First State of the Blog & Syndicate Advertising

A year ago I had just finished my first run for political office. Traffic to this site had increased substantially during the campaign and I didn’t think it could get much better. Boy, was I wrong.

In the last year readership for my site has steadily increased. Since starting Urban Review in October 2004 I’ve caught the attention of local officials but more importantly the general public. I’ve covered many topics from often overlooked subjects like bike rack placement to more complicated issues such as local mass transit. I enjoy sharing my perspectives and appreciate your feedback.

Thank you all so much for your support!

Speaking of support, my site and the others from the STL Syndicate have a great advertising program. A mere $20 bucks will get you started with 2,000 ad views. That is a only .01¢ per view! Where else can you get access to St. Louis readers for such a low price?

I’ve personally advertised on the Syndicate for open houses and real estate listings. The increase in traffic to my MLS listings was very noticeable. As an advertiser you get a regular report to show you the ad views and how many times the ad was selected. If your business targets a St. Louis audience this is the advertising program for you.

Support local bloggers and reach web savvy customers all at the same time! Click here for all the details. Be sure to list me as your ad rep!

OK, enough of the sales pitch. You get it.

In the coming year look for more project reviews, suggestions for improving the St. Louis region and more commentary on local elections. I may even weigh in on state and federal elections as these officials have an impact on our region through transportation funding and environmental policy.

Thanks again for reading Urban Review.

– Steve

One Year Ago Today

It was one year ago today that I entered my first post on Urban Review – St. Louis. Actually, on that day, I entered a total of six posts. I was very thrilled by the freedom of expressing my views. Today I’m beyond thrilled — I feel highly empowered.

The following is from my second post:

Much has happened in the last year.

The Century Building was razed, the Virginia Mansion was saved, and many new projects were built with many more planned. The number of people discussing and debating urbanity has increased substantially. I ran for Alderman and although I lost (44.1% vs 55.9%) I truly believe I made a positive impact. Twenty days after starting Urban Review – St. Louis I joined the STL Syndicate, an excellent collection of St. Louis blogs.

In the last year I’ve made a total of 345 posts. Many posts contain images and have been lengthy essays on the topics covered. I’ve enjoyed sharing my thoughts and meeting many of you.

The coming year will be interesting too. Many issues face our city and region and I will be there to comment on them. We have elections in November of 2006 followed shortly by races in March 2007 in the City of St. Louis. i want to keep issues like limited use of eminent domain, pedestrian-friendly urban planning and quality mass transit as part of the social dialog. Myself and some other urban bloggers are talking about getting together — a forum of sorts if you will. Together we will collectively lead the movement to demand better of our built environment.

Thank you so much for reading Urban Review – St. Louis.

– Steve

Monday’s Appearance on KDHX Available Online

Monday evening Antonio French and myself were guests on KDHX’s Collateral Damage program hosted by DJ Wilson and Fred Hessel. It was fun and we talked about some interesting topics.

If you missed the program you can listen via streaming audio or download the podcast to your computer. Running time is 24 minutes. Click here for the Collateral Damage page.

– Steve

Patterson & French On KDHX’s Collateral Damage

This coming Monday, October 24th, Antonio French and myself will appear on KDHX’s ‘Collateral Damage‘ program hosted by DJ Wilson and Fred Hessel. The half hour live radio program will air Monday at 7pm (CST). If you can’t hear the program live you will be able to listen to streaming audio from their website. Collateral Damage is also available in a podcast version for your listening pleasure on your computer or iPod.

So tune in on Monday…

– Steve

I Was Wondering Today