A Couple of Things
Live and learn. We launched Brooklyn Record almost exactly a year ago with the idea that there was a whole lot of stuff going on in Brooklyn that had little to do with real estate and that wasn’t being adequately covered in any one blog. We still think it’s a valid concept but we’ve decided…
Live and learn. We launched Brooklyn Record almost exactly a year ago with the idea that there was a whole lot of stuff going on in Brooklyn that had little to do with real estate and that wasn’t being adequately covered in any one blog. We still think it’s a valid concept but we’ve decided to leave it to someone with deeper pockets to try and to stick to our knitting here at Brownstoner. It’s been hard trying to support two brands and creating artificial boundaries editorially; frankly, it’s also proven a lot harder to support a general interest blog with advertising. Going forward, some of the things we’ve been putting in the Brooklyn Record basket in recent months—like storefront openings and closings and the more human-interest side of real estate, for example—will find a home under the Brownstoner umbrella. Other topics, like kick-boxing classes and indie rock concerts aren’t going to make the cut.
In other news, we’re in the process of upgrading the site to a new system that will dramatically improve the user experience and strengthen the sense of community. Within the next few weeks, readers will be able to have their own profile pages which they can use to track comment threads, upload photos of their house or apartment and connect directly with other readers. The new system will also make the Forum much more flexible and user-friendly. We can’t wait.
Onward and upward.
Mr. B
agreed with all those above who said they read Brooklyn Record everyday and used it as a way to navigate to other brooklyn blogs. it was my favorite blog, i’ll really miss it. if you keep the blog roll feature on the new brownstoner, perhaps i’ll start reading it. i don’t read it now as i really don’t care about what building is on the market for $3m, and etc. this is a real bummer. but thanks for the hard work.
Thanks for all the great work.
I was a dailiy reader.
BR will surely be missed.
I will remember reading the Stoller Mom thread and bursting out laughing at work
and also how the Bubby’s thread actually resulted in some action.
I dont read brownstoner ever, but i will try.
Golly Mr. B, we’re sorry things didn’t work out for ya! People in Brooklyn don’t really care about anything but real estate anymore anyway so better to consolidate and focus on a website that let’s people get all worked up about the next glass highrise or brownstone foreclosure in an up and coming former crack house.
Add me to the long line of Brooklyn Record lovers who rarely clicks on the Brownstoner. It was a handy compendium and a daily stop for me. Sad to see you go!
Brownstoner, trust me when I say that BR was highly appreciated and loved. I hope you keep the archives up somewhere. I feel bad I never posted. But you’d be amazed at how many times I printed out an event or restaurant article to show friends. I really did feel that you hit on something no one else was doing. What a great resource! As someone said, you really had your finger on the pulse of Brooklyn!
I too read BR regularly for the “local” news ann interest items. As someone who can’t aford to buy anything in Brooklyn…Brownstoner was always too real estate focused for me. It will be sad to see BR go but will try and give the “new” Brownstoner a shot.
I will definitely miss the BR, I was excited when it started last year. I read BR daily and probably checked Brownstoner bi-weekly. I certainly appreciated both blogs, but if I had to choose one to stay it would have been BR with some of the content of Brownstoner (house/condo of the day, recent sales, etc) instead of the other way around.
Eek. In one eye and out the other.
Regarding the above, s/WP/MT/
I’d look into the idea of having channels, only some of which feed the main page content.
For example, many clearly do *not* want to see kids items or various and sundry events posted in the main Brownstoner.com content stream as this gets away from the core mission many perceive Brownstoner to have: discussion of brownstone renos, housing marketplace and neighborhood historical pieces.
However, if you kept separate kids and events etc. content channels, *away* from the main content stream (as content channels themselves…wasn’t “Kids” menu item sort of like this before?), then you might accomplish the following:
1) not piss off folks who absolutely do not want to see Kids and Events (etc..) content spoiling their Brownstoner experience
2) still enable those separate channels to thrive
3) open up better targeted marketing channels to pay your bills (RE services etc in main Brownstoner.com, kids-related targeted adverts in Kids channel, other local companies in other Events or other channels)
That’s my (perhaps obvious, granted…) two cents here.
By the way, why not Drupal instead of WP for a community site?
Seems far better suited for the new proposed functionality compared to retro-fits of WP.
Okay, that makes 4 cents.
/me out