Today marks the second blogiversary of .08 Acres -- it was two years ago today that I made my first post to the blog. My second year was markedly different from the first in that the first in that it was much more focused on activism. For the bulk of the year, I was involved as a volunteer for the Deval Patrick campaign and though I tried to be fair minded to the other Democratic candidates, I have already noted my regrets that I didn't blog more about the campaign. That said, of course, I don't regret any of the work I did for Deval Patrick, and I'd say it turned out rather well, even if it put a dent in my blog traffic.
The Massachusetts blogosphere is also very different than it was a year ago. During the election, Blue Mass. Group really came into its own, and now dominates the local progressive blog scene. They are a multimedia force, and rightfully so. Other smaller blogs popped up, but many of them have faded since November. We had our second all-blogosphere event, the Blogleft Lieutenant Governor's Forum last May, but despite its success, we haven't taken anything else on since. Perhaps we can use the off-year to increase our communication and collaborate on something again.
If you're new to the blog, here are some of my favorite posts from the past year:
- My behind-the-scenes look at how Deval Patrick delegates won the Watertown caucus.
- The analysis of turnout and loyalty in gubernatorial elections from 1998 and 2002, and the county breakdown of the 1998 gubernatorial election.
- Chats with Middlesex District Attorney candidates Jarret Barrios (who shortly thereafter dropped out) and Gerry Leone (who won the office unopposed).
- My reports from the Mass. Democratic Future Convention and the Mass Dems nominating convention
- The series of posts I wrote debunking gubernatorial candidate Kerry Healey's fear-mongering on over-the-counter sales of hypodermic needles.
- The review I wrote of Crashing the Gate, by Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos and Jerome Armstrong of MyDD.
- Some personal storys about my thoughts on 9/11 and the debate about detainee treatment.
- My liveblog of the Deval Patrick primary victory party at Blue Mass Group and subsequent analysis of the November gubernatorial election
- Some post-election thoughts on civic engagement following Deval Patrick's grassroots victory.
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