When I imagined YourArlington.com in the summer of 2006, I knew what might make a strong site. A former editor at The Globe, Herald and Advocate, I knew journalism and had solid sources in town. But I had no clue how the site itself would work out.
The initial notion was to provide a way for Arlington residents to report about the news that they knew. That has not succeeded to the degree I had hoped.
Much has come to fruition, though. As the site celebrated its 11th birthday on Sunday, Dec. 10, let’s give thanks for what has worked.
Slowly but surely, advertising has increased. ACMi, the cable-TV studio, has advertised here nearly since the beginning. Realtor Judy Weinberg has long been an advertising supporter, as has Spectacle Management and its growing series of concerts and performances at Cary Hall, Lexington.
That advertising backing has allowed the site to begin paying writers. That started slowly, with occasional restaurant reviews in 2014 and feature stories in 2015. Jane Dornbursch, who has written about food for The Boston Globe and Boston Herald, now reviews town restaurants. Read what she wrote this year about Bistro Duet and Punjab.
About 16 months ago, freelance writer Susan Gilbert was hired to report zoning meetings related to the Mugar site. When that ongoing story hit a brick wall — it was put on hold by a state appeal — she began helping to cover selectmen. Here’s an example >>
In the fall of 2016, freelancer Jo Anne Preston began reporting regularly about School Committee meetings. Consider a recent report >>
In addition, the site has received informed reports about arts-related subjects from freelancer Carla DeFord, who brought long experience with The Advocate to YourArlington. She not only writes with grace; she takes photos. Read about Bill Pappazisis >>
Many others have helped in innumerable ways. They include Aileen Maroney, who wrote about Regina Gifts, and my wife, Marjorie Howard, who brought her Herald-feature style to a business backgrounder about Fitness First >>
The latter is called “sponsored content,” which is explained here >>
If you are an Arlington business owner and would like to pay for a feature story about what you do, get in touch.
Reach out to 781-641-4490 or here >>
For nearly all of the site’s content, no one pays for that. As it has been from the start, the publisher remains an independent voice.
This viewpoint was published Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017.
