Minneapolis Metblogs » Housekeeping

Brief Updates from MBHQ

MBHQ — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:48:08 +0000

You’ve no doubt by now noticed that the sites got a bit of a re-design and some things got changed around last week. We wanted to highlight two changes to make sure everyone knows what changed.

The first and biggest is COMMENTS! Registration is no longer required to post a comment on any post. Of course if you already have an account you can still login to ensure your comments are attributed to you, but those who don’t can now post a comment without any long term commitment. Also, on the right you can see some of the recent comments so you’ll always know what the active discussions are. This was the most requested thing we’ve heard from people since our last redesign and we’re excited to see where it leads.

The next change is also something that was heavily requested, and that is a change to the ADS on the sites. You’ll immediately notice fewer of them, but what might not be as obvious is those smaller square ones to the right are specific to this city only and are being sold for a flat rate for a period of time rather than a confusing CPM/traffic/network model. Depending on the city, these range from $7-$175 for a full week. If you purchase one, during that time your ad will be the only one in that spot and will show on every page. We set these up both to make it easier for smaller local businesses to get their ads on our site, and also to help us bring in ads that relate better to our local audiences. Also, keeping these sites online is expensive and every little bit helps.

There are a bunch of other things we changed but we’ll leave those to you to investigate and take advantage of. Hope you like it, and we look forward to seeing you in the comments!!

Love,
The folks at MBHQ

Lowry Bridge is blowing up, blowing up, blowing up

David — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:02:00 +0000

In case you haven’t heard, yesterday the Lowry Bridge was imploded.

Check out this awesome video via Finance and Commerce

If you can see this, then you might need a Flash Player upgrade or you need to install Flash Player if it's missing. Get Flash Player from Adobe.

WCCO reports

The Lowry Avenue Bridge stood for more than 100 years in northeast Minneapolis. On Sunday, it took just a couple of seconds to send it tumbling down.

The bridge hadn’t been used since April 2008, when it was deemed structurally unsafe

More vid and photos from Best Day Ever

If you’re still eating pork are you a swino?

David — Fri, 01 May 2009 01:33:09 +0000

What’s up pandemics?

Today is the first day there’s been a daily drop in the numbers for the new flu that’s going around.

I’ve refrained from making fun of the hype or anything related to swine flu, mainly because people have died, but I have to admit some of it has been funny. (scroll down)

What do you think of the name change?

We’ve been out and about as usual, but I’ve been vigilant about hand washing. Though being a parent means I’m always washing hands anyway, so I’m in practice.

Are you doing anything to avoid contact with the germs?

Did I break the Internet? (Coachella Queries. )

David — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 02:49:01 +0000

Do you ever wonder that?

I mean locally, of course, not at Coachella or someplace totally way more awesome than SxSWhatnot or Seattle.

That is, do you know somone at Coachella? You know, someone local? Or, have you heard about any Coachella acts that you really, really, really, want to roll through the T.C.?

.My friend mellowlee says “Now playing at #Coachella ; #Calexico Check it out at http://music.att.net #webcast ♫ http://blip.fm/~4k9ap“

and stephenhero just can’t catch a break “Glasvegas cancelled. Bullshit! I feel like a Gypsy homosexual in 1939 Poland.” #coachellaabout 2 hours ago from txt

followed by “TV on the Radio’s sound is just not geared for a huge field in the desert. Checking Calexico. #coachellaabout 1 hour ago from txt“

And mellowlee♫ http://blip.fm/~4ka3o

CP has some pics Coachella 2009: Half-Dressed People & Scenes from the Desert

Dig it?

Do tell.

Hello, Minneapolis/Saint Paul

Mitchell Hislop — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:00:01 +0000

Hi!

My name is Mitchell Hislop, and I am a new author here.

I got into this blogging/social media/twittering/friendfeeding/web design world about 8 months ago, and I’m hooked.

Addicted, even.

But I digress. I will be posting here about…well, everything and anything. Things from thoughts on the smoking ban (I am a cigar lover) to talking about a new restaurant that I ate at. (You wont find too many boozy posts though-I am not yet 21, making me one of the few social media people who cannot legally drink). You can find my personal posts on my website, and you should follow me on twitter.

I am currently without a “day job”. I do a bit of freelancing, and I am a full time student at Hamline University, majoring in PoliSci and Marketing with a minor in communications. If you need a social media/marketing/pr intern, let me know

I hope to get to know each and everyone of you. I love these cities, and almost all of the people in them.

Hi there, I’m new.

Liz — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 04:18:04 +0000

I’m not good with writing things about myself, so I’ll try to make this short and painless. I’m Liz, one of the new authors here. I’m a Twin Cities native and I love my town(s).

I’m a (relatively) new blogger and Mom. That said, you’ll probably see me blogging about stuff that MSP Moms care about. Please don’t mistake me for a Mommy blogger; you won’t see a single post about my kid or his nap schedule, bodily fluids, etc. You can read my personal blog for that (although you probably won’t find anything like that there either).

So that’s that. I’m always open and happy to connect with new people, so leave me some comments and feel free to catch me on Twitter as well. Ciao.

Minneapolis Metblog Seeking Authors

greg — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:37:53 +0000

The Minneapolis Metblog is having an open call for authors. If you’re a blogger looking for a wider audience, or simply have a desire to write about what’s happening in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area, keep reading:

The qualifications:

You need to live in or near the Twin Cities metro area. Metblogs is all about the city from the perspective of people who live here.

An ability and willingness to post at least three times a week. You’ve seen our stuff, so you know an entry could simply be a pic, a review of your pizza joint or a rant about how idiotic our public transportation is.

A desire to cover topics you’re passionate about. We’re looking for unique voices and to more broadly represent the city.

Be a team player. Authors here don’t always agree with each other, but we’re supportive of each other’s contributions.

Besides the wide audience, the best part of Metblogs is the editorial process: there is none. As long as what you write is about Minneapolis-Saint Paul or something specifically relevant to MSP readers, it qualifies. Otherwise, we’re a sandbox for writers to play in, create their own columns and write the stuff they wish existed.

This is an unpaid gig, but you have the opportunity to have your stuff read by our fabulous Minneapolitans on a daily basis. Vloggers, photographers, community journalists, gripers and anyone else with a desire to write about Minneapolis is encouraged to apply.

While already having a blog doesn’t hurt, especially to demonstrate your ability to post frequently, it’s far from a requirement.

If interested, send me an e-mail (with “Minneapolis Metblog” in the subject), telling us briefly about yourself, blog link (if you have one) and what type of topics you’d like to cover. Blog on, people. Blog on.

UPDATE: We have new authors – woot.

Minneapolis Metblog Seeking Authors

greg — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:45:13 +0000

The Minneapolis Metblog is having an open call for authors. If you’re a blogger looking for a wider audience, or simply have a desire to write about what’s happening in Minneapolis Saint Paul, keep reading:

The qualifications:

You need to live in or near the Twin Cities metro area – Metblogs is all about the city from the perspective of people who live here.

An ability and willingness to post at least three times a week. You’ve seen our stuff, so you know an entry could simply be a pic, a review of your favorite burger place or a rant about how idiotic our public transportation is.

A desire to cover topics you’re passionate about. We’re looking for unique voices and to more broadly represent the city.

Team players. Authors here don’t always agree with each other, but we’re supportive of each other’s contributions.

Besides the wide audience, the best part of Metblogs is the editorial process: there is none. As long as what you write is about Minneapolis-Saint Paul or specifically relevant to MSP readers, it qualifies. Otherwise, we’re a sandbox for writers to play in, create their own columns and write the stuff they wish existed.

This is an unpaid gig, but you have the opportunity to have your stuff read by our fabulous Minneapolitans on a daily basis. Vloggers, photographers, community journalists, gripers and anyone else with a desire to write about Minneapolis is encouraged to apply.

While already having a blog doesn’t hurt, especially to demonstrate your ability to post frequently, it’s far from a requirement. If interested, send me an e-mail telling us briefly about yourself, blog link (if you have one) and what type of topics you’d like to cover. We’ve got new authors! Hooray!

Thank You and Goodbye

Erica M — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:49:12 +0000

The Minneapolis Metblog is almost four years old. I’ve been writing here for almost 3.5 years. I’ve been a captain for almost 2.5 years. After all that, the time has come for me to move along. I’d like to say thanks to all of you reading, thanks to my fellow Metbloggers, and an extra special thanks to my co-captain Greg.

It’s been fun. It’s been work. It’s been rewarding to see this site grow. It’s been great meeting and hearing from all of y’all. It’s really transformed the way I experience the Twin Cities.

I’ve got some new projects that I’m excited about: cinna.mn and fresh.mn. I hope you’ll check ‘em out.

Thank you.

Introducing The Hub

MBHQ — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 06:55:08 +0000

If Metblogs is a city, hub.metblogs is the playground. We kept hearing from people that one of their favorite parts of Metblogs was meeting and interacting with readers and writers from other parts of the world, as well as getting requests for more ways that readers could be involved besides just posting comments. We thought about this for a while and decided that with a network like this, a giant community area where folks from all over the world could hang out, post photos and videos, talk with each other, form groups, play games, send messages, and do about a million other things was probably a pretty fun idea. The Hub is that.

If you have any tech ideas or suggestions join this group and speak up. See you on hub.metblogs!