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Private online views tweak public issues
Young city residents take local commentary to the Web
BY EMILY BATTLE
Date published: 3/11/2008
BY EMILY BATTLE
When Nathan White moved back to Fredericksburg last spring for the first time since graduating from Stafford High School in 2000, he and his wife chose a condominium near the city's downtown because they wanted the interaction of urban living.
But once they got here, Nathan, 26, wanted a more tangible way to connect with his new home.
So for the past several months, he has been documenting his impressions of the city on a Web site called The Fred Review.
On the site, which he designed himself, White posts pictures of and comments about things he's seen on strolls around town. He links to stories that come up on Google news searches for Fredericksburg.
Occasionally, he posts his analysis of what the City Council is doing.
"It's my way of investing in the community," White said.
Bryan Metts, who moved to Fredericksburg from the Charlottesville area two years ago, had a similar idea.
He rides the Virginia Railway Express to work as a software engineer for the Department of Defense.
While on the train, Metts, who reads the printed newspaper at home, scrolls through \ news feeds on his BlackBerry.
"I've always considered myself kind of a news junkie," he said.
As he reads, he reacts, and Metts, 33, wanted a place to organize his commentary on local events.
So he started his own blog and registered a domain for it at intheburg.info.
Metts has used his blog to record his thoughts on local public policy. He spent a lot of time analyzing the changes the Planning Commission has recommended to an ordinance to prevent out-of-scale houses in neighborhoods.
He often attends City Council meetings, and has put in an application to be on the Planning Commission, although he was not appointed when the last round of vacancies was filled.
White and Metts both say they plan to keep posting commentary to their blogs, and that the outlets are more about expressing a viewpoint than about garnering a mass audience.
"One goal was for me to get more engaged and involved," White said. "It's nice to have people read it, but that's not the goal."
He's already gained something for his blogging work in his career.
Starting later this month, White will start a new job as an online content editor in the publishing department of the Marine Corps Association at Quantico.
The portfolio that got him the post was The Fred Review.
Emily Battle: 540/374-5413
Email: ebattle@freelancestar.com
thefredreview.com
intheburg.info
| ON THE NET: thefredreview.com
intheburg.info
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Date published: 3/11/2008
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