Crime or Nothing

Doing a quick Google blog search about the Excelsior, most of the results were actually just news stories about a shooting, stabbing and other unhappy happenings in and around the area — except this interesting news from Curbed SF about a four-story mixed-use building coming soon.

There were some sprinklings about Supervisor John Avalos, restaurant reviews and a few photos or seemingly inactive blogs (cough, sorry). This area basically still remains as one of the least-covered neighborhoods in San Francisco.

Of the few blogs I found, they again ranged from personal, i.e. updated not so frequently, to political/official, i.e. updated more frequently. The personal blogs had random photos of murals or shops in the neighborhood and on the other end of the spectrum, the Public Utilities Commission is keeping me posted on new sewage projects.

Yet I think I’ve finally made peace with the idea of blogging and how useful it can be. This was helped by something I read by newspaper veteran and blogger Gina Chen, who finally came up with an answer that no one else could quite articulate in j-school discussions:

“‘No, blogging isn’t journalism.’ Blogging is no more journalism than e-mail, Twitter or even newspapers or TV stations are journalism. They are tools — ways to disseminate information, ways to help people connect with their world.”

So while the San Francisco news industry doesn’t seem to want to write many happy things about the Excelsior any time soon, I’m thinking there’s a real potential for blogs to still provide a [newsy] anti-traditional news outlet. There should be an online safe haven from crime — and I’m hoping I’m just one of many to feel this way.

[X]press tackles the Excelsior

I applauded SF State’s attempt to highlight the Excelsior but was pretty bummed at the lackluster approach most reporters took to uncovering this gem of a neighborhood.

It is and isn’t apparent in the stories themselves, but I definitely heard more snickers, grumbles and snide remarks in the newsroom than I would’ve liked.

Actual news? The long-abandoned streetcar barn next to where many SF State students race to catch the Muni M-line will see new life in 2013.

Coincidentally, the same reporter did a story in the same issue about one of my new favorite cafes, Mama Art Cafe.

In all, a good start. I anxiously await next semester’s city coverage.