Trish Lewis of St. Vincent Memories St Vincent Memories is a blog about a very small town somewhere in Minnestoa. It represents one of the many reasons we keep placeblogs--to chronicle the history of very small places that mean a great deal to us. Blogger Trish Lewis started keeping St. Vincent Memories in October, 2005 and has answered a few questions about what it is that keeps her going:

Placeblogger: Why a placeblog on St. Vincent - Was something going on that got you writing about it? Was that your original intention?

Trish: Yes and no - let me explain...No there was no particular event that triggered it, but yes, 'something was going on'. That something was a deep lifelong love of my hometown and the certain knowledge that I'd always wanted to explore its history and people more. I also wanted to share what I found with others, particularly those who were natives and/or expatriates of the town and surrounding area.

P: What's been your best and worst moments on your blog?

Trish: The best moments are when someone out of the blue contacts me and connects with me and their old hometown (or their ancestor's hometown as the case may be). I have had people I had never heard of connect with me via people either I had known or my mother or grandmother had known at one time, and it's like reconnecting with a family member. It's hard to explain to someone who isn't from a small town or doesn't have deep roots in a community generations-long. You know everybody and everybody knows you. I really cannot think of a truly bad moment, to be honest.

P: What's your software?
Trish: Blogger.com-- it suits me great, it gets the job done.

P: What are the future plans for your blog and for your community?

Trish: My plans for the town blog is to continue to uncover the mysteries of our past as well as document the known. The move I find, the more there seems to be found. Reality is the best fiction there is. As far as plans for my hometown, that's hard to say. I don't live there anymore, although I'm not far from it. I know enough about it, keeping in close touch with people from there, to know it'll be around for quite awhile, but it'll likely slowly fade away. I saw the film A TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL years ago and identified strongly with the lead character. I can see myself someday going back to St. Vincent and paying my respects before I pass this mortal coil...

Kevin Le Master

Combining his interests in urban issues, architecture and photogrpahy, Kevin LeMaster put together Building Cincinnati to chronicle what was going up as well as coming down in the Queen City. Here's what he had to say about how he built his placeblog:

When did you start keeping your placeblog?

Kevin: I started my blog in December 2006, but my first real, substantial post wasn't until January 2007. It wasn't until I got a little recognition at the beginning of August that I started posting five to six pieces per day and really tried to produce fantastic content.

Why a placeblog on Cincinnati architecture? was something going on that got you writing about it?

As my business card says, it's really all about "development, urban issues, photography and architecture". I'd say I write more of a development blog, with construction photos. I touch on some other urban themes, but it's mainly about what's getting built and what's getting torn down.

About five years ago, I was putting together one of those free websites and was looking for a nice skyline shot for some reason. I ran across a message board called SkyscraperPage, and several of their members formed the message board Urban Ohio. As a moderator and sometimes administrator for the urban-themed site, I found myself producing a lot of content.

I was reading several local blogs at the time, none of which really filled the development niche. I figured, "Well, I've got all of this content. Why not start a blog? It's free, and maybe I can make something out of it."

So I went ahead and did it, and I've been trying to build it from there. And since then, there has really been an explosion of great local blogs written by interesting, nice, positive people. It's been cool to be a part of that.

What's been your best and worst moments on your blog?

Best? That's probably a tie. Building Cincinnati was recognized by Cincinnati.com, the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and CincyTechUSA for having one of the ten best local blogs in 2007. I also parlayed my blog writing into a job as the Development News Editor for a new weekly e-zine called Soapbox, despite having no formal experience as a writer or reporter.

Worst? I would say that there have been no truly bad moments in my life as a blogger. It's a lot of work, and every now and then I just don't feel like doing it. But it gets done.

What's your software? do you see yourself upgrading at any point?

Right now, I'm just using Blogger with a custom domain. I do have hosting set up and I'm trying to get Joomla 1.5.1 up and running, but it's giving me fits. I'm definitely pretty weak when it comes to programming. It's a work in progress.

Birmingham, Alabama, native Wade Kwon has been a writer for most of his life, but began writing for an online audience in 2005 in his site, Wade on Birmingham. Here's what he has to say about his placeblog:

When did you start your placeblog?

Oct. 6, 2005, two weeks after my newspaper, the Birmingham Post-Herald, closed for good.

What software do you use to run your placeblog?

I'm using Wordpress. (I wish I knew how to create one from scratch, but alas, no.)

What inspired you to start your placeblog, and what are your future plans for it?

My hometown is a dynamic city, rife with growing pains and problems and a vibrant urban life. After covering it for nine years at the daily paper, I wanted to continue to focus on its progress and problems.

I plan to continue it and help it grow, covering both the serious and the fun sides of life in Birmingham and Alabama. Also, more romantic tension.

Best moment as a placeblogger?

Scooping the other media outlets in town - just part of that competitive news-gathering streak in me.

Worst moment as a placeblogger?

Tie: Fighting comment spam / stamping out thieves who steal my content without attribution. Arrgh!