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Lately, I have come to enjoy neighborhood news blogs. I live in a neighborhood of Seattle called Ballard. About two years ago, a local couple decided there wasn’t enough Ballard news, so they started MyBallard.com. It is a news/community forum for those living in Ballard. Their stories range from business openings and closings, traffic problems and accidents, community meeting notices and weekend calendars. The majority of the stories come from faithful viewers, who see news-worthy stories and send them in, usually with pictures and firsthand accounts. To give you an idea of what sort of things are posted, here are some of the most recent headlines…
“Coffee chat with Rep. Carlyle in Ballard”
“Truck gets stuck under Ballard Bridge”
“MTV shooting ‘5 Dollar Cover’ in Seattle”
Following the success of My Ballard, the founders of the site started Next Door Media, which has since launched a number of other neighborhood sites, each with their own local moderator. These sites include MagnoliaVoice.com, for the Magnolia neighborhood, FremontUniverse.com for Fremont and PhinneyWood.com, for the Phinney Ridge and Greenwood neighborhoods. All of these neighborhoods are close to where I live, so I
In addition to the news feed, the sites have a community forum, classifieds section, restaurant reviews, and much more. It has been nice having a source of very local news. I can find out things like, “Why was that street closed” or “Why was there a helicopter hovering around my house at 2:30 this morning?” MyBallard has also led me to visit a number of restaurants I would not have normally visited. I’m grateful that someone decided “Seattle News” was not personal enough. Thanks My Ballard!