Five Things I Learned from Howard County Bloggers
Hint: bloggers have a bushel of news tips.
I’ve become sort of a HocoBlogs groupie. I can’t help it. I learn too much.
I was among the Howard County bloggers and readers who gathered Wednesday night at Second Chance Saloon for a party co-hosted by Columbia bloggers Julia McCready and Sarah Husain.
These parties happen periodically around here and are a result of HoCoBlogs, a site that aggregates local bloggers and was cofounded by Jessie Newburn (now the director of communications and community engagement at the Columbia Association) and Robin Abello, president of PercWorks.
Here’s past coverage of a HocoBlogs party at The Corner Stable in Kings Contrivance and a live blog of a recent gathering at the Stanford Grill.
And, here is a quick list of the tidbits I gathered Wednesday night.
1) There’s a bike event coming up in town, but you have to pre-register. The classes are Sunday, April 29 from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Howard County Health Department, 7178 Columbia Gateway Drive, and will teach techniques to safely and effectively ride your bike on the road. The event is sponsored by Bicycling Advocates of Howard County Inc.
2) Some people in the world want to blog, but are hesitant. In the words of Darrell Nevin, with Leasewright Commercial Real Estate, his efforts “wouldn’t be a blog. It would be a flog.” My advice: Just jump in and go for it! Shameless plug: Want to blog on Patch? Click here..
3) There is a new blogger in town and her name is Nicole McFarland. Her blog is hocoloco.com and it’s a photo journey of gorgeous places in Howard County. She has some pictures of Savage Mill as of Thursday.
4) Bill Santos, author of Columbia Compass (and also chairman of the Wilde Lake Village Board) shared one of many story ideas: most high school kids take a bus to celebrate prom in venues outside the county. My response: Really? I need to check this out. Are there any good prom venues in Columbia or Howard County?
5) Sarah Husain, the author of Sarahsaysblog.com, lives in Columbia, and doesn’t have a TV. Which I think is awesome, because my husband and I only watch Internet TV and shunned cable long ago.
Missed the party, but want to pass on a story idea or news tip, or just give a general shoutout to your favorite blogger? Post below or email lisa.rossi@patch.com
In This article
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Second Chance Saloon
5888 Robert Oliver Pl, Columbia, MD -
Columbia Association
10221 Wincopin Cir Ste 100, Columbia, MD -
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Road Bike 101 presented by Bicycling Advocates of Howard County
7178 Columbia Gateway Dr, Columbia, MD
Lisa Rossi
1:15 pm on Thursday, April 12, 2012
I forgot to mention, it was great to meet Kirsty (@kirstycat1209 on Twitter) and bump into Bill Woodcock (nice suit!) (http://53beersontap.typepad.com/53beers/) and Dennis Lane of http://writing-the-wrongs.blogspot.com/. And the many others. PS: I got more news tips than this, but I'm saving them for later. :) Thanks, all!
Lisa Rossi
3:08 pm on Thursday, April 12, 2012
A note from Twitter from Sarah: "So, I should set the record straight. We do have a TV but no service hooked up to it. no cable or box or FIOS :)"
Danna Walker
6:07 pm on Thursday, April 12, 2012
OMG, Columbia is rich in bloggers! We are so lucky!
H.R. Pufnstuf
9:11 am on Friday, April 13, 2012
Ahh, these are what feminists look like!
JustABill
12:00 am on Saturday, April 14, 2012
Lisa, A friend of mine has a DJ company that caters specifically to middle school and high school dances and he has said many times how unfortunate it is that there is not a venue in Columbia with a ballroom large enough to accommodate a prom or any other banquet style event with much over 300 guests. The one venue that says they can accommodate over 300 in one ballroom is the Columbia Sheraton at 320. My school in Montgomery County would to come up to Columbia and use the Kittamaqundi room in the Rouse Building for their proms but that time has long since past. Outside of Columbia but still in the county there is, of course, Turf Valley's Grand Ballroom and Cameo Ballroom for proms and the Ten Oaks Ballroom in Clarksville will also work.