The how and why of urban blogging

When I started blogging over 5 and a half years ago my goal was very simple: focus on something other than my dad who’d spent the month of October 2004 in the hospital after a heart attack.  At the time I had no lofty goal about what UrbanRviewSTL.com would be become.

Tonight I will be on a panel titled “Blog City.”

The ongoing conversation of urbanism and historic preservation of St. Louis architecture and its city form is largely fueled by buzzing blogs and their readership. With so much work to be done toward the revitalization of our city, we ask how web-based advocacy of the betterment our built environment plays a meaningful role in that revitalization with the following panel
ALEX IHNEN – blogger, URBANSTL.COM
MATTHEW MOURNING – blogger, STLDOTAGE
STEVE PATTERSON – blogger, URABANREVIEWSTL

Following forty five minutes of panel discussion we will open the floor to audience questions.

The moderator will be Chris Naffziger (stlouispatina.blogspot.com).  Details: Thursday, June 3rd 2010; 7:00-9:00 PM;  Urban Eats Café; 3301 Meramec Street; St. Louis, Mo. 63118.  Arrive early to order dinner and get a beer.  I’m happy to have Urban Eats as an advertiser on this blog.

The following is some of what I hope to present during the panel.  This is basics for  web-based advocacy.

Digital strategy:

• The blog serves as the centerpiece of your communications.  You may think you can do just a basic website or Facebook page.  You could do that, but the reach of your message will be considerably shorter.  Start with a blog as the base, adding other pieces later.
• A blog is a website but the structure is better than a static website that was used in the late 20th century.  Blog differ from static websites in that they present information in reverse chronological order.  All information remains in the database and can be found when searching.  Blogs can include static pages — either as the first page or as additional pages as my blog does.
• Your blog/site should have it’s own domain (idea.com) , not a subdomain (idea.blogspot.com, etc).  Having your own domain costs very little ($10-$12/year) and looks more professional and is easier to communicate the URL to others.  From day one I’ve used UrbanReviewSTL.com even though my blog has been hosted in three different places using three different software platforms.
• The feed from the blog will be used to get your message out to the masses.  Set your feed to display your entire post, not just an excerpt.  This allows people to subscribe to your feed and read your message in their reader of choice. If you provide only an excerpt some will go to your site to read the full post but most will not.  Decide which is more important — your message or page views.
• If you are an individual with things to say consider trying to be a guest/contributor on established blogs.  I’m always looking for people with a passion for writing about the built environment.
• If your group wants to get noticed you will want your own site.
• In addition to the blog + RSS you also need a presence on both Facebook and Twitter.  Don’t pick just one or other, you need to be on both. Software makes it easy for your blog posts to post to both of these.  This provides more ways for people to find, read and enjoy your message.  Saying, “I’ll just do Facebook but not Twitter” (or vice versa) is saying “I want to limit who gets my message.”  Set up both!  There are many other social networks where you might want to be but these two are a must.  On Facebook you will want a page, not a personal profile.  On Twitter be sure to unlock your account so anyone is free to follow you.  Never ever talk about the number of Facebook Fans or Twitter followers you have or ask for more.

I decided a few months ago to share another passion of mine — food. In doing so I applied the ideas above to this new effort.  Here is a list of what I have:

• BudgetVegetarianFoodie.com is the URL.  More on that later.
• The Twitter account is @BudgetVegFoodie – the formal name was too long.
• You can also find the blog on Facebook at facebook.com/BudgetVegFoodie
• I then registered BudgetVegFoodie.com so the URL matches the Twitter & Facebook, this URL redirects to the longer name where the site is hosted.
• In retrospect I should have started at Twitter to see what names were available and what would fit.
• The blog has an RSS feed and the feed includes the entire post.   Thus, someone could read every post I do without ever visiting the site other than to get the feed URL.  Many news sites only give you an excerpt because they want you to be so into the post that you visit their site to read the rest.  Very annoying!

Comments are another area that must be considered.  If you are a business doing posts about your goods or services you do not want comments.  If you want to spark discussion about an issue you are advocating, you will need to have comments. Here are some rules:

• Make it easy to comment — don’t force someone to have an account with Blogger, Facebook or other service just to add a comment.
• Don’t hold comments up for moderation, this significantly reduces the level of conversation.
• Allow people to disagree with your opinion.
• Not all blog software is equal.  I use WordPress and it’s tools for weeding out spam are among the best.

I hope you can make it tonight, it should be an interesting conversation with differing perspectives on the role of blogging in urban advocacy.

– Steve Patterson

Union Pacific’s ‘City of Saint Louis’ debuted on June 2, 1946

You know the song the City of New Orleans, here is the chorus:

Good morning America how are you?
Don’t you know me I’m your native son,
I’m the train they call The City of New Orleans,
I’ll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.

But did you know there was a City of Saint Louis train as part of Union Pacific’s city series?

“The Union Pacific’s City fleet is credited with being the first lightweight streamlined passenger train to operate in the United States. In 1934 the City of Salina, the first in the fleet, debuted as a three-car lightweight trainset that the Electro-Motive Corporation named the M-10000. The Union Pacific was so impressed with the train, and the response it received from the public, that it purchased seven more sets and the City fleet was born.

Following the City of Salina, also in 1934 was the City of Portland, followed by the City of Los Angeles, City of San Francisco, and City of Denver in 1936. The City fleet became revered throughout the west and rivaled the Santa Fe’s legendary Super Chief, and every other western passenger train, in exquisiteness and fine traveling. Once the trains received their Domeliners in the mid-1950s they became the lavish way to travel for many in Hollywood.“

Sixty-three years ago today (1946) the City of Saint Louis joined this series of luxury trains:

The City of Saint Louis was another of Union Pacific’s vast City fleet of trains connecting the Midwest with the west coast. The City of Saint Louis debuted on June 2, 1946 originally connecting its namesake city, in conjunction with the little Wabash Railroad between Kansas City and St. Louis, with Cheyenne, Wyoming via Denver and Kansas City. However, later in 1951 it was operated all of the way to Los Angeles via the Southern Pacific. Not long after the St. Louis hit the rails it was upgraded with lightweight, all-streamlined equipment in 1947 featuring diners, Pullman sleepers, lounges, observations, and even dome cars which were added in 1958 from Pullman-Standard.

Through the end the City of Saint Louis, along with her sister City trains, remained a top-notch, all matching consist operation by Union Pacific. As rail travel patronage slacked off through the 1960s the train was eventually downgraded, however. In June 1968 the City of Saint Louis was cut back to just Kansas City and remained as the City of Kansas City. While service remained satisfactory, however, this did not secure the St. Louis or other City trains’ futures as they were all discontinued with the startup of Amtrak in the spring of 1971. (Source)

So what began 46 years ago today lasted only 22 years (1946-1968).  I’m not a fan of flying so I’d love to see true high-speed rail (200+ mph) in the US.

Because the tune is probably in your head by now, here is Arlo Guthrie performing The City of New Orleans in 1978:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfxoM6trtZE

– Steve Patterson

Readers on resignation of Todd Epsten from the St. Louis Police Board

The poll last week apparently didn’t interest many of you:

Q: St. Louis Police board member Todd Epsten resigned on 5/19/10, well before the end of his appointment. Thoughts? (pick up to 3)

1. More proof why the state of Missouri should NOT control our police board. 40 [35.71%]
2. Unsure/don’t care 16 [14.29%]
3. Mayor Slay was right to back Epsten for board president 13 [11.61%]
4. Todd Epsten’s abrupt resignation was childish, good riddance 11 [9.82%]
5. Mayor Slay is a closet Republican which is why he voted for Epsten, who was appointed by a Republican Gov. 11 [9.82%]
6. Todd Epsten shouldn’t have resigned his appointment to the board 9 [8.04%]
7. More proof why the state of Missouri should keep control of our police board. 9 [8.04%]
8. Other answer… 3 [2.68%]

The three other answers were:

1. at what point to we give up fighting the losing political battle?
2. Don’t know enough to vote
3. don’t know enough to make an informed decision

The answer with the most votes shows that political fights between board members appointed by governors of different political parties is another reason to support local control of the St. Louis Police.

– Steve Patterson

Public needed to replace 1+ mile of highway with boulevard

Based on past posts I know that many readers here support the efforts of City to River to replace I-70 from the PSB (Poplar Street Bridge) to Cass Ave with a pedestrian-friendly boulevard.  It can’t be done until the new Mississippi River bridge opens in 2014.  In terms of infrastructure planning that is just around the corner.

Last week City to River posted What City to River is Doing and What YOU Can Do to Help on their blog. The post outlines the steps the public can do to push this idea forward.

• Contact Mayor Francis Slay, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Superintendent Tom Bradley, and our downtown Aldermen to express your support for the removal of I-70 (contact info below).
• Spread the word to family, friends, colleagues. Ask them to follow @CitytoRiver on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CityToRiver. Send an e-mail to your contact list with a link to www.citytoriver.org, ask them to send the link to others.
• If you have contact with downtown developers, businesses, or property owners, tell them about City to River and the boulevard idea. If they would like to learn more, connect us with them and we will provide them with information about the effort and how they can help.

The post includes the contact info for various persons you can contact.  I can’t think of anything more positive that St. Louis could do than to replace the highway barrier with a boulevard. Please tell everyone you know.  Post it on Facebook, Tweet about it, talk to anyone that will listen.

– Steve Patterson

The architecture of Memorial Day in downtown St. Louis

To the men & women who have served, or are serving, in our armed forces -  thank you!

Our Soldiers Memorial building and area was conceived to honor those who served in WWI (1914-1918):

“The initiative to construct a memorial plaza and memorial building to honor the gallant sons and daughters of Missouri, and of our city, who “made the supreme sacrifice in the World War”, began in 1923. Over the course of several years, the City of St. Louis and its citizens raised money for the project. Under the leadership of Mayor Bernard F. Dickmann, and with some funds coming from the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (Project No. 5098), the construction of the building, development of the memorial plaza, and improvements to the parks began on October 21, 1935 and the memorial and museum officially opened on Memorial Day, May 30, 1938.”  (Source)

So the memorial was completed 20 years after the war was over, five times as long as the war itself.  St. Louis’ mayor offered these words 72 years ago:

“This magnificent edifice, erected as a perpetual reminder of the valor and sacrifice that has enabled America to live, will spur us on as a people to make America greater. We, who live, because others have died, should make of this shrine a place of love and a monument of peace.”

– Mayor Bernard F. Dickmann, May 30, 1938

Chestnut was once the street used for parades with the steps of the memorial providing a good viewing platform but at some point we moved parades to Market Street.

– Steve Patterson