The Forum

Steve,

I have a serious question I hope you answer and I have to preface this,

I don't understand blogs and maybe this is how they are used.

What are you relaying in this blog, since the information is already available from the broker?

"ben",

If you wish to understand something, first accomplish that task by looking online for a site like this: http://tinyurl.com/3alajg  

AFTER THAT would be the time for you to attempt to comment.

I can tell you what a blog is definitely NOT: it is definitely NOT a place to try to belittle someone and to PROVE, w/o a doubt, your own lack of knowledge.

What Steve is posting is information about the possible loss of yet another business, which affects all of us here in the village!

If you are seriously concerned, and actually a resident, please feel free to become more informed and participate; otherwise, your comments, for my part, will be summarily ignored in the order in which they are posted!

People blog for many different reasons, but here is why I do it (in addition to just enjoying blogging).

I see my community contribution as collecting information about Shorewood from many sources, putting it together, and putting it out there for my friends and neighbors to read.  Many Shorewood residents want to keep up with community happenings, but do not spend the time visiting all of the different news sources and other websites, and attending meetings to get the information themselves.  

One recent example is the set of referendum videos I posted.  Many people will now be able to take the school renovation tour online who would not have gone on one of the actual tours.  I spent several hours of my Saturday morning videotaping the tour, and uploading the videos to YouTube.  As of today, the videos have received about 190 views.  This means that come next Tuesday, that many more people will know what they are voting for or against.

Another example is Village Board meetings.  Often the news coverage only covers one or two topics, and it almost always omits committee proceedings.  Attending these meetings and putting out information about it is how I choose to serve the community.  It means that my neighbors hear about the community survey, the neighborhood initiative, the smoking ban, the AT&T boxes, video gambling bans, and D2D sooner than they would if they waited until the deal was done.

I also read the Journal Sentinel, Small Biz times, the Shepherd, and other publications.  I read Village reports, and hear things from Village officials and other leaders (yes, I even get leaks occasionally).  I have RSS feeds open on Sunrise, the Smoking Ban, and other topics.  I scan for info about Shorewood, and highlight what seems interesting.

Some of what I write it original.  Some of what I post is simply news articles from other sources.  

I simply write what I see and hear that I think Shorewood residents would be interested in.  Sometimes it veers more towards news reporting, though I have no editorial staff, and would never claim to be a reporter.  Other times it is more clearly opinion.  

I do not cover everything, and do not aim to.  I tend to write from the Village Government angle, mostly because that is the angle I care the most about, and the one I know the most about.  There are certainly other angles and other topics that could be covered, but that is for another blogger.