Comments on: Oakland’s bloggerati last night

By: Come party with us on January 6th at Disco Volante! | A Better Oakland

Come party with us on January 6th at Disco Volante! | A Better Oakland — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 18:02:41 +0000

[...] did a hastily planned, short-notice holiday party at the Washington Inn, where I got to meet all manner of cool people, including Artemis from City [...]

By: Genie

Genie — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 23:05:14 +0000

It was a really fun event — nice to meet some new Oakland blogger faces and be part of the group!

By: Old Oakland’s Secret Bar | OaklandGoods

Old Oakland’s Secret Bar | OaklandGoods — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 05:00:48 +0000

[...] night’s Oakland blogger meet-up provided me with some much needed inspiration, and with a glimpse into one of the Oakland bar [...]

By: Jessica

Jessica — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 04:35:20 +0000

Thanks for keeping the word alive about Oakland’s indie blogs!

By: Angela Woodall

Angela Woodall — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:31:34 +0000

Many thanks again. I had fun and it was lovely to meet so many new people. As far as the Trib goes, I say Amen, brother. I’m with you. On that note, the company is changing the blog format. The Night Owl will be under the “East Bay Outtakes” along with several other avenues. I won’t even go into the reasons why it’s EBO, which I think is a terrible idea (lumping together Oakland and Berkeley and “everything in between”).Goes under the category of WTF.
So, about journalism (a topic I LOOOOVE talking about), the paper should focus on those stories that readers will say, “Wow. I’m glad the Trib was on that one.” But we are made to revert to the no-crime-story-is-too-small mode, even though it costs a lot of time that could be devoted to something more significant. Part of the prob too among a lot of reporters is that they don’t get out of the office enough, whereas bloggers are coming and going as part of their normal workday and daily routine. Maybe reporters have to change the way we write stories, too, because people are used to the conversational style in blogs etc. My dream (fantasy?) is to start a news site with my boyfriend that would do Oakland justice. We’d plunk it down in the Trib Tower.

By: V Smoothe

V Smoothe — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:09:18 +0000

Thanks for coming to the party, Angela. FYI, I sent invites to all the Oakland reporters who have blogs, but you were the only one who was able to make it.

By: Luke

Luke — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:08:15 +0000

As a frequent reader of our great Oakland blogs and the Trib, I have to say that the blog writers are kicking some Oakland booty (Angela is a great notable exception with her great Night Owl work). The fact is I just can’t get the detailed and thoughtful writing about Oakland from any other sources. V Smoothe in particular is amazing and prolific and my hat’s off to her. I really don’t know how she does it. Frankly, I want to know what’s going on in the city and not just crime. There are a million great things happening everywhere and there are plans in the works that I want detailed information on. You know how I find out about this mainly? The blogs! I want to know when the Lake construction is gonna start, what it’s going to look like, what it’s gonna cost…and I want frequent updates. I want to know that there’s someone holding the city’s feet to the fire to pave the streets and fix the sidewalks. I really want to know that there’s gonna be landscaping, beautification of our city, and development. New restaurants and shops opening? Companies starting up or moving to Oakland? Get me names and details (the Trib often skimps on the details and depth) and often. WHY? The pride of a city is foundational to it’s health. We have to learn to respect and care for our home and it starts with our news and conversations. We don’t neglect all the horrible negative parts at all, but there has to be a balance and focus on the positive. We need constant reminders of the good things, otherwise the bad things start to define our reality. Think of it as the broken window theory writ large.