Seven full years of blogging today and I'm still here

I launched Enclave on this day in 2005 with a focus on neighborhood issues, with the idea of contributing to the quality of life of my community. I did my best to follow stories of import to us that the news media ignored, and I tried to bring to light angles that would otherwise skulk behind the scenes. My work included joining the drumbeats of campaigns to raise money (for candidates and causes) and to preserve history. I supported other alternative information sources and other bloggers by sending my traffic their way with a profusion of links.

But I have also tried to give back more tangible benefits by giving away my Google ad revenues to worthy local non-profits like Fisk University, Buena Vista Enhanced Option School, Cumberland River Compact, Second Harvest Food Bank, 88.1 WFSK FM, North Nashville Flood Relief Group, Nashville Jazz Workshop, Friends of Nashville Farmers' Market, and the Nashville Neighborhoods Resource Center.

Thanks to all of you who have visited my little corner of the Nashville online community in the past seven years. Thanks to all of the folks who contacted me with leads and information that turned into stories here. Thanks to all of you who click on the ads and make the donations possible.

Blogging is not what it used to be. It is by no means dead, but it is not as viral other social media. And online pro journalism co-opts and shoves us out of the way by sheer force. If I had not been committed to writing, I probably would have kicked Enclave to the curb in much less than 7 years. I tried once to stop, but then received some remarkably persuasive requests not to. So, for better or worse, and after 6,800 posts and over 1,000,000 on the stat counter, I'm still here.