Our Westwood

Nearly three years ago, I created WestwoodBlog to develop a greater sense of connection with this community. I saw what Brian Keaney had started in Dedham with MyDedham, but I didn't call this site "My Westwood" because, as a recent resident, I thought that would be presumptuous, and I wanted to learn more about the town. I hoped I could stir up conversations and contributions from people in town--to hear what they had to say and share that--not become a reporter for the town. But I did write a lot. I did some reporting, but mostly I related what I knew about and what other people started to tell me. I limited my opinion, but I was not unbiased.

Now, I think the term "blog" has always had a negative connotation. When most people think of blogs, they first think of some individual's website where they announce the details of their life and have half-informed opinions on things. Or maybe they have a political agenda to promote. Perhaps the name is not that big a deal, but I'm going to strike the word blog from the title of this site now and renew my call to residents for the type of participation I think will complement what news sites like Patch, Wicked Local, and now the Boston.com's Your Town Westwood provide.

This is Our Westwood. It is a site you can use to tell your stories, announce your events, and relate context to the news. It's not a place to vent your random opinions about things not Westwood, but you can certainly say what news of local impact means to you. I will use the Community Guidelines I announced earlier this year as a basis for promoting respect and civility. What I would really like is for people to contact me for assistance in becoming regular contributors. Not as freelance reporters or columnists but as first-hand participants. Share what you are doing to make the town a better place--your work  on a board or commission, the community project you started, or whatever you would like to share with the community and get feedback. This site is here to help you do that.