didn’t necessarily agree with all the time, but I sure did enjoy reading it). Bring back Jim Roy, blustery fellow that he is. I know that I’m not the only one that misses him. (Editor’s Note: Blogger minds think alike! Tom Salemi over at the Newburyport Posts, just said the same thing! Love when that happens.)

(Editor’s Note: The Newburyport Blog is no longer having technical difficulties. Please press here to go back to the main page of the Newburyport Blog if you are not there already. Thank you so much for your patience.)

One of the things that I’ve been reading in the local blogosphere is why don’t I have “comments” and why do I have a “Testimonial Page.”

Well, it’s a long story, and maybe the one good thing about the “technical difficulties” that the Newburyport Blog has been experiencing (because, of the server, and it’s worldwide, and it’s going to take a couple of weeks to fix, maybe, and that’s why the last pages are now showing up first on the Newburyport Blog) is that if folks are really curious as to why there are no “comments” and there is a “Testimonial Page,” the story of how that all came about, can be found on the beginning of Newburyport Blog (which is the “Home Page,” for the moment, because of technical difficulties–can you tell I’m pissed, because I am really pissed) and through the first 10 months of the Newburyport Blog’s history.

There is no longer the quaint “guidelines for posting” or the “Newburyport Political Blog Overview and Information” page (although there sure is the “Disclaimer” page). And the goal of giving “people, besides myself, a forum for expressing their feelings on different subjects” concerning Newburyport, backfired big time (all of how that happened is told on the blog itself). And, yes, the Newburyport Blog has evolved into mainly my own voice and my own entries, with the very, very occasional “guest blogger.”

And in the beginning, folks thought I was nuts to have a blog, most people had never heard of blogs. But now we have lots and lots and lots of local blogs, on a whole lot of subjects, from a variety of different points of view. So, the Newburyport Blog is no longer the anomaly it once was, and has lots of company in the local blogosphere.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport
(And maybe, I no longer need to sign my name, because I no longer have lots and lots of folks posting. But I’ve been doing it for so long that it’s become sort a comforting habit. The posts could seem naked without it. No one has questioned that one, that I know of, in the local blogosphere. I’ll mull it over.)

One of the things that I am struck by when I read Tom Salemi’s Blog, Newburyport Posts and even a very new blog, South End Blend, is that because these folks have taken the time to show up and voice an opinion or viewpoint, the blogs, for me, take on a certain authority. And I imagine that neither Tom of Newburyport Posts, or Rob and Mary of South End Blend had this in mind.

And I find this paralyzing. Because, if these folks online viewpoint carries, at least for me, some authority, that means that maybe the Newburyport Blog could too.

And it may not be enough just to write something and send it out blithely out into cyberspace, out into the universe, as I have always imagined. Maybe some of my critics could be correct. There maybe nothing casual about an online word or image. Writing, something, anything online, could carry with it some responsibility.

Good grief. Even casual comments about crabgrass seem to elicit a response.

I think I have gradually come to this realization and find it really depressing. Before it used to feel like being in a leaf pile and throwing leaves up into the sky. A joyous and carefree endeavor. It doesn’t feel so carefree anymore.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Again I thought I would share with the readers of the Newburyport Blog who have businesses and websites, about how the Newburyport Blog has managed to come up high or 1st on Google for any number of “key” words.

One of the keys, seems to be that Google likes to know in the title, what the content is going to be about.

So if the content is how to market your business for search engines, and how the Newburyport Blog actually pops up on Googe, it could be a good idea to have “Search Engine Marketing and the Newburyport Blog” as your title.

And the other thing that I’ve found is, that it helps to use the “key” words that are in the title, in the content as well. Not ridiculously so (this apparently would be called “keyword stuffing,” bad idea), but it appears to be giving another clue to the Google search engine, exactly what your content would be about. Writing content to market your product on the one hand, but also keeping in mind how search engines would find your business and your subject matter as well.

And as for marketing stuff, I might as well be utterly blatant, and use the Newburyport Blog to market my art work. The Sherry French Gallery, a very prestigious gallery for realistic art work in New York City, is putting me in their 3rd group show since September, which is a tremendous an honor.

The show is called “Flowers in February,” it runs from January 30th thru February 23rd, 2008. And the painting of the “Rhododendrons and Fence” below is one of the four paintings that will be in the show at the Sherry French Gallery.

The Rhododendrons in the painting were in bloom on one of my walks through the beautiful and historic South End of Newburyport. I ended up painting flowers that are all over my neighborhood in Newburyport, MA.

You can check it out as well at Mary Baker Art.

This is again for my readers in business, with websites, passing on information that I’ve acquired in making the Newburyport Blog come up high or #1 on Search Engines.

By shear dumb luck the blog format I ended up using for the Newburyport Blog is WordPress, which is not only blog software but also what is referred to as a “Content Management System” (CMS).

WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that could easily become an organic part of a website, if so desired, and search engines appear, at this point, to love it. It’s also free.

What is “content management?” Content management is a way after a website is designed, for the owner of the website to easily update the content, whether it is news, information, whatever the owner of the business would like. It also enables a group of people within a business, to update information for both the customers, clients and the search engines.

And there are a lot of content management systems out there.

One of the reasons I like WordPress so much for the Newburyport Blog is the way that information is organized.

One post, one page of content, will appear in a variety of places. For example this post on content management for my friendly readers of the Newburyport Blog, will appear on the main page of the Newburyport Blog for a while, it will also have its own page, it will be indexed under a date (January 2008), and it will appear in 5 categories, which are easily found by readers and by search engines. All told this one page of content will appear in 8 different places, all of which, at this point, search engines seem perfectly happy with.

And as an experiment, last night after I wrote the previous post on Search Engine Optimization, I put “Newburyport, Search Engine Optimization” in Google, and within an hour the post was indexed (showed up) and was in 2nd place on Google.

Not bad.

Especially since “Search Engine Optimization” is one tough word to show up for on search engines. So it appeared that last night the content management system (CMA) of WordPress was working pretty well.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

One of the things that I have learned over the last 2 years writing the Newburyport Blog, is how to make the Newburyport Blog turn up high, or sometimes #1 on search engines (Search Engine Optimization, SEO), Google in particular, without spending any money on very expensive ad campaigns.

I know many of my readers are in business and have websites, so I thought I would pass on a little of what I have discovered.

Search engines, at this point, seem to love blog software. A blog seems to be much more easily indexed (shows up) on search engines than a regular website.

A blog might not be your ideal landing page (the place where people find you), but if you want to, it’s pretty easy to direct the web surfer to exactly where you want them to go. (Have the link and the information right at the top of the page.)

Also, blog software can be “tweaked” in all sorts of ways, and doesn’t have to look like blog software at all. Take our very own Newburyport Preservation Trust “Events” page.

A great company in Newburyport, MA (I’ve discovered a lot of great small companies in Newburyport, since starting the Newburyport Blog) called iMarc has this to say, “White hat SEO is simple. Write good content. Make it readable for humans. Google will reward you — slowly, but surely.”

Amen to that.

The gentleman who wrote the article does mention that “synthetic blogs” might not be the best way to go. And, yup, I would agree, fake blogs, not a good idea. But a blog software that is connected to your website in an organic way, gives the reader valuable and interesting information on your topic or product, and is updated on a regular basis, can be a huge asset.

And one of the things that I discovered today, is that the Newburyport Blog weirdly (since the Newburyport Blog is not a business) turned up #1 on Google for “Newburyport Business.” Who knew. Not moi.

And very probably the Newburyport Blog might not show up on Google as #1 for “Newburyport Business” tomorrow. Ah, the vagaries of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

The frogs are perturbed with me.

They claim that I’ve been ignoring them. And a picture of anyone of them has not been seen on the Newburyport Blog, since July of 2007.

My.

Well, 2 things.

And I hate to break it to the frogs, but apparently for some readers of the Newburyport Blog, they (the frogs) are not so popular. In fact, I was told by one visitor that they actually refuse to read any entry with pictures of “frogs” in them.

Goodness.

I think this could be very upsetting for George Cushing, Georgiana Tadpole and the twins .

George Cushing and Georgiana Tadpole
being “pissed” at this bit of news.

And I’ve been mulling over what to do. But forget about “frog naysayers,” I love my frogs.

And the 2nd thing, quite frankly, is that I thought the November election 2007 was pretty serious stuff. And although George Cushing, from Frog Pond at the Bartlet Mall, is the political consultant for the Newburyport Blog, I thought it might be best if green amphibians might not make political commentary during something so important.

So now that the Newburyport election 2007 is over, maybe I could lighten up a little bit. And George and Georgiana and the Twins could stop being so pissed at moi.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Politics matters.

Who you vote for matters.

My old friend Frank Schaeffer (see early entries) has written a new book “Crazy for God, How I helped Found the Religious Right and Ruin America.”

(Note: that was the original subtitle, not the one the publisher eventually went with, but it’s the one I like. Please see Mr. Schaeffer’s website for the correct, official subtitle.)

The book talks about many things, including a first hand account of how the Religious Right came about and why it is so powerful. But it also talks about the negative impact that can come about when people only pay attention to the emotional and visceral aspects of politics and don’t think through the potential consequences.

(Mr. Schaeffer is doing a reading of “Crazy for God” at 7 pm, on Thursday, November 8, 2007, at the Bookrack at the Tannery, in Newburyport, MA. C-SPAN will be covering the reading (you may get to be on TV if you go), and Mr. Schaeffer is always entertaining. This is a vast understatement.)

That principal not only applies on the national level, but it also applies on the local level as well.

Who you vote for matters.

In 2 earlier entries I’ve broken down some of the candidates into (fairly simplistic) categories. (Please scroll down the Newburyport Blog to see the 2 entries.) Those categories indicate how candidates would most probably handle your life–your city government, which impacts your life in all sorts of ways.

So when you vote this week on, Tuesday, November 6, 2007, remember, your vote matters.

A neighbor of mine said, “I vote so that I have the right to complain.” Hopefully, if you vote, the issues that matter to you, would have a chance of being addressed, and you may not want to complain quite as much as you might want to otherwise.

Tuesday night I will probably go down to City Hall around 8:00 PM when the polls close, and would most likely put up the results of the Newburyport election 2007, on the Newburyport Blog.

And Tom Salemi on his blog, Newburyport Posts, gives you a chance to practice voting. He also has a great break-down of the candidates and what they are running for.

Also, it’s really fun.

Please press here to check it out.

Tom also has a great idea for the most official version of who is running for what, and that is the information from the Newburyport City Clerk’s office (PDF Version).

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Probably one of my favorite blogs is not a media blog at all, but a blog about how bloggers could have better blogs called “Problogger.” I am hardly alone in my sentiments about “Problogger.” I think it is one of the best resources, and one of the most popular blogs on the World Wide Web, for those folks interested in making their blogging “better.”

(Problogger has recently changed its “look.” It was an “average” looking blog. But recently, it has gone to what I call “the next blog level.” Going from a “familiar” and “comfortable” format, to one that looks, feels and sounds more “professional.” I happen to like the old “comfortable” format better. But that’s just me.)

When I started the Newburyport Blog almost 2 years ago, I also wanted to start a “national” blog. However, having read “Problogger,” I realized that the “national blog” “niche” was already really full, and that I most probably would have little or no fresh insights to offer any audience. So that one was out.

It did, however, dawn on me that no one appeared to be writing “local blogs,” and there would be a real “niche” for writing a blog about Newburyport, Massachusetts. I also happen to love the place, as anyone reading the Newburyport Blog could probably attest to, and found that I also not only really enjoyed blogging about Newburyport, MA, but also learned a whole lot about the city in the process.

And I wanted to put “Adsense” in the Newburyport Blog. And early in 2006 I could not find anyone who knew about blogging software, who could help me. In fact, the reaction that I got over and over again was, “Why in the world would you want to do that” (ie blogging about Newburyport, MA, or blogging period).

So out of necessity I became a “blogging nerd.” I taught myself all about blogging software. How to write it, tweak it and put just about anything I wanted to put into it. Who knew I had a “software engineering” gene within me? Not moi. And it’s turned out to be one of the “perks” of doing the Newburyport Blog. I am fascinated by that whole aspect of it.

And a local blog was such a “small” niche back then, that unfortunately it was difficult to find directories in which to place the Newburyport Blog. Oh, well.

Much to my “delight,” about 6-8 weeks ago I started to find directories that were featuring “local” blogs. “Eureka.” I said to myself, “Finally folks are beginning to get onto the ‘local blog’ bandwagon. ”

When I checked out the local blog directories, there did appear to a few “local independent” blogs, but many of them appeared to be associated with one particular news organization.

I said to myself, “Oh, well. Who cares. At least now I have some company. And no one is going to ask me, ‘Why would you even think of doing that.’ ”

How completely trusting and naïve of me.

But how could I have known that a large media conglomerate would decide to launch 158 “hyperlocal” sites.

And I fear that the Newburyport Blog, a labor of love, could be completely swamped by a tsunami of large corporate money, and all that it could buy. And the new genuine, fledgling “local,” “independent” blogs which have the potential of really offering the community of Newburyport something of “value,” especially if they are “niche” blogs, could be drowned in this wave of corporate internet interest as well.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

At the very beginning of the month of October, I got a call from one of the local newspapers asking me what did I think of “all the blogs?”

Needless to say I was somewhat confused, a sentiment that I think I expressed to the person calling from the paper. Note: I’ve always tried to have a good to great relationship with printed media since the Newburyport Blog began almost 2 years ago on January 1, 2006, and I like them a great deal. I was somewhat baffled by the question, and could not imagine what the person could have in mind.

The end story made reference to 7 “blogs.” One blog that had not been updated for almost a year, one site that is not a blog, one site that is a forum (not a blog), 3 brand new blogs and me.

(I told the interviewer when they called that, “For goodness sakes I’m ‘the old lady of blogging.’ ” And then I remember saying, “Oh my goodness, please don’t call me that. Don’t even call me the “middle aged lady of blogging.’ ” And they graciously did not.)

When the article came out, I was no more enlightened about the whole situation than I was during the “phone interview.” Still mighty confused here.

And then Friday (October 26, 2007), maybe, possibly an answer. It was another “local” paper, owned by a “conglomerate” that is out of Fairport, NY– 158 new “hyperlocal sites” (new Internet buzz word). It also has 86 daily publications, across 19 states and a local readership of more than 10 million per week. It is traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

Sigh.

(Remember the entry on our “local” banks, how they are not “financial conglomerates” traded on the stock exchange, but are really and truly “local” banks. (Please press here to read that entry.)

So maybe, could be, possibly, this is the mystery, the somewhat bewildering basis for me, of why all of a sudden, there was an article on “local blogs?” (I have not verified this.) A paper-conglomerate, has gone into super-duper, Internet “blog overdrive.” (These are the folks that were using the name “The Newburyport Blog,” until all of that got sorted out.)

Another, good grief.

I am going to digress here for a moment.

One of the things that I have been doing since 2004 is work as one of over 75,000 editors for the “Open Directory Project,” (DMOZ), an online “human-edited” directory, which is owned by Netscape and used by Google. I’ve seen my share of websites, etc. over the years. And what I have learned, among other things, is that it is a good idea for a blog to be “up” and undetected for about 3 months or so, so that a blogger could begin to find their voice, see if a blog is worth reading on a regular basis, and see if a blog actually has staying power.

I was lucky and started an obscure blog about 3 months before starting the Newburyport Blog, and got to find my “blogging feet,” without anyone much reading it. And I learned a whole lot in those early 3 months. And I sure am grateful to have been able to blog in virtual obscurity, because I made a whole lot of weird blogging mistakes (and yes, occasionally, still do).

And we have 4 promising, new, actual “local” and “independent” blogs (none that I know of, are being traded on the New York Stock Exchange :-). And I would like to see them all get their “blogging sea-legs,” so to speak, before being exposed to the sometimes cruel and uncivil world of the blogosphere.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

You’ve come a long way Kathleen Ives.

Back on September 4, 2007, I wrote a post about my meeting candidate for Newburyport City Council at Large, Kathleen Ives (Katy).

I found her to be delightful, smart, gutsy and energetic, someone who could be an real asset to Newburyport, MA. But being a newcomer, I really and truly did not think she had a prayer in the upcoming elections.

I do believe that Ms Ives could, might prove me wrong.

I have not talked to one person, once they have talked to Kathleen Ives, who would not like to see her on the Newburyport City Council.

And that’s no small accomplishment.

At first it was the more progressive folks and centrist folks that seemed to take a shine to Ms Ives.

However, when I started to talk to more conservative folks, they had the same reaction. They liked her too.

When Kathleen Ives started to put out signs, I would often see a sign just on its own. No other sign to be had on whatever property it might be. And that is often still the case. It appears that for some folks, Ms Ives would be their only pick.

And then I began to see Kathleen Ives signs clumped in with progressive candidates. Nestled in, for example, among signs for City Council candidate Donna Holaday and Mayoral candidate, Jim Stiles.

And then, low and behold, Ms Ives looks like she could be a crossover candidate. Her signs started to appear with mayoral candidate John Moak.

Kathleen Ives
John Moak
Campaign signs
in conservative ward, Ward 6

Kathleen Ives struck me as a person who could be able to facilitate people coming together. And other people appear to think so too. And if the signs are any sign that that could be true, despite her recent arrival, it is a possibility that Ms Ives could, might be an addition to Newburyport politics.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Ask not what The Newburyport Blog could do for you, but what you could do for The Newburyport Blog.

Just to mess up the famous and inspiring words of John F. Kennedy.

What I am seeing is that local newspapers are having any number of blogs. (One local newspaper actually, for a few days, had a blog called “The Newburyport Blog.” This mix-up has been taken care of and the name has been changed, which I very much appreciate.)

And all of this had me scurrying to see what in the world could be going on.

And I spent several days doing some research. (Disclaimer, a few days– not a PhD’s worth of days.)

From what I read, it appears that local newspapers in general are now under the same pressure that national newspapers have been. Many people appear now to be getting their news more and more from the Internet. Especially I would imagine the 40 and younger crowd. And folks who grew up with newspapers, the “older” crowd, as I understand it, may still very much enjoy having that newsprint to read with their morning coffee or whatever, as a way to get the news.

And it appears that newspapers could be in a cyclone of transition–what to put in print and what to do with the Internet. And apparently how to convince advertisers that advertising on the Internet would be a good thing, which it most certainly would be.

And local newspapers in general, as I understand it from my reading, could be at risk.

And personally, I am a big fan of “old fashion” journalism.

Bill Moyers (Bill Moyers keeps showing up on the Newburyport Blog, because I happen to be a big fan of “wise men.” And Bill Moyers fits into that category for me big time) addressed this particular issue in a speech called:

“What Adam Said to Eve,” For the annual conference of the 
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
, On August 9, 2007 in Washington, DC. ( Please press here to read the entire transcript of that speech. It is truly fascinating and very moving.)

And what does this have to do with the Newburyport Blog?

Well, apparently, folks take the Newburyport Blog (this Newburyport Blog) way more seriously than I ever intended, wanted or realized.

The Newburyport Blog does try to analyze events in a meaningful way, and does try to be fair, and does try to do its best for its own version of “truthiness.” And, I’ve been around awhile, and do try and put events in context of what Newburyport, MA, as a city, has been through.

So 2 things. Local “traditional journalism” is vital to our democratic society (Please read Bill Moyers). Please support local newspapers. It is a really important thing to do.

And second of all, The Newburyport Blog is a “labor of love,” but it is still a “labor.”

And if you value The Newburyport Blog, please–ask not what The Newburyport Blog could do for you, but what you could do for The Newburyport Blog.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

As an (sort of former) activist (fighting to save High Street, etc.) I am very sympathetic to activists who contact the Newburyport Blog, hoping that I would give a plug to their cause.

This is what I learned as an activist fighting to save High Street (starting in 1999).

There are times when folks pay a great deal of attention to what you might be saying. And then there are times that no matter what you do, people simply are not listening, especially the way you might like them to. And there is really nothing an activist can do when this happens.

An activist can push their agenda during these fallow activist times, but my experience has been that if folks aren’t in the listening mood, that it could often be a waste of time and energy, which might be better saved for a more seasoned moment.

“Timing is everything,” certainly applies.

And sometimes pushing an agenda could backfire.

My experience is that after a certain point, folks in the political world know what the activist agendas are that are out there. And what I have found is that pushing an agenda when folks aren’t ready to act at that moment, could make whoever it might be, feel pushed into a corner. And instead of “cooperating,” whoever it might be, could be pushed the other way.

And as I continue to blog the Newburyport Blog, one of the things that I find that I often try to do, is try to listen to what the residents of Newburyport, MA might be willing to hear.

And if my gut tells me, don’t push that particular issue now, and then I go ahead and do it anyway, because I feel really sympathetic or pressured or whatever, it almost always backfires.

So activists out there, it’s not that I haven’t read your emails or heard your requests, it is that I am waiting for what feels to me to be the right time to blog about whatever it might be that you could be passionate about.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Blogs are becoming a new journalistic medium. And to state the obvious, nationally, some blogs have become very powerful.

Last week, when the Newburyport Daily News called to do their story on blogs, what came to my mind was Bill Moyers’ interview with national blogger, Josh Marshall, who broke the Alberto Gonzales story. (Please press here if you would like to read a transcript of that interview.)

I know I’ve said this before, and a similar quote was in the story by Steven Tait in yesterday’s Newburyport Daily News, but I really like Ed Cameron’s and Bruce Menin’s blogs. And the more I think about it, the more that I think that the blog medium would be a pretty amazing way for voters to get to know their candidates. And help them make an informed decision on how they would like to vote.

(All the Newburyport candidates’ blogs and websites for the election, November 6, 2007, that I know of, are listed at the side of the Newburyport Blog. If I do not know about a candidate’s blog or website, please let me know, and I will list it on the Newburyport Blog ASAP.)

And I am fascinated to see how national blogs, as well local blogs would evolve.

And since there are a variety of blogs popping up, what I have learned in the last almost 2 years of blogging, is that all bloggers, candidates or otherwise, need to be really careful.

Bloggers are considered “publishers” and have all the responsibilities of the New York Times, but in most cases, they do not have the resources, legal and otherwise of the New York Times. (See “Publishing” category in the “Issues” section on the side of the Newburyport Blog.) Especially as blogging becomes more prevalent and more mainstream and blogs become more of a challenge, in any number of ways.

To have blogger, Josh Marshall, break the Alberto Gonzales story, with all the political ramifications that have taken place as a result, is huge. And many folks, including major media folks and politicians, check out Josh Marshall’s blog “Talking Points Memo”, the first thing in the morning, or the last thing at night.

This is a big difference in the blogosphere, even from just a year ago.

So, bloggers out there, give yourself a crash course on the legal issues about blogging.

There is a lot of stuff on legal issues now for bloggers on the World Wide Web. And the legal issues are constantly changing as the blogging medium evolves.

And bloggers out there in Blog Land (including me!), please blog with knowledge and with care.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport