COVID-19, with its attendant school closures and stay-at-home orders, has had a dramatic effect on all of our lives. Some people have way more time on their hands than ever before; some have way less. Here at Wallyhood, we’ve struggled to keep going. Ben furloughed himself several months ago; Jordan, the founder of Wallyhood, has moved away, though he continues to be in touch now and then. Katy is contributing when possible.
I’ve tried to maintain a minimal level of service to you, our readers, since March by answering email, publishing the few stories that came in from our writers, and occasionally writing myself. However, it has never been my wish to work on this blog “full time.” As an editorial team here at Wallyhood, we have tried to find a way forward, but it has proven extremely difficult just to arrange a zoom meeting or conduct an email exchange. I’ve concluded that, at this point, there is no path forward.
Much of the technical know-how underpinning this blog resides with Jordan. I’m not sure if, at some point, he will formally “take it down.” But in the meantime, I ask:
- If you’re a writer, please don’t write. No one will be available to post your story
- Readers, please don’t email us with your tips and comments. No one will respond.
To our readers: We’re sincerely sorry that we haven’t put out some statement about what was happening with us sooner. We have many loyal, long-time readers. You deserved to know what was going on, but we couldn’t even orchestrate a short blog post. We let you down, and we regret that.
To our writers: Speaking for myself, I’ve had a fairly close relationship with some of you as I’ve often contacted you personally to request a story. It pains us to realize that months have gone by since we reduced our level of publishing, but we never reached out to you. We appreciate your interest in this blog and the neighborhood, and we want to thank you for your contributions to both. Please accept our apologies for just leaving you hanging.
And to everyone: Goodbye. Good luck. See you around the neighborhood.
The Wallyhood Team
Well, this is a big bummer. I wish we could have discussed distributing the load before the plug was pulled. I have always enjoyed the hyper-focus of Wallyhood on the place where (most of us) reside, without the annoying overhead of Nextdoor, Facebook, and Twitter. I do appreciate the time and effort invested by Jordan and all the editors and contributors. I guess we just add Wallyhood to the list of Wallingford institutions that await rescue from some benevolent tech billionaire, right behind the Guild 45th.
Thanks for the update, Jack. Goodbye, everyone!
Thank you. ( c re c)
Thank you to Jordan and everyone else who has contributed to this blog for the past decade-plus. End of an era, for sure, which seems to be the overriding theme of 2020.
Oh this is sad but I saw it coming. It sounds like it ended “with a whimper,” as the poem says. Jack, I know how hard it is to get people to give the minimum of attention to something (pro tip: never be president of a condo HOA) but thank you for trying nonetheless. I hope a new blog will come along soon.
Pulling the plug instead of transferring operations to a new editor group would be a needless loss of what has been an invaluable community resource.
As you mention, there are many folks who have more coronatime on their hands. Couldn’t Wallyhood operations be taken over by a new group?
Are there any Wallyhood residents who would be willing and able to take up this mantle and keep Wallyhood alive?
The problem isn’t finding “new people” with time, it’s finding time among the “old people” to transfer the knowledge.
I hear you, but I think you may underestimate the capabilities of some motivated nerds to suss things out independently.
I’d also like to thank you, Jordan, and everyone else who has made Wallyhood happen.
I just got some help with an old website today. It involved creating a login/password for the new admin and giving up control. 30min?
The hardest part was giving up control and finding someone I trusted to help.
This is a great wordpress site with an awesome community.
Thanks for all your hard work this far!
I think the giving up control of something one has worked at for over 10 years is the deal. I hope the site stays there, just for the history involved.
Thank you Jordan, where ever you are. I hope you and yours are well. And thank you to all the others who have contributed to the good humor, knowledge and e-skills required for this wonderful place to read and meet. I will miss you. So sad. Sarah D