Dear NorthEndWaterfront.com readers,
I am very pleased to introduce a new Forum to the website. See the permanent “Forum” link at the upper right of all NorthEndWaterfront.com website pages.
The Forum is the place where you can post your neighborhood announcements, opinions, events, activities and requests. The forum allows you to post on the website without having to go through me. Of course, the “Comments” sections will continue to appear under each main article, but the Forum can be about anything you want. This is a way to give you, the readers, the opportunity to directly share your neighborhood information.
I am thrilled that the original mission to share the “News & Views of Boston’s North End/Waterfront Neighborhood” has become a reality. The website statistics consistently show about 10,000 unique monthly visitors to the site and about 30,000 page views. The population in the North End/Waterfront is about 12,000 people, so I believe the weblog is reaching a high proportion of North End/Waterfront area residents and merchants. Of course, there are also many folks outside the neighborhood and former residents that are also interested in what goes on here.
I hope that the Forum will help also fill the gap on activities that I miss or are time-sensitive. There are days, and weeks, when my time is limited. While I could not be more pleased with the popularity of the site, my inbox is getting flooded with requests for postings and I am having trouble keeping up with all the terrific activities going on in the neighborhood.This weblog is a hobby for me (not my “day job”) and my way of doing community service. I have purposely kept it non-commercial and do not get paid or sell advertising on the site.
In the Forum, feel free to post your announcements, requests, opinions, events, questions … really, whatever you want. The posts will appear immediately on the website. Of course, I will still do my part and highlight public meetings, issues and activities in the neighborhood on the home page. But I will rely more on individual parties to post some things in the Forum. The Forum is also a good way to also highlight requests to me for events that you want added on the Calendar.
I know many of you have opinions to share and the Forum is a place for your issue-based discussions. Some folks have complained to me that the main articles and related comments on the Home page quickly get pushed down as new postings appear on the site. The Forum is a solution to that problem and a great place to continue these discussions or share updates on issues. Of course, the comments section under each article will continue to be available for your contributions.
Thank you to all the readers and supporters of NorthEndWaterfront.com. I am always interested in your feedback through the Contact form or at info@northendwaterfront.com.
Matt Conti, Editor
NorthEndWaterfront.com