NorthEndWaterfront.com is 10 years old! We find it hard to believe a full decade has passed since we started publishing community “news and views”. It was May 8, 2009 when we posted our first article about a candidates forum for the State Representative seat vacated by Sal DiMasi (e.g., some young 30 year-old kid won the special election).
Over the past decade, we have published over 14,000 posts that now make up our huge archive. We have had our share of scoops, but also learned the value of everyday stories and putting out community news on a consistent, daily basis. We are thankful for the dozens of prolific contributors who trust us to share their thoughtful articles. We know you enjoy the commentaries by Nick, Monica, Tom, Bob, Karen and others. We also appreciate the submissions by our terrific community groups, schools, businesses, public safety, cultural and health organizations. I am grateful for the work they do on behalf of the neighborhood and for sharing their activities with us here on the site.
I will admit, the early years were a bit rocky and I thought of shutting down many times. The site was initially glorified meeting summaries and it was just me trying to attend every meeting and event while writing and publishing in my spare time. That wasn’t sustainable and I needed to bring on some help. The realities of community news have kept us lean and we continue to survive without any full-time staff. Fortunately, we learned how to bootstrap several part-time efforts into something cohesive. Conor came on as our first paid staffer and today we have a crew of freelancer reporters that each put it a few hours a week. Most notably, Amanda took on the role of Managing Editor, and she is the primary reason why we can publish everyday. Katie has never missed a daily brief and we also benefit from weekly posts by Chris, Sara and others.
Most of all, we thank our readership that continues to grow each year. Despite our many mistakes over the years, the community has always been supportive of our efforts. Readership soared and that is how we knew there was real demand for daily community news. We are finally moving to a dedicated server which should bring a faster, more responsive site. Those ten years of posts are treasure trove, but also a massive amount of information that is demanding more resources.
Many of you have helped us through voluntary contributions, some one-time and others on a recurring basis through our Call for Patrons. To mark the occasion, we have some special 10th anniversary rewards, including custom photo calendars and mugs, coming for our wonderful patrons. Along with our supportive sponsors, we are pleased to report that NorthEndWaterfront.com is in the black. (That means we make a little more than we spend.) Keeping this website going takes a lot of time, money and hard work. But we do it because we believe community news is important – and we think you do too. We would love to have you join our patron ranks, for as little as $2 per month. Get more information and sign up online here.
If you’re not already receiving our free email newsletter, you can sign up here. And, if you get your news via social media, be sure to join our Facebook page and Twitter feed.
Over the coming months, we will have more “lookbacks” from our 10 years online and the people who made it happen. And, of course, we have an eye on the future and how NorthEndWaterfront.com should evolve in the next decade. As always, feel free to comment below or share your feedback directly on our contact form.
On behalf of the NorthEndWaterfront.com family, thank you for a decade’s worth of support!
Matt Conti, Founder/Editor
Matt’s site has done so much good for the North End and surrounding neighborhoods. At the ABCD North End/West End Neighborhood Service Center (NE/WE NSC) I can always depend on Matt, Amanda, and the rest of their team to help promote our site’s services and programs for seniors. Thank you for being part of the community and here’s to another 10 years!
WOW…that’s a fast 10 years. Great job at keeping us informed Matt. Thanks for all your time and effort.
– janine
Congratulations, on your 10th anniversary, Matt & staff. The NEWF.com is an essential part of my day. Your clear and unbiased reporting keeps me informed about the issues that affect my life. I particulary appreciate the information your publication has provided about the plans that “the powers that be” have for my neighborhood. I also want to thank you and other talented contributors for the beautiful photos. Many thanks for job well done.
Well done, Matt! The words “tenacious”, “connected”, “relevant” and “professional” come to mind when I think about your publication and your excellent team. Looking forward to the next 10!
Keep up the good work.
Congratulations, Matt! Our neighborhood council meetings couldn’t be possible without you and your staff’s tireless efforts covering them. Thank you from all of us at NEWNC!
HUGE thank you and congratulations to Matt and his entire team! RUFF would not be where it is today without all the support, coverage and feedback that NEWF has given us! Cheers to you all on this 10 year anniversary!
Congrats on 10 informative years!! This endeavor has changed the North End’s ability to be in the know. Matt I remember those early days. Best Wishes to an organization worthy of our support!!!
As I ALWAYS SAID~~~~~~~~Matt, YOU ARE THE BEST !!!!!
Congratulations for 10 years of excellent service of information to the community. Thanks Matt for your continued commitment to the seniors and the ABCD North End/West End NSC ‘s mission of service to the less fortunate of these communities.
Happy tenth to the best neighborhood blog in the country!
Congratulations and best wishes for many more decades of covering the North End/Waterfront. Steve Ayres got it right on!
Happy 10th anniversary to you Matt and your staff i read everyday, always a pleasure seeing and reading what everything is up to in the North End. Always great seeing you at the feasts every year with the camera too fantastic job with that as well, to many more years of NEWF news. 👍🎂💪
Best community news in the US. Thanks so much for your selfless hard work and dedication. You make the North End special.
Congrats Matt! You run such a professional and reputable news website, which is very hard to find these days. I look forward to reading it each day. Keep up the great reporting!
Congrats and great job to Matt and his staff.You probably have no idea how much joy this site has brought to former NEenders who moved out of the neighborhood some decades ago ,some who live out of state.They still feel like part of the neighborhood because of the memories especially the Life on the corner articles written by Nick D.I remember growing up by these words” You can take the boy out of the NE ,but you can’t take the NE out of the boy” Keep up the great work and Thank You.🍷
Congratulations, Matt, for ten wonderful years of thoughtful reporting and keeping your readers informed of anything and everything related to The North End. 👍😊
I continue to look forward to my daily, multiple visits to your site, and am proud to be a Contributor to same.
-David Marx-
(Host of the monthly North End Public Safety Meetings with Boston District A-1 Police)
Congratulations, Matt! You are indispensable to our community. You make your fellow journalists proud. Thank you for all you do!
Wow, ten years! Congratulations.
When I think back to the first articles I remember on this site, it somehow seems longer than ten years ago. Best of luck for the next ten.