Community News: It's All About the Blog

As a resident of West Seattle, I have become a fan of the West Seattle Blog. Whenever I want to know something about what's going on in my part of town, I go to this blog. If I'm driving down the street and traffic is slow with several police cars stopped at an intersection, I can go to the West Seattle Blog and find out what is going on. I can quickly find out about crime in my area and what particular problems are arising.

The neighborhood blog is a great contribution to the community. Much like neighborhood barbeques, it helps build a stronger community by keeping neighbors in the know. It is a relatively easy service to offer as there are numerous providers on the internet that provide free blog services.

The following was taken from the November 2008 issue of Seattle Magazine where the West Seattle Blog was chosen as the best new News Agent:

"BIO: A West Seattle resident since 1991, Record, 49, is a former executive producer of new media at KOMO and assistant news director at KCPQ-TV. She started work on the West Seattle Blog (westseattleblog.com) while still at Channel 13 and quickly learned it would be a full-time job. Her co-publisher and spouse, Patrick Sand, is the chief salesman.
WHY SHE'S ON THE LIST: In the year of the neighborhood blog, with many newspapers in dire financial straits, the West Seattle Blog, started in 2005, is bucking the trend--reaching financial sustainability this year, and inspiring similar models around the city (including the Rainer Valley Post and MyBallard). Record's formula is steeped in her news roots: Whereas ma ny neighborhood blogs devolve into little more than neighborhood chitchat, WSB plays the editorial content right down the middle. News reports are written or reviewed by Record, and she updates the site with breaking news, day or night. The windstorm of December 2006 helped put the blog on the radar of many locals. Record posted usable, up-to-the-minute information on how the windstorm affected her neighborhood (aided by serendipity, as she had the week off from KCPQ). Page views increased. And ever since, WSB had a dedicated audience. 'We can't take a day off or those people will go somewhere else,' she says."