As the days run into months in the pandemic and we tick past birthdays, holidays, and political events it’s somehow easy to let more personal milestones fall by the wayside, so I was happy to see Columbia/HoCo blogger Jeremy Dommu take the time yesterday to mark the one-year anniversary of his blog The Merriweather Post.
The Merriweather Post Turns One!
It’s a comprehensive look at how he started and his take on how things have changed along the way, rather like a narrative version of that 2020 meme:
How it started. How it’s going.
It’s both honest and tactful on a variety of fronts. It has especial meaning to me as a local blogger because it’s clear that Dommu is wrestling with the issues we are all wrestling with: lack of local journalism, choices on factual writing versus commentary, how we “fit in” in relation to other local voices and how we interact with the public and with local institutions through our writing. This piece shows the author opening the door on that personal process in an engaging and informative way.
I like that we see perhaps a streamlining or re-emphasis in focus here:
As just one person with limited time, I have to pick and choose what I cover. And naturally, I choose to write about the stories that interest me the most - which is predominantly the issues surrounding (and my advocacy for!) the urbanization of Downtown Columbia into a sustainable walkable destination with lots of events, restaurants, venues, public spaces, transit options, and a new mix of housing choices to ensure anybody who wants to live here can. I'd describe The Merriweather Post as a hyper-local neighborhood news blog with a urbanist slant.
It’s a great restatement of purpose and an invitation to come along for the ride.
As someone who started a Columbia/HoCo blog in 2011 and didn’t truly begin to hit my stride until well into 2013, I welcome any committed local voice looking beyond Year One. Right now it’s positively an act of faith.
A tip of the hat to The Merriweather Post for being the new kid on the block this year. Keep at it.
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