Wednesday, November 29, 2017

This is my 2,416th post.

I had a crazy idea to start this blog on November 29, 2010. Tomorrow marks the start of my eighth year.

Some Statistics

I published 44,590 comments.

I chose not to approve 863 comments, which are still sitting in my spam folder. Those are mostly anonymous and hate-filled. I did approve the most hurtful comment which came in at 12:06 AM.

The true spam comments were deleted.

1,891,460 pages were read by you.

My most popular post of all time is still Parent offended by article in The Devil's Advocate.

The second most popular post is Photos from tonight's meeting. Those photos were from a time when we thought that attending a commission meeting actually mattered. Silly us.

How I start my day.

I made a lot of friends along the way, but also lots at the other end of the spectrum. My expectations include transparency, accountability, honesty, and fairness. That is where I lose some people.

I am hoping that 2018 is the start of a new beginning. Two of our biggest bullies in local government are at the end of their terms. I'm optimistic that our new leadership will regain control of our administrators by insisting that the administrations act promptly on letters and requests sent by the public and to make documents accessible and transparent for the public. When that happens, I'm calling it quits.

Readers, thank you for your support. I really appreciate it.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Elaine, you already have a book written:

"The Veneer of Unity: 8 Years of Anonymous Trolling on a Local Blog"

Publish those anonymous comments en masse. They will speak volumes about not only MTL, but our larger culture.

Let me know if you want to talk to some big book publishers, I know some.

Richard Gideon said...

EG:
Congratulations on completing seven years of providing an alternative public service. As the Blog enters its eighth year I think its greatest service is not in changing minds or preaching to the choir, but in giving the undecided Mt. Lebanon resident information that he or she will not get from the local government(s); and that in itself should give you great satisfaction.

Lebo Citizens said...

Jason and RG, you both have been key contributors to the blog's success. My sincere thanks to the both of you.
Elaine

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, Elaine! Thank you for all you do, and here's to the next 10 years!

Anonymous said...

Those "at the other end of the spectrum" sweat over every single one of your posts. Their reputations shrink and their worlds get a little smaller with every single tough but accurate comment. Keep it up. No. Pour it on.

Unknown said...

I may not always agree with your opinions or attitude, but I do admire your passion and tenacity. Thank you for being a voice. Congratulations on the anniversary and best wishes as you continue!

Lebo Citizens said...

Thanks for your kind words, Kim. I don't know if you are still at WS, but thanks to them, the way I start my day was a game changer. ;)
Elaine

Unknown said...

I'm still there, but I usually hide in the back ;) I'm happy you're happy!