Happy Birthday BCO!

I never thought this day would come.  As proud parents, we never thought our baby would grow so quickly, so beautifully and with so much vomit.  We must savor these days while we have them within arms reach, before they leave the nest and go out on their own into the big world.

Our baby, BlockClubOnline.com, is one year old today!  We’ve worked hard at feeding it proper nutrients, giving it enough activity and friends to play with, and all the tender loving care one would need to survive his or her first year.  I think we’ve done fairly well....our baby’s still breathing, right?  Well done, us!

Block Club Magazine had always been envisioned as a bi-monthly magazine with a Web component, where stories, interviews, press releases, photos, poetry, a little of this and a little of that.  We had no idea where the site would go when we launched it last fall.  I think originally we intended it to fill in the gaps of the goings-on of Western New York, connecting the dots of events, news and people between the four or five stories we’d print every eight weeks in the magazine.  In the subsequent 12 months, we’ve tried to stick to that model.  We’ve strayed a little at times, sometimes getting more hot-tempered than lighthearted, occasionally less verbose and more visual, but always with the same intent and goal:  To share and enliven the lives of Western New Yorkers, the threads that make our local fabric so rich and wonderful, and the behind-the-scenes happenings of our little company.

Whatever we have been, we will continue to evolve and change in the next year.  I hope to bring some more writers aboard, those with new voices and fresh insights.  I’d love to feature more art and creative work from readers, from photos to words to sounds.  And I’m thrilled at the prospect of using the Internet for what it was intended to be when it first appeared some 70 15 when did Al Gore get elected? whenever AOL was born many years ago.  That means more sharing of multi-media, links to other sites, avenues for discussion, and availability of interactivity with our readers.

We are working on some of those goals already, and will introduce others as they become evident.  In the meantime, we’re going to throw our birthday hats on, make a wish on our candle, and wish ourselves a HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY!

Photo of this adorable baby and the demise of her first birthday cake courtesy this guy.

Posted by on 09/01 at 02:22 PM