For the past nine months, the duo behind the popular blog My Ballard has been known only as the "Geeky Swedes." But today they went public with their real names. Cory and Kate Bergman say My Ballard has allowed them to experiment with community-powered journalism. It must keep them seriously busy, too, considering their day jobs are also in the journalism industry and they have a new baby at home. Kate works for KING 5 and Cory (who started Citizen Rain, and used to blog for us) is director of business development at MSNBC. They agreed to participate in a Q&A:
Q: Why did you start My Ballard?
A: We had just moved to Ballard and realized the neighborhood - which is more like its own town - didn't have a daily news source. We knew the folks at WestSeattleBlog.com, so we thought the same approach would do wonders in Ballard. Plus, we love Ballard, and My Ballard has been a great way for us to learn more about the neighborhood.
Q: What role to you feel you're filling in the community?
A: I think the best way to put it is we're the community "moderators." Both Kate and I have long careers in journalism, but we're not "covering" the neighborhood - our readers are providing the bulk of the stories through tips, comments and forum posts. We provide a layer of journalism on top - ensuring that stories posted to the blog are factual - while empowering the community to chime in and provide their own reporting, observations and opinions.
Q: Why did you start it out as the Geeky Swedes instead of using your real names?
A: We took the anonymous route because we wanted it not to be confused with our "real jobs" in traditional media. But now it's become so popular - and we've launched new blogs in Phinney Ridge, Greenwood, Magnolia and Fremont -- so we felt it was time to introduce ourselves.
Q: What's the outlook for local blogs?
A: For some reason, Seattle has become the nation's greenhouse for neighborhood blogs. There are some terrific blogs in town, from Capitol Hill Seattle to Central District News and of course, the West Seattle Blog. Neighborhood blogging has becoming so incredibly popular, two different White Center blogs launched within a couple days of each other. I think this is terrific for Seattle, and traditional media folks across the country are watching with a keen interest.
Q: What advice do you have for local bloggers?
A: Beyond finding a well-defined, underserved niche, the key to success is passion. The vast majority of new blogs start out with a bang but fade after the author realizes that it's a lot of work. Blogging is a beast - we blog night and day, seven days a week, even chasing sirens in the middle of the night. But that's what it takes these days to build a loyal audience.
(Photo by Inglin Photography)
Q: Why did you start My Ballard?A: We had just moved to Ballard and realized the neighborhood - which is more like its own town - didn't have a daily news source. We knew the folks at WestSeattleBlog.com, so we thought the same approach would do wonders in Ballard. Plus, we love Ballard, and My Ballard has been a great way for us to learn more about the neighborhood.
Q: What role to you feel you're filling in the community?
A: I think the best way to put it is we're the community "moderators." Both Kate and I have long careers in journalism, but we're not "covering" the neighborhood - our readers are providing the bulk of the stories through tips, comments and forum posts. We provide a layer of journalism on top - ensuring that stories posted to the blog are factual - while empowering the community to chime in and provide their own reporting, observations and opinions.
Q: Why did you start it out as the Geeky Swedes instead of using your real names?
A: We took the anonymous route because we wanted it not to be confused with our "real jobs" in traditional media. But now it's become so popular - and we've launched new blogs in Phinney Ridge, Greenwood, Magnolia and Fremont -- so we felt it was time to introduce ourselves.
Q: What's the outlook for local blogs?
A: For some reason, Seattle has become the nation's greenhouse for neighborhood blogs. There are some terrific blogs in town, from Capitol Hill Seattle to Central District News and of course, the West Seattle Blog. Neighborhood blogging has becoming so incredibly popular, two different White Center blogs launched within a couple days of each other. I think this is terrific for Seattle, and traditional media folks across the country are watching with a keen interest.
Q: What advice do you have for local bloggers?
A: Beyond finding a well-defined, underserved niche, the key to success is passion. The vast majority of new blogs start out with a bang but fade after the author realizes that it's a lot of work. Blogging is a beast - we blog night and day, seven days a week, even chasing sirens in the middle of the night. But that's what it takes these days to build a loyal audience.
(Photo by Inglin Photography)
Didn't Cory Bergman run Citizen Rain?
Yes, as a matter of fact, he was the driving force behind the launch of Citizen Rain.
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