Happy 11th Birthday, iBrattleboro

Happy Birthday everyone. iBrattleboro is now 11 years old That means we’re all heading toward our exciting teen years, but still retaining our youthful charm and innocence, right?

Lise and I are your guides and enablers, but the site remains yours. You decide what’s important, you write the stories, and you provide the commentary. There are no reporters or editors.

In 2003, the idea of using the world wide web for a local purpose was almost unheard of. News came from the TV set and from the newspaper or weekly news magazines. There were few blogs, no Facebook, no YouTube, nor Twitter. News outlets did not let you comment on stories other than by sending letters to the editor.

There wasn’t even a word for what we were doing when we started. Lise and I were invited to numerous media conventions to give talks to reporters and editors at major media companies. At first we were considered cute, then dangerous, then the imitation began. It’s hard not to find a citizen component to news gathering these days.

If you are relatively new to Brattleboro and the site, I’d like to take a moment to encourage you. If you go to a meeting, you can share what you learned there. If you go to a play, you can review it. If you have an idea for improving town government or the schools, you can share it.

If you have a radio or TV show on WVEW or BCTV, you can promote it. If your organization is doing something interesting, you can tell everyone about it.

You can share your great photos, or start a group to talk about a special interest.

iBrattleboro doesn’t edit your stories, or limit you to a set number of words. We don’t give out assignments, either. Things get covered (or not) as you cover them (or don’t), if and when you decide to give it a try. If something’s missing from the conversation, add it.

We’ve created a very local platform for you to share what’s on your mind, and have built up a big, loyal audience for your work.

Thank you for reading, writing, commenting, photographing, and otherwise documenting life in Brattleboro. Every little bit helps tell a more complete story of who lives here and what’s going on.

I’ll close with a repeat of where it all began. The very first story was a haiku about the big pile of snow outside our door. The pile has returned, though not as tall as in 2003. Happy birthday everyone!

Snow outside the door
Higher than the side porch roof
Dig out or let melt?
 

Comments | 5

  • Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to Yoooouuuuuu....

    Happy Birthday Dear iBrattleboro – and Thanks to Muse Arts, Lise, and Chris for a great local forum and news source.

    You know, just today I was thinking how nice it was to have snow piled up again to about my knees – the level it used to get to quite regularly several years back.

    And now I’m thinking of the changes that have happened in Brattleboro since the site started, most dutifully reported and discussed here. The condescending Selectboard, radio free Brattleboro, the Progressive Selectboard, iBrattleboro nights out, the trip to the see how the nuclear facility worked, nudity downtown, debate over the future of the River Garden, the design and offer of volunteer help for Donut Park, the flag at night, pay as you throw, organizing helpful responses to too many fires, interviews with people around town and candidates for office, debate over the future of the River Garden again, etc. – all of it creating a method and setting a standard for everyday people to respond to their local world, putting Brattleboro in the forefront of change.

    Thank You, Happy Birthday, Best Wishes for the future.

    • HAPPY BIRTHDAY young & restless

      I think you should shovel the snow, you never know when our last chance to shovel such amounts this year will come again, so enjoy the good exercise or maybe you will just end up making a snow sculpture!!

  • Thanks!

    Happy Birthday to you, ibrattleboro! Congratulations, and thanks for being here.

  • A Good Fit

    This is a unique site and it seems to fit quite well with the culture and tenor of Brattleboro.

  • Happy Birthday!

    We’ve come a very long way. Thanks, Lise and Chris, for these first 11 years. So very many memories. Cheers to all who’ve made it what it is. *clink*

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