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March 28, 2008
Brooklyn historian befuddled by Brooklyn blogs
Atlantic Yards Report
Norman Oder corrects the record in a rambling essay by historian John Manbeck on the historical value of new media (blogs and web sites) in Brooklyn.
Here's an excerpt from a Brooklyn Daily Eagle essay headlined Historically Speaking: Researching Brooklyn — Online, by former Brooklyn Borough Historian John Manbeck:
The Gowanus Lounge has a blog with its slogan: “Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn.” The Atlantic Yards Report has news about the Nets.
Adventures in Brooklyn and BK 11201 recount personal tales with pictures. Brooklyn Enthusiast deals with food and recipes as does Bread, Coffee, Chocolate, Yoga and All in Brooklyn. Frisket of Hicks Street recently became Frisket of Main Street: it’s about this dog. Two others have Brooklyn Bridge pix: Never Sleepist and Sam I Am.
To me, most of the material I encountered in blogs has been gossipy and unreliable. While the Web sites are more substantial, information there must be further researched in, say, a book.
Further research shows
Um, The Gowanus Lounge, which includes firsthand reporting often critical of the Brooklyn real estate firmament, is different from the eclectic but homier Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn. Suffice it to say that Borough President Marty Markowitz is unlikely to hail GL's Bob Guskind at his final "State of the Borough" address, as he did OTBKB's Louise Crawford, founder of the annual Brooklyn Blogfest (the third annual event will be May 8).
While AYR obviously touches on the Nets, Atlantic Yards is about much more than basketball, as any casual reader would know. For news about the Nets, go to NetsDaily.
NoLandGrab: For a chuckle, check out the beginning of Manbeck's piece, as he brilliantly starts his online research by searching for "Brooklyn, N.Y." on his computer.
Stay tuned for next week's trick when Manbeck attempts text messaging.
Posted by lumi at March 28, 2008 4:33 AM