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A guy at a bus stop in Chicago told me to start my own blog about local history and 6 years later I still get maybe 10 visitors a day
He said 'nobody cares about this stuff until it's gone' and now I'm the only person on the internet documenting every crumbling corner store and forgotten lunch counter in my neighborhood, has anyone else kept a niche blog going just because you felt like someone had to write it down?
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lily57415h ago
@garcia.charles that photo a day method is smart, it builds this quiet little archive. The thing is, once you start noticing what's disappearing you can't unsee it. Like the old hardware store on my block had that faded painted advertisement on its brick wall from the 1940s, and when they finally painted over it last spring I was the only person who even remembered it was there. It's this weird responsibility you take on, documenting these ordinary things that nobody thinks are important until they're gone. The regulars who read your stuff might only be a handful of people, but they're the ones who actually care about what's being erased.
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garcia.charles16h ago
Kept a blog running for 4 years documenting all the old dive bars and neon signs in my town. Got obsessed after watching the city tear down a diner that had been there since 1952. My trick was posting just one photo a day with a short story about it, nothing fancy. Had about 50 regular readers by year two but the local paper actually reached out to use some of my pics for an article. Still post once a week even if only a handful of people see it.
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