Hi Folks! I’ve got some bad news (or good, depending on how you get along with my writing): I’ve decided to put Wallyhood on potentially permanent hiatus.
The recent dust-up, where Steve Questad (aka E30 Memorial) wrote to all of our sponsors asking them to cancel their support because of Wallyhood’s “racist bigotry” (original in all caps), wasn’t alone what did it, but it did give me the nudge to revisit why I’ve been writing Wallyhood.
I started Wallyhood in January 2009, shortly after my son was born, because I’d lived in this neighborhood for fifteen years, and realized I didn’t know much about my neighborhood beyond those who lived one door away. I’d always enjoyed writing (I had been writing a well-respected beekeeping blog for a decade or so prior) and thought this would be a great way to learn about the neighborhood, build community and practice a skill I enjoyed.
And I did enjoy it for many years. It was fun crafting clever turns of a phrase, editing and re-editing rhetorical pieces, and lending the spotlight to interesting neighbors and worthy causes. (Did I mention that readers of this blog came together to donate over $12,000 to local food bank and family resource center Familyworks?!) Most surprising and rewarding was the building of relationship between neighbors. Every time someone said to me “I feel more a part of my neighborhood because of Wallyhood”, it was like getting a warm hug from a sunny day.
But more and more, I’ve left the writing to others (thank you, Eric, most recently for stepping up and continuing the momentum), as I’ve been trying to channel my creative energies towards new projects. Instead of looking forward to the opportunity to craft a new epistle or drop a well-chosen bon mot, I’ve struggled to find the energy, and sometimes grown resentful of the responsibilities.
So, while persistently angry and impossible to satisfy readers like Steve suck some of the joy out of the endeavor, I’m a big boy and can shake off the trolls better than most. That’s not the main reason I’m shuttering the enterprise. I need to enjoy it, and I’m not.
So, as of today, regular articles will cease to appear here and I’ll be returning all unused sponsorship dollars. I am, however, reserving the right to pen the occasional post when the muse visits*. If you’d like to get notified by email when that happens, please join the Wallyhood mailing list:
I recently joined the board of FamilyWorks, and I was looking forward to using Wallyhood to further that great organization’s mission, so I’ll probably rev up the engine occasionally for that. As other Wallingford stories, large and small, inspire me, I’m sure I won’t be able to resist writing again, so please do sign up above, it’s always just one click to unsubscribe.
Thank you Wallingford, for reading, supporting, laughing, and participating. If you’re looking for other online Wallingford groups, you may want to check out the Wallingford/Fremont Community page on Facebook (and its awesome sisters, Buy Nothing Wallingford Central/East and Buy Nothing Wallingford Fremont/West Wallingford, dedicated to giving stuff away free to neighbors).
Thanks again for all the love!
(Photo of sunset at Gas Works by Eric Hannon.)
* Anyone know if there’s a muse of blogging? There oughta be.
Sorry to see you go, Jordan. Best of luck in your endeavors.
Wow. A sad day. It really sounds like the blog is terminating, which leaves such a void in the neighborhood. Jordan, you always tried to be fair and hear all sides of an argument. I can’t see anyone doing that better than you. I could see your intent to be courteous getting tiresome when the negativity is unrelenting. Some posters had no interest in a civil dialogue. These negative voices seemed to overshadow a population in the neighborhood that saw great value in the writings here. It is sad that a respectable neighborhood like this wasn’t able to overcome that.
Wallyhood has been a real asset to the neighborhood over the years. Thank you for the time and energy you have put into it. I guess it’s a sad fact of life that those people who do something are the ones who receive the backlash. I always think you handle it well. You will be missed.
Thanks for all of your service to the neighborhood. I completely respect stepping away from something when it stops being fun. Best wishes on your future endeavors!
I grew up in Wallingford at 42nd and Bagley. I attended Interlake elementary school, Hamilton Junior High and Lincoln. I was a member of Boy Scout troop 146 and I delivered the “Wallingford Outlook” .I have many fond memories of that neighborhood, such as seeing J.P Patches up at the Food Giant, buying penny candy at Fuji’s on 45th and Mary’s on Latona, picking up my Mom’s prescriptions at Lincoln Pharmacy, etc. I now live in West Seattle but I enjoy looking at WallyHood Whenever it pops up in my Facebook feed. I will miss it. Sorry to see it go. -Doug Rambo
The “dust up” happened for me years ago with the Wallyhood blog. Somewhere along the way it lost its credibility and became an opinion rag I couldn’t support or agree to disagree over. I began to only glance at it like an Inquirer in the check out line. It is probably best defunct. The West Seattle blog is good. I recommend it.
Thanks for taking the time out of your busy day to share this with me. I know it takes a lot to share on a public forum, so I appreciate that writing this is how you chose to spend your time. Not sure how you ended up here just minutes after I posted this, since you barely glance at it, but please make sure you don’t subscribe to future updates.
Nothing like a troll. Thank you. My wife and I moved to Wallingford back in Nov 2010. We have two little ones now and constantly check out the blog. I don’t agree with many of the commentators but that is cool. How bland this place would be if we all agreed. Thank you for your time and helping us get to know our neighborhood.
J.
Hi Steve -I LOVE Wallyhood. I’m a professional journalist – can we talk about me possibly picking up where you left off?
Hi Janet!
I am the owner of Mywallingford.com- we are going to be hopefully picking up where Wallyhood left off! We need a new editor- paid. Please contact me at [email protected]
It takes very little to post anonymous snipes.
This site will be missed.
Oh, this is sad, but I totally understand the burnout you’re feeling, Jordan. I hope the blog comes back in some form eventually, or that you an find a co-editor who is less inflammatory than Eric someday, to revive it.
Will the forums and the webpage stay up or is everything going to disappear?
Yep, I’ll leave forums and the web site in place, unless the forums start to misbehave. (Hopefully “creativeartist / Sandra” won’t return.)
i find it interesting and telling that you single out that particular poster as a misbehaver, while not calling out the folks who bullied, goaded and gaslighted them as well.
I think most of the criticisms of this blog are from individuals who have never considered the amount of work that goes in to making it happen. I can’t say for all the forum posts, but I believe Jordan was fielding a lot of complaints about Sandra. I can only imagine how much time he spent reading emails from concerned neighbors, confirming ip addresses to link them to the one user, and then going through the effort of deleting her posts. While other posters were probably annoying they were not causing the same amount of work.
Instead of assuming someone is being biased, why don’t you consider a point of view other than your own?
“Instead of assuming someone is being biased, why don’t you consider a point of view other than your own?”
daranee, i can see from your posts here that you are quite upset about the turn of events and understand why you feel a desire to defend Jordan.
however, nothing i posted suggests that i don’t consider points of view other than my own. quite the opposite; i think the the “creativeartist11 = bad, everyone else = good” is the dominant POV on this blog, and i was speaking up for an alternate POV.
there are several bullies on this blog who gang up on voices they don’t like, and then spin it around to say those people attacked them. it happened to creativeartist11, it happened to the folks living in the vehicles down on Northlake, it happened to BK.
i won’t apologize for considering the POV of the underdogs.
this blog has always been a love/hate read for me… i like being updated about businesses opening or closing in the ‘hood and other events. but it’s true that there was always some underlying opinions that just didn’t jive for me. both of the authors come from a demographic that i’m tired of hearing from. just the voice and world view in general could be coming from a a more diverse population ( even though i know that most of wallingford isn’t that diverse…but still.)
anyway. hopefully something will come in to fill the space for what the community finds useful.
(side bar…on the board for family works? whuuuuut?)
I agree. I also enjoyed hearing about events in the neighborhood, but the out-of-touch upper crustiness was grating. That “dust-up” really reflects on that.
Thank you for your post. Obviously my own was considered unflattering enough to warrant a snarky reply. I agree completely and too am ccurious about the Family Works move.
right there with you, uwgrrrl.
Jordan: I’m curious what feedback (if any) you got from the sponsors contacted by Steve Questad.
While Eric’s post was clueless and insensitive, I don’t think it merited a pull of support by sponsors, especially after the post was deleted and Eric apologized. If an email from the likes of “E30 Memorial” (who is not the most rational of voices on this blog) is all it takes for a sponsor to pull their support, well, that’s pretty sad.
I hope you’ll reconsider shuttering the blog totally. Wallyhood has been a great resource for neighborhood information and organizing. Thanks for all your work.
I first heard about the article and the reactions when Ivar’s called (I hadn’t read the article prior to that point.) Jim from Ivar’s said they would like to pull their ad, but said he was open to revisiting when we had addressed the issue, which I assume meant that once the retraction and apology were posted, they would have been back on board. I decided to pull the plug, though, before going back to them, so don’t know for sure. One other advertiser pulled, but my guess is that she was more motivated by the opportunity to spend less on a short-run ad, anyway. All the others said, effectively “yeah, that article was a problem, good apology, let’s move on.”
Thanks, Doug. I do plan to catch my breath and then continue doing SOMETHING with it longer term.
Thank you for the years of time and energy you put in to the Wallyhood Blog, Jordan. We will miss your witty comments and keeping us up to date on all things Wallingford.
Enjoy your free time!
I am sorry to hear this news. I’ve enjoyed the blog and the articles. I don’t mind opinions, after all, it is a blog and a forum. I’m sad that so many took the fun out of this for you. I don’t know when it became impossible to have a civil, two sided conversation with opinions. What a boring world it would be if we all agreed on everything. The Internet has been a wonderful tool for sharing information but unfortunately, also gives a forum for people to anonymously bully other people. Thank you for everything you did to keep this going over the past five years.
I second all of Leslie’s motions above. The blog certainly will be missed. 🙁
Oh, this is too bad. This blog has been a tremendous resource and such fun. I don’t understand this level of unkindness and and intolerance that can shut down others’ voices. Free speech and civil disagreement are precious values. You’ve done so much for this neighborhood, Jordan, all the best in your future endeavors.
I know first-hand how much time, energy and talent go into the making of this blog and I want you to know I’ve appreciated every bit of it. It’s done for personal enjoyment, I know, but also to genuinely benefit the community, and you’ll be sorely missed.
Though I didn’t often agree with some of the opinions, I found Wallyhood useful regarding the goings-on in the neighborhood. Who to recommend for pest control, reports of suspicious activity, or new restaurant openings made it my neighborhood pulse checker.
I rarely check it anymore now that I live south of the border in Tijuana. But following it on Facebook reminds of my Wallingford days; I lived a block away from Tutta Bella.
Jordan, ¡buena suerte y que te vaya bien!
Domenic
Wow, this is a sad day for Wallingford, indeed. While many have appreciated this blog through the years, there are so many of you who truly don’t know what kind of effort Jordan put into this blog. And he did it — not because it was some sort of easy income generator (trust me, NO ONE could live on revenue from a blog) but because he wanted to be dialed-in to the community and have a virtual chat from across the fence.
And yeah, I know how it feels to have the wind taken out of your sails — it happened to me here after four years of blogging about pancake breakfasts and missing pets . Frankly, I’m amazed Jordan kept his commitment for so long. I walked away from it totally feeling soured by many people who I called neighbors.
What a shame. We’re losing a gem here, folks.
And Jordan — hats off to you! Thanks for being such a great voice for our neighborhood.
Wallyhood has been incredibly valuable!
I’ve gone to many events that have been mentioned on the blog and I really appreciated when Margaret came to our music school to see what we were doing.
Thank you for all the hard work!
It would really be a shame to see it go,
I’ve wondered if we’re too small of a neighborhood to justify our own blog.
Maybe it would be best to fold it into the Fremont blog?
Or just sell it to someone who wants to carry the burden?
I’m sure there are some nice hobbits somewhere…
Oh, that stings! Fold it into the Fremont blog!? Please, no.
There are already volunteers – “Janet” for example, towards the top of the page. If Jordan really wants to continue to write an article now and then, it will be much more widely read if the blog is active. Either give it some way to live, or let it die, that’s my opinion.
So sorry to hear this Jordan. I’m hopeful someone will take over? As with those above, I think the site brings people together.
I’m sorry about your decision, but I understand your decision.
I will miss Wallyhood. Thanks so much for all the time and thought and energy you put into it for us.
Thank you for being a great neighborhood resource. I and many other regular readers will miss this blog.
Adding my regrets to others — have really enjoyed Wallyhood, and appreciate all the hard work you put into it. Thank you.
Hope this will give you more time to work on your other endeavors; all the best to you in the future.
I am so sorry. You put a lot of work into it.
If/when… big words and time you decide to allow another to put something in.. the writer when you were gone did a great job.
I was sure you made a mis-statement in the article and I felt like people jumped on you more so than needed.
How sad. yet how powerful to let people know that combined efforts can and do hurt
Jordan. I will miss your blog. I originally moved to Wallingford in 1969 and opened our business in 1972 on 45th. Bedrooms & More has been happy to sponsor Wallyhood since shortly after you started. It was not about agreeing with every article but about supporting a source to know what was happening in the neighborhood. Wallingford is a fairly large and diverse community and hearing about businesses coming and going, events happening and stories about personalities is important. Where else will locals get that information? I wish you the best in your future endeavors.
Well said. We will miss Wallyhood. Hope you find the spark and joy in your new endeavors. Thanks Jordan.
Totally bummed. I subscribed and really enjoyed getting the emails in the morning about new businesses, local politics (even if I didn’t always agree – it’s possible, folks!), and ideas for new exciting events and activities. I wish I could volunteer to take a neighborhood blog on, but I simply wouldn’t have the same dedication. Thanks so much! This will be missed.
Noooo! Well, if it must be, then thank you Jordan for bringing us all together here.
Wallingford is not going to be the same without Wallyhood, a daily part of the household since I first saw those printed adds adoring the neighborhood’s utility poles years ago.
The Blog will be missed. I’d have been OK with the apology and retraction, but apparently some people just want to watch the world burn. I guess I’ve blissfully avoided seeing whatever agenda some of the more reactive posters have objected to. Outside of the pro-developer sentiments brewing and the odd eccentric poster, I can’t imagine a more vanilla, middle of the road editorial tone. So while E30 Memorial is perfectly entitled to enact his plan, it looks like the end result, of destroying a useful community resource, is vastly disproportionate to the original “sin” that Eric’s post was indeed guilty of. Also, refusing to accept the apology and retraction seems churlish, to put it mildly.
Jordan – Thanks for all of the blood, sweat and tears you’ve put into the blog over the years. I’ve enjoyed reading it, writing for it, and even attending a few meet-ups so that I could get to know my neighbors. I know it’s been a labor of love! I will miss this blog and its role in helping me connect with my neighborhood.
The resources that Jordan mentioned above will help, a little bit. There is also NextDoor, which has had a few lively conversations on it since I joined, and which has so far not attracted trolls (to my notice…).
I have to echo Margaret. This is a thankless tough gig and I’m surprised anyone can muster the energy knowing you are providing a free service. When I guest blogged I couldn’t believe I was being called out for using the word “accident” instead of “crash” by no doubt a well-meaning reader. I’m not a journalist. I was clearly a guest blogger, and it was also clear that I saw cars as a dangerous problem.
For the Bootyland post, Jeremy and I visited Bootyland three times. Not an insignificant amount of time for people with full time jobs. Then Jeremy wrote a post on I forget what and his writing was criticized. Who does that on a neighborhood blog with clearly guest bloggers?
Jordan, you’ve provided a great service. Selfishly, I hope you reconsider. Thanks for everything.
Hi; daranee, I suppose that was me… I apologize if that hit you harder than was intended.
I, like many others in the road-death-reduction community, are frustrated by that word (which by its definition discounts responsibility before any investigation has occurred), and would like to see it excised from reports from police & news outlets. This is an effort that has largely been successful, and most reports you see from Seattle PD/SDOT use “crash” or similar.
However, I should not have directed this at you with the force that I perhaps did (I don’t recall specifically said), and should have reserved that for Seattle Times & such who should know better by now.
I’m sorry if I discouraged you from other writing, since then; that was not at all my intent.
It’s why we’re here, though, isn’t it? There are problems out there in the world that we wish would go away – carnage on the roads, discrimination against various types of people, etc. So while we’re powerless to do anything about it, let’s declare some narrow semantic distinctions that invest certain words with meaning that they wouldn’t naturally have for everyone, and starting with our friends, the most sympathetic people we could find anywhere, beat them up for using those words in ignorance of our semantic embargoes. Are we having fun, yet?
spoken by a person who frequently beats people up for self-determined semantic faux pas on this blog.
Thank you. Best in your future endeavors.
Thanks so much (and to Eric and all the other contributors over the years also) for your mountains of work in creating and tending this platform. It’s made our community much more interesting and informed, and I’ve felt more invested in Wallingford as a result. I’ll miss it, including the bits and comments that I may not have agreed with. It’s really a shame that this format gives people space to be particularly unpleasant; perhaps we can call the sponsors and ask them not to serve Mr. Questad and CAL?
Total bummer.
/rob
So sorry you are ending your blog, Jordan. Thank you so much for all your often unsung efforts to foster community and caring here in Wallingford. It helped immensely and it mattered immensely. Whatever and wherever you turn your focus is surely to be improved by your often funny and always thoughtful attention.
I will miss Wallyhood! Thank you for plugging away for so long and I look forward to the future posts. Your friend and not-often-enough contributor, Madi.
To me this is sort of like giving into jerks. Eric quickly apologized for using a word that is best not used. We all come from different backgrounds and are not all equally aware of certain things. For example, I grew up in a town with very few Jews. There was no temple or synagogue. It wasn’t till I moved to a big city, not Seattle, that I heard the term Jewish-American-Princess and even then I heard the word being used humorously not hurtfully. I did sort of know that the similar word, not the acronym, should be avoided for Japanese, but I can see how someone would think it is just slang or shorthand. We need to try to cut each other slack when we write or speak without fully understanding such as choosing the wrong word.
Anyhow, I hope you will reconsider, or see if Eric can take over the blog.
If not, then thank you for years of a wonderful, informational neighborhood blog.
Thanks for all the years of great connection to the neighborhood–this is a sad day for us.
This was a real service to and asset for the neighborhood. Thank you, kudos, and best wishes for whatever you do next.
Hard to believe! I appreciate Wallyhood so much. I can’t imagine Wallingford life without you! Yes, I will follow you anywhere, but please do write!
Thank you for you talents, your skills, and living in Wallingford. This is sad, sad news.
I don’t want to miss ANYTHING you write, Jordan! Will I automatically get notices? I tried to sign up at the end of your piece, but it said I am already signed up. Correct ?
Wallyhood is a true gem in my opinion and I am VERY sad to see it go. I have been a silent fan all these years, never commenting, but it always made me feel a part of a neighborhood. I loved that it wasn’t a typical news source and had topics big and small, opinions all over the map, and a real personality. Thank you. You will be missed.
So sorry to see you go. Wallyhood has been a great neighborhood blog. I know how hard it is to put yourself out as a public figure. The neighborhood will be less without this forum.
I will miss Wallyhood. I agree that it did make me have a real connection with the neighborhood. Thank you Jordan, Eric, and all of the contributors for all you have done to make this an interesting blog. I didnt always agree but it was thought provoking.
I understand the reason Jordan is suspending his activity in regards to this blog, but I truly hope that those who felt the need to “punish” someone will learn how to forgive when a sincere apology is offered.
I am sad to see Wallyhood go. It first brought the awareness of coyotes — mammalian predators — in our neighborhood to the fore, possibly saving lives, and while the skateboarding coverage has remained light, it’s been a good resource, especially for the comings and goings on 45th.
I’ve especially enjoyed watching that guy BK who hates single family houses, yet is a Microsoft millionaire, spew anger, hatred and accusations of racism at anyone who questions his goals for the proper density of Wallingford, all while his profile says he wants to bring “a little joy to the world” through his creepy new age music. Presumably he means joy of a Stalinist / Vogon nature, where everyone obeys him and dissent is not tolerated — especially if you’re dissenting from placing high rise apartment complexes on 43rd and Bagley.
For those who want to keep up the latest new of import in Wallingford, I suggest stopping by PUDGE BROS PIZZA on a regular basis, to pick up THE WALLINGFORD SKATE REPORT, my fanzine. We may increase distribution slightly with this news, to pick up the slack.
NOOOOoooo!!!!
But, not surprised and kind saw it coming (more than most ;).
I loved the blog from the very beginning. And, I never forgot that it never, ever promised to be an unbiased source of “news” for the neighborhood. It was always your blog and your project and it was awesome. My readership slacked off over the past few years, but in the early days it was a joy to read and connect and experience what you set out to achieve – to bring this neighborhood a little bit closer. I always checked from time to time and loved the tone of the coverage.
So many awesome posts over the years…and, yes, some kinda lame ones. But, I always felt that even when mistakes were made your editorial honesty came to forefront and corrections were made, other sources uncovered, deeper investigations sought and even a rethinking of opinion on the rarest of occasions.
I didn’t get to read the post that put the stake in the heart of this, but I’m surprised you put up with the trolls this long given the personal nature and the personal time it took to keep this thing going. I’ll kind of miss the trolls….something about such local trolling that makes things so interesting to watch…good ‘ol E30_Memorial and my personal favorite Hayduke! It wouldn’t be a final Wallyhood comment thread without some well meaning color from Hayduke!
It’s hard to go out on top – although, I imagine some would argue this isn’t the top – but I bet your readership is consistently high, and the platform was still valuable to many.
Kudos to you for returning your sponsors money and for following your heart.
This blog was awesome. Hate it if you must, but I think you missed the whole point if you do.
<>
LOL, thank you, harley,… I think. Why be bland and boring, right?
It was a sincere comment. your discourse cracked me up all the way from the beginning!
Thank you, Eric for taking the risk of putting yourself out there, responding to comments with grace and intelligence and generally all around adding to our Wallyhood experience in postitive ways. Most of all, thank you for keeping Wallyhood going when it could have foundered. I, for one, had no idea this has been such a rough eperience for you. Appreciate your post today.
It has been like the neighborhood newspaper, something that begins to create the community it documents.
And I think a lot of readers made the mistake of thinking of it like that – a mistake because it’s really a blog, not an online newspaper. As blurred as the distinction may have been at times.
We’re a much smaller place than West Seattle, but I think Wallyhood’s popularity shows that there’d be a place for an online journal of some kind — if there were people who were willing to do a lot of work for free, and put up with an editor etc.. Big “if”. I’m not saying this would be better than Wallyhood, on the contrary really. Almost certainly less interesting, but maybe more peaceful.
Really sad to read of the end of Wallyhood. Checked it out almost every day and loved the heads up on businesses coming and going. Hope something emerges to take its place. The kind of neighborhood news covered here rarely makes the big time news seen in newspapers, but it’s the stuff that weaves a community together. Wallingford will be much less of a neighborhood now.
Goodness gracious, what a turn of events. I’m so sorry, Jordan, Wallyhood was (like any creative endeavor worth paying attention to) complicated, biased, flawed and beautiful in varying measure.
So why is it that, on The Internet, the battle between Abe Lincoln and Anakin Skywalker (not so much on the different sides of an issue, but within each party to the argument) ends so often with the better angels getting their asses kicked by the dark side? Louis CK certainly has the beginning of an answer, but I think it is even more complicated than that. I was also reminded of something Dave Eggers wrote a while back and will paste it, below:
“What matters is that you do good work. What matters is that you produce things that are true and will stand. What matters is that you want to see and make and do, on as grand a scale as you want, regardless of what the tiny voices of tiny people say. Do not be critics, you people, I beg you. I was a critic and I wish I could take it all back because it came from a smelly and ignorant place in me, and spoke with a voice that was all rage and envy. It is a fuckload of work to be open-minded and generous and understanding and forgiving and accepting, but Christ, that is what matters. What matters is saying yes.”
Hear hear.
– Joe Hurley
It sadly seems inevitable that a long stretch of good, constructive, hard, volunteer work will eventually be confronted with naysayers and bad intent. I do not know why that is. Perhaps it is always just a matter of time and probability (entropy at work?). All we can ask is that those wishing to be sideline (often know-it-all) critics pick up the shovel, work with their neighbors, volunteer, and walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. Perhaps then they might be a bit less strident, a little more compassionate, and a little more helpful to try to keep a good thing going.
I am sad that this is happening at this particular point in time as our neighborhood will be facing immense pressure by the City to possibly give up its identity and uniqueness. Neighborhoods are under assault. However, the “energy” curve appears to have dropped below the rising “hassle” curve, so it is understandable.
I placed my comment here because I love the Dave Eggers quote posted by Joe H. Spot on. Thanks for the quiet inspiration for volunteers everywhere. Post it by the mirror. Take heart.
Yes.
Bummer dude.
I’ve seen trolls destroy other online communities. I do not understand why, but a negative individual has so much more power online than in real life.
Good luck
Geoff
Jordan and Eric, as a daily reader, I will miss your personal commitment to community building. Congratulations on a wonderful run. Good luck and all best from me, my family and many of our neighbors who regularly share the neighborhood information you have provided us.
Jordan,
Thank you for all your good work. I very much appreciate what Wallyhood has brought to our community. Life together can be messy at times. I just wish we had a little more patience and grace to work through the issues, rather than bringing out the pitchforks.
Best wishes in your new creative endeavors!
Jordan and Eric,
Without a doubt, you helped crystallize my sense of community here in Wallingford. I found your writing, subjects, and energy truly excellent and admirable. I’ve read so many blogs that are riddled with ignorance, incorrect grammar, and of course a complete lack of citations. Your blog has been a shining light in a murky sea of ill-considered drivel. So many have posted whether they’ve agreed or disagreed with your perspectives and I just don’t care. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve always presented lucid and logical articles, even in the cases where I might not have agreed. It is crushing news to me to hear that you are largely discontinuing the blog! Is it possible you might consider just throttling back, perhaps to a weekly format? In any case, thank you for your intelligence, wit, diligence, and dedication to this blog and our community!! I wish you the very best!
First, thank you to Eric and Jordan for your dedication, commitment to and your writings for this blog.
Even though I have lived in Wallingford since 1962 I only became aware of this blog in August a couple of years ago when we had a yard sale. Visitors to our yard sale told me about the blog and I began to read it.
Since I had never gone to a blog before I thought Wallyhood was a paying job for the writers etc.
It wasn’t until today that I was enlightened to the fact that Wallyhood is a creation of Jordan’s with contributing participants like Eric, both of whom do this for free and in their spare time.
What a wonderful gift you have given to everyone in Wallingford with this blog. Thank you, thank you.
This blog has given me so much and brought me so much closer to my neighbors since my house fire that I cannot express my thanks to you enough.
What will happen now? Will Wallyhood just disappear? Will I no longer receive Wallyhood emails?
I can appreciate the desire to move on when a labor of love becomes tedious and is no longer a labor of love. It would appear, however, that you have a love of writing and that being said, you will most likely continue to write.
With your writing in mind please reconsider your decision and continue to write the Wallyhood.
Many, many Wallingford readers have expressed their thanks to you and their wishes that you will not leave us.
I herein add my wish for you to stay and continue your wonderful gift to our neighborhood.
Thank you, thank you. May God bless you always.
Patty
Thanks Jordan for all you’ve done to create community and dialogue in Wallingford. I enjoyed reading the blog and appreciated the opportunity to write a few posts. Look forward to hearing about your work with FamilyWorks – what a great organization!
Thank you Jordan for all the incredible energy you have poured into Wallyhood and our neighborhood over the years. What an undertaking.
Good luck with your next chapter.
All my best and appreciation.
Katherine
Well, I am a fairly longtime sponsor out of Boulder, CO and I have always very much enjoyed this blog! It’s sad that a few have ruined it for many…. Best of luck, I will miss reading (and laughing) this wonderful platform that connected your community.
Cathy
Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy
Devastated. This has been such an integral part of knowing about our neighborhood. I’m so sorry to see you go.
I, too, am saddened by this news. I appreciate that the reward/effort ratio can easily go negative at times, but I hope the same drive that prompted you to undertake this effort in the first place will rebuild inside you. Otherwise the assholes win.
Say it ain’t so! I love Wallyhood and will really miss our neighborhood blog. I hope someone else will pick up the torch so we can stay connected as a community. Kudos to Jordan for all of his hard work on this blog that has benefitted Wallingford so much.
I moved to Wallingford in 2013, and Wallyhood has been crucial to my integration into the neighborhood. I understand the reasons for calling it quits, but I’m really disappointed to see the blog go. You’ve provided an invaluable service to the hood.
I too am very sorry to hear that Jordan (and Eric!) are hanging it up. First of all, it was a nice place to get little updates on Wallingford neighborhood events. That small town feel was great!
And second, and perhaps most of all, I truly enjoyed the discourse, even when it was contentious! I learned a great deal from the diversity of opinion, especially when the writer expressed an opinion I disagreed with. We do not live in a world where everyone thinks alike, yet how are we to recognize that and learn about what is behind the polarizing sound bites (often reported by mainstream news without any real explanation), without some back and forth conversation with our neighbors? Trolls are not helpful, to be sure, because they are by definition just trying to piss people off by baiting them with extreme statements. But most commenters are not trolling… and yet they have disagreed. I find that conversation to be immensely enriching.
Sigh. See yawl around the ‘hood!
So sorry to hear this news! You’ve done a great job covering the happenings in the ‘hood. Thanks for all the effort you’ve put in to the blog. Best of luck on the Family Works board position, and in whatever else you turn your attention to next.
Thank you Jordan! This blog has had an amazing impact on keeping lines of communication in the neighborhood open. It has also been a good place to call the troupes into action when the neighbors needed to speak out.
I remember attending several standing-room-only community meetings about the CVS Development plans. Would the Wally residents have been so well informed about the meeting time and location if not for the blog? I don’t think so. Without Wallyhood we would have ended up with a Florida strip mall style chain store, instead of keeping the character of the original building some what intact. This is just one of the many ways Wallyhood has helped our neighborhood.
So many conversations on the playground start with, “Do you see on Wallyhood that…” I hope there is a way to keep some of the momentum going.
Shucks. Will truly miss this connection to our neighborhood. And thank you.
I am devastated to hear this news. Of course I want to support what is best for you, but I am secretly hoping that you will change your mind. Okay, maybe not supportive. Let me try again. Thank you. I have loved this blog, your writing Eric’s writing and others. And I will miss your spirit, kindness and neighborliness. I enjoyed following your family’s travels through Europe. I think you have brought something tangibly good to this neighborhood. I will really miss reading this blog.
Sorry to hear, I really enjoyed the neighborhood updates. It’s too bad a man-child like Steve Questad had to get his panties in a fluster and intentionally derail a useful resource that he had a hissy fit about. Hope you feel good about yourself Steve! Some people create, whilst others just destroy..
I’m sorry to see the blog go. As others have stated, I’ve had mixed feelings about the content and the tenor of some conversations. This blog has made me aware of sentiments I never realized existed in my neighborhood. There is a lot of white privilege in Wallingford, and a lot of narrow-minded, petulant snobs posting on the blog. I’m glad to be aware of this now, thanks to the blog. I’m also glad to see a number of people willing to speak up for justice and compassion (and trees!).
I’m also sorry to see people trying to blame one person for the shut down, when Jordan himself said repeatedly in his original post that he was already losing interest and enjoyment in the project. And it draws attention away from the trigger, which was a racist post by a blogger who had previously proved himself unfit for posting without at least some editorial oversight.
I can put two and two together and see that Jordan’s drifting away from the project made it easy to allow Eric’s ridiculous antics to go on unchecked, which ultimately resulted in him crossing a line that was intolerable by many. How quickly people were willing to shift accountability away from Eric and on to a person who called out the unacceptable post.
It seems that most people would have been fine with a retraction, apology and revoking Eric’s editorial privileges. No one (even Ivar’s, according to Jordan) demanded the blog be shut down. It was Jordan’s choice.
There are lots of lessons in this incident; I hope we as a community are able to reflect and, in the future, do better.
Can’t you just go away?
wow, not sure what i did to deserve that.
no, i can’t go away. can you?
Anybody willing to remind us not to lose perspective on the vast sea of mega white privilege we’re swimming in every day is doing us great service
We should be grateful for that not snarky about it
Jordan, I’m so saddened that Wallyhood is to be no more. It’s been so useful for things like learning about different neighborhood schools, to local crime, or meetings like the upzoning one at GSC.
But I valued Wallyhood not just for the local information, but for allowing a free exchange of ideas, even when they went against the grain. Thanks for all you did.
Jordan, thanks for contributing to the betterment of our community. I’m sorry that it wasn’t more rewarding. All the best in your future endeavors!
I will miss this terribly. Here’s a news flash for some: It is a BLOG! If you don’t like it, don’t read it. Because I am a white racist, I can’t be offended by anything. I enjoyed Wallyhood, and if I wasn’t interested in, or didn’t like an article, guess what? I didn’t read it! Get a life people.
Thank you Jordan and Eric for all the news and humor. I was always interested in what you had to say.
Sorry to hear it, Jordan, but you’ve gotta follow your “f*ck yes!” as Mark Manson would say. Thank you so much for your thoughtful, wry words these past years. I’ve enjoyed them. Wishing you the very very best as you move forward.
Jordan,
I’ll miss your blog , but I respect your stated reasons for ending it. Wallyhood is a great accomplishment. Look back with pride. I wish you all the best on your next venture.
Your neighbor, Brian.
So sad to see you go, but glad you will still be in the hood. Wallyhood is my favorite source for news! It is a shame that the haters have so much time to hate, but us lovers don’t take the time to comment enough until it is too late. Just know that you reached many people in a positive way, and your work is appreciated.
Thanks, Jordan, you’ll be missed. I know the hard work it takes to keep up a blog and I know what it’s like to have comments go in a direction you never expected. You are a true asset to our little neighborhood and I hope we’ll continue to hear from you (and if it’s only on beekeeping, that’s cool, too).
Jordan – thank you for caring enough about your community to step up for all these years. May this be until next time.
We need more diverse, respectful conversations, not fewer. Sad day.
I’m so sorry to see the end of Wallyhood. It’s been a great way to keep up with local goings-on and to feel like part of a village. For a country that values free speech so highly, many posters have been pretty negative when others have exercised their rights. Posting via the internet allows the school yard bully to send out barbs without fear – I’m pretty sure many comments wouldn’t have been made if people were face to face.
Good luck in your future ventures and don’t let the bastards grind you down!
Bummer! I felt proud to be a part of this blog though I did nothing for it…I do live here. Thanks for your energy and I hope you change your mind of find some other reasonably sarcastic person to write the blog – maybe you can become an editor?
I certainly understand, but also am very, very sad to hear that Wallyhood will be coming to an end. I’ve come to rely on it for news I would not have otherwise and for the greater sense of connection to my neighborhood it’s given me. Best of luck with your new endeavors, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that someone will take inspiration from your example and pick up the baton. Thanks for all your hard work and excellent writing all these years!
Gosh, so sorry to see this come to an end. My family and I moved to Wallingford 9-1/2 years ago and have been just delighted to make this neighborhood our home. We were so pleased when we found the Wallyhood blog and my wife and I have used it as a vital source of information on the neighborhood ever since. Like most blogs of its kind it delved into myriad subjects, some banal and others more emotionally charged, but like most readers it would seem, we gleaned what we wanted from it and ignored posts that were uninteresting or took a turn for the vitriolic.
We totally understand and support your decision Jordan, but please know that we have loved the blog and have enormous respect for the time and effort that you put in to create a meaningful, informative, entertaining blog. Best of luck to you and thanks for everything.
Sad news indeed. Loved reading your blog and hearing all about our neighborhood. Hope to see it come back some day. And yay for being on the board of FamilyWorks. That’s awesome!
Thank you for your time and effort on the blog these many years. I get disheartened when I think about how acerbic public discourse has become, and I know I would have folded long ago, had I been in your shoes. You did an admirable job of staying with the blog much longer than many of us could have done. Best of luck in your next adventure.
Thank you for all of your time, energy, and effort with Wallyhood. I completely understand and wish you the best of luck on your new adventures.
Well, this is a bummer, but thanks for all the neighborhood news-fish!
This is very sad news. My heartfelt thanks falls sadly short of expressing the appreciation I feel for the goodness you’ve achieved with this blog, yet I can’t let it go unsaid publicly. As the author of the earliest Wallingford E-News efforts in the late 1990’s, I learned quickly the surprising depth of anger that some of our neighbors must be harboring, ready to unleash on even the least appropriate targets. You need to have a real fire in your belly to hold on to your commitment to community-building in the face of persistent criticism and when the fire dies down there’s nothing to do but move on. I was always amazed that you hung in there as long as you did!
Thank you, Jordan, for the years you gave us. I wish the very best to you and your family and look forward to seeing you around the ‘hood as time goes on.
Chris MacKenzie
Jordan, thank you for your efforts to bring the community together and the incredible value you’ve given to us over the years. Totally understand that once it’s no longer a labor of love, it’s time for change.
We’ll miss Wallyhood, and I look forward to your (ir)regular updates when you feel compelled to post them.
Thanks, Jordan, and happy trails to new paths. Volunteering/community building, information distributing takes courage, stamina and good friend partners-in-crime. Lots to show for your work over the years (and Greg F’s, Chris MacKenzie’s, DOUG’s, and others as well). I loved my time inWallyford and appreciate the ongoing support this blog gave to The Folkstore, and the Its A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Tree Planting Project (1991-2011).
Tree Cheers!
Nancy “Lorax” M
I completely understand your position, but I hope you reconsider. I will miss this information source.
Hi, please reconsider. I love this blog, it’s an extremely helpful resource that I’ve come to depend on. Don’t let a single troll wreck the blog.
Oh no, please don’t go! Having moved to Wallingford last year, I not only thoroughly enjoy, but have also come to depend on this blog to keep my finger on the pulse of our neighborhood happenings. I met some lovely neighbors at our cross street party thanks to a Wallyhood post informing me about the event. Good luck for your future endeavors, and thank you for making such a positive contribution to our community.
Thanks for doing this blog all these years. It has been a good resource. To be frank I found some of Eric’s posts to be among the most informative the site ever produced and I want to thank him in particular for all the traffic and transportation research and commentary. He screwed up some prose and retracted. That’s the way it’s supposed to work. I’m not really a death penalty kind of guy. Yes, we all need to be sensitive to the feelings of others and indeed educate ourselves on things we don’t understand completely but I think there’s room for a nuanced opinion when it comes to labeling a person ( a person you are pretty sure is honest and fair based on the body of his work) a capital R racist. The thing was in poor taste but in my opinion he rectified it and it’s not like there’s some long pattern of racist speech with the guy.
Anyway, thanks again for doing the blog. I’ll miss it. I won’t really miss how angry people can become in internet comments sections and I doubt you will either. Bonne chance.
Jordan, please reconsider – couldn’t any of your many commenters help report, as some Wallingfordites stepped up several yrs ago (and did a great job!)?
“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the Community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege, to do for it whatever I can.” – GB Shaw, re Wallyhood?
Eric sometimes surprised me too, but knowing him from his days with the WCC, i know he’s outspoken. how does any change occur, if someone doesn’t speak up/out to start a conversation? he made this mistake, and he and Jordan responded appropriately. this isn’t exactly Flint, where gov’t officials have lied about lead poisoning kids, and many are calling for the Gov to step down….
after we opened our shop on 45th (Not A Number) we depended on this blog (which joined small papers & blogs N Sea Herald, the Journal, MyWallingford, others – none of which continue on daily, or at all, as Wallyhood has!) to help promote awareness of our existence, plus our sales, candidate meet& greets, MoveOn or other meetings, author signings, etc.
as a Wallingford Chamber of Commerce pres/dir for 5 yrs, i appreciated Jordan’s work & of course included Wallyhood whenever community or business info needed to be heard. the community orgs still use it for that; it’s an important function of any good blog.
Wallyhood has been a key resource for struggling small biz, & for community events like when some of us Wallingfordians brought a Farmers Market finally, started the Art Walk, Halloween for kids at businesses, saved the Senior Center, supported fundraisers/events for existing orgs like FamiyWorks & new orgs like Sustainable Wallingford, and so much more. go look at past posts from previous years to see how much Wallyhood has done!
i don’t always agree with “if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything”, because sometimes stuff needs to be said. but i definitely agree with Freedom of Speech. and with the idea of the Greater Good — the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few – or the one. is it best that Wallyhood just goes away?? i think not.
Wait! Why shut Wallyhood down outright, and not pass the torch on to another content manager? Or, transition the readership to a new platform, such as reddit, where the trolls will be downvoted and ignored?
Wallyhood is a fantastic community resource that bolsters quality of life and facilitates do-gooding!