He notes a whole lot of estrogen taking over and says he wants to take a stand and take it back in 2014.
What do you guys think?
Has GMG lost it’s edge? Does it need to have an edge? Is it just right?
I put it out to you our readers in a poll.
GMG Contributor Craig Kimberley Asks- “Has The Blog Gone Too Soft?”
Good Morning Gloucester 
GMG has gone from a site that I would check first thing every day and then several times during the day. Lately, it’s become a non-stop ad for Sista Felicia and her cookbook (fine, I get the pride and promotion), along with the ever-present “Joey can you post this about event XYZ?” Somewhat lost its coolness factor. I now only look at it a couple times a week just to make sure I have not overlooked some event coming up.
It’s not just GMG, many blogs have become less-relevant, as well.When every newscast, TV show, etc. keeps directing people to websites, twitter feeds, etc., the mainstream has caught up and made it all boring. PC-ness has overtaken all.
Let the “old Joey” loose!
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Yes, soft. This wasn’t a cooking blog, it was a blog about all tings gloucester and beautiful photographs. Would love to see that back. Also a little too much in sales.
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It has completely gone to soft
It is getting a bit gross to be honest. I think you do good by others but there are to many postings of stuff going on
Honestly the posts about the thrift stores and second hand shops almost had me ready to jump off this ship
I miss the old fresh shit to be honest !! Come on let it rip
Also I don’t need to see pictures of contributors kids and grand kids all the time ( un less the are beat down smoke shows)
Be bad !
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It’s a great balance that appeals to all interests in my book. It’s especially wonderful for those of us who live away and visit yearly to see all the pics and keep up with the happenings. I enjoy “the old Joey” but enjoy him mixed in with all the other news. And I especially enjoy Sista Felicia’s recipes. Like another reader stated, it’s as close to Glosta cooking as one can get without being there. The more info of all kinds from Glosta, the better.
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I’m with you, on the same page as an outsider able to look in and enjoy the happenings, pictures, and the recipes are great.
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The blog was great. And still has some great stuff after you weed through rubber ducks (weird), recipes that can be found all over the web (accompanied by way too many pictures) and too many plugs. It used to be funny, smart and beautiful all mixed in one. Bring back the old GMG!!!
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Soft as SHIT
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It is perfect. A little less sales would be nice. You can’t please all the people all the time.
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Soft as SHIT Photos of know where and back biting over who can out post the last bad post. bring back the midgets and lesbians. also more Camel toe please!
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or midgets racing camels? http://youtu.be/MFCNVvvmxNw
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I took the bait and clicked the link and now, for the rest of my life, I will know that such a thing as midgets racing camels exists.
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OK, since you posted I clicked and that was amazeballs! I am sure everyone thought it was midgets sitting on camels racing. But no. Midgets vs the camel. I had to say it held me to the end when the last midget who was pretty fast lost it by … a camel toe!
I would like to see more midget camel races but really, only if we get them on Cape Ann would it be appropriate for GMG. Could we have midgets and camels racing to raise money for the Open Door Pantry? Midgets racing a lobster boat?
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Just don’t bring one of those rubber ducks into the mix, whatever you do. 😉
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Brian, I like the way this blog is going, we do not have to be crude to be great
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You keep patty yourself on the back Donna and keep the family photos coming! thanks for all your help its been a great poll.
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Right!
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Brian, I think the use of the term “little people” should keep all the sensitives
smiley and warm.. Joe- I am with Brian. In addition to the camel toe posts, perhaps
some rear burger wouldn’t hurt either! Also, I place the blame on the disappointing loss to the camel on the 2nd runner. Clearly the weak link.
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If by soft you mean much less crude, then yes, I suppose it may have gone “soft.” There was a lot of promo for Sista’s book, but now she simply does a daily piece with recipes and helpful hints which I think is a great addition (everyone eats, right?). Along with the events postings and photos from around Cape Ann, Fish on Fridays, etc, GMG is a great resource for the area. A blog can be fun and informative without being crass.
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It figures that I would write a post on Downton Abbey the same day this poll goes up! 🙂 But I swear plenty of men watch DA too! They just won’t admit it. I’ve heard a rumor that Joey is late to work every Monday a.m. because he stays up late watching Downton Abbey (on Channel 2 no less!) every Sunday night. And as far as the blog going soft…as GMG goes, so goes Gloucester, so maybe the real question is: Is the City of Gloucester going soft? Let’s run a poll on THAT one!
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I think the main thing the poll shows is that there would never be a blog with this many different types of contributors that would ever please 100% of the readership.
We the group of contributors all have mutual respect for each other but are widely, widely diverse.
Most of that can be put on me because as I’ve added to our awesome stable of contributors, after feeling that they are all in it for the right reasons and can bring good content to our viewership, the next tenet for inclusion as a contributor is that they bring a different angle to broaden the scope of GMG.
There are people on here that would want me to go off on rants all day every day and there are those that would prefer the blog to be all “rainbows and unicorns”
There’s really no right or wrong but hopefully everyone can come away with something that either made them think, laugh or ponder something every single day here on these pages.
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Nicely put! I think if people miss anything, they miss hearing more of your “voice”, if you know what I mean by that, as it is your personality that has given the blog its overall flavor. But as the blog has gotten big, it only makes sense to broaden the content (and help you with the load, though I’m not much of a help there…) so there’s a little for everyone, as you said.
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your Sir are correct! 🙂
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My Honest Opinion: GMG is evolving, and it will always be evolving. More people are getting involved, male and female, from Cape Ann and from afar. When I see one of Felicia’s recipes that is too complex for me to undertake, I just scroll right through it. Same with the community news, but some of the photos are worth looking at. I do the same with the Globe’s Boston.com – if a story doesn’t interest me, I skip it. If a promo for a local business in GMG doesn’t interest me, I just blow by it. A lot of work goes into every day’s GMG.
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I love it, we all work hard to keep everyone up to date, personally I like the class of this blog
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It may be a little “softer,” but GMG is THE place where I learn about what is going on in our community. Your team really serves a broad readership, not just the folks who want crass jokes. So bravo to the GMG for kicking so much ass. My only suggestion would be to watch the posts that go too long (like, say, the Crowell Chapel post above this one). A little editing keeps things lively, especially on the web.
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What she said.
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What HE said, sorry.
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I love the blog just as it is – especially the arts- related posts and the historic photos. Don’t change a thing!
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Crude Rules! Joey asked me to be part of this shitty Blog. I agreed. I posted rude crude and maybe funny to some posts. Now I’m afraid to post those type of posts because of all the prim and proper women who want to take over here. It’s all up to Joey. He censored some of my posts and comments. If that what he wants it’s his blog. FUCK HIM! He get’s what he sows.
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Guess I’m out Numbered! Goodbye all! 🙂 Had a great time but things evolve.
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The following is just the opinion of one man…..
I was just saying the other day how boring this site has become. It is impossible to approach this without hurting contributors feelings but the worst part of social media is seeing what people have cooked for dinner and seeing photographs of there grand kids. The photographs are amazing but if I wanted to learn the history of the butterfly I could seek it out.
It’s a blog about an incredible community and every time a business is spotlighted its must watch.
Fred has it right his historic photos are always interesting and accompanied by a short observation. Joey more importantly has a grasp on what the internet is about he knows people would rather watch him cut himself shaving or a woman get hit by a wave then read about a local woman’s opinion on last nights episode of Downton Abby.
One lest thoughtful criticism does there really need to be a 30 paragraph article in bold size 18 font written about an acoustic show in Manchester? Has anyone ever hears of a link?
A better format for the site could solve all these issues.
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Okay, I get the point. No more Downton Abbey posts. But you don’t know what you’re missing by not watching the show, I swear!
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Please keep them up 🙂
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nunyabees,
JC has spoken. You’re just gonna have to deal with the Downton Abbey thing.
Signed,
A Local Woman
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I’m a fan of the “read more” blog feature (Lifehacker, Gizmodo, etc.).
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Honestly, less recipes, more Joey.
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I used to like Facebook, until it was everything but keeping up with friends and family. Recipes are out of control on it. If I want a recipe, I can find it anywhere online or in print. Blogs aren’t meant for cooking.
Anyway, I will look at blog every day and pass by some “stuff”!
Susan
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It doesn’t take much effort to scroll past the stuff that bores you, that’s what I do with the crap.
Some of the restaurant food looks gross to me but not to include it would be to deprive someone else. The same goes for birds and flowers ( which I like ) and the wicked testerosterone junk which I don’t. Wouldn’t want to deprive anyone of that either.
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Spelling off but you get the point!
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I think the Sista Felicia column is great. BUT, please no more photos of grandchildren–what do they have to do with Gloucester? Also, could do with a few less butterflies. Overall, the blog is informative, especially since the language has been tamed down.
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I am in South Korea and this blog (GMG) means a great deal to my ability to get away from this place and go back to where I had both very good and some not so good memories. Dad had shell shock PTSD today as a result of his war service and when he was drinking (he relived the horror of WAR (Changes People and how they react to it later in life) and we the enemy death all around you and he got worse over the years (Alcohol does that to excess and violence came out). It was, family, Gloucester Police who were there to take him after a very serious and very violent night. The end result was divorce and struggle but that’s why the foundation is so strong with tradition and family you overcome and everyone in the community helped in there own way THATS SPECIAL AND NOT EVERY COMMUNITY IS SO LUCKY AS CAPE ANN TODAY. I know the danger;s this way DMZ about 60 miles north of us and I know things can change quickly. I served here most of my career so it is like home. Do I miss family and US you bet…America is special and that’s why so many want to come to her…
I have only been on GMG for about six months and what a journey it has been for me. I grew up in Lanesville and the foundation and family (Tradition) is missing in some cases today and we see the results of that. There are many names of people and places that bring it all back. “I do try to answer or comment to every post many times my comments do not make it and wondered why? The reason I do post to almost all is I feel the person took the time to put it up and work it I owe them at least a thanks! It’s like life each day you awake is a new challenge. One thing I found if you disagree with anyone do it respectully as possible and you should be heard. I was brought up respect is always a two-way street and that has nothing to do with it. I do agree with Fred he states many facts and his wisdom is showing – like the chief within the circle we should seek to understand – does not mean I agree with everything and once again there is wisdom and memories for me at least every day in the (GMG) they makes some very tough days or cloudy days much brighter. For that I say thank you for allowing me to be part of it. Are there close relationships with certain folks within or clicks – YES-that is also a part of life and everyone has the right to choose how they wish to deal with it what make MA and America special we have those freedoms I have seen and been in countries where this freedome does not exist…matter of fact 60 miles North. We have a country now that is divided and their are love ones on both sides who have lost familiy after the war depending upon which side they were own whe DMZ was sealed I see the pain all the time.
Sorry long winded hope this helps some?
Stay Safe and God Bless you All! 🙂
Dave USAF -Ret…Mass born!
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Coorected some typed off top of head many typo’s sorry!
I am in South Korea and this blog (GMG) means a great deal to my ability to get away from this place and go back to where I had both very good and some not so good memories. Dad had shell shock PTSD today as a result of his war service and when he was drinking (he relived the horror of WAR (Changes People and how they react to it later in life) and we the enemy death all around you and he got worse over the years (Alcohol does that to excess and violence came out). It was family, Gloucester Police who were there to take him after a very serious and very violent night. The end result was divorce and struggle but that’s why the foundation is so strong with tradition and family you overcome and everyone in the community helped in their own way THAT’S SPECIAL AND NOT EVERY COMMUNITY IS SO LUCKY AS CAPE ANN TODAY. I know the danger’s this way DMZ about 60 miles north of us and I know things can change quickly. I served here most of my career so it is like home. Do I miss family and US you bet…America is special and that’s why so many want to come to here…
I have only been on GMG for about six months and what a journey it has been for me. I grew up in Lanesville and the foundation and family (Tradition) is missing in some cases today and we see the results of that. There are many names of people and places that bring it all back. “I do try to answer or comment to every post many times my comments do not make it and wondered why? The reason I do post to almost all is I feel the person took the time to put it up and work it I owe them at least a thanks! It’s like life each day you awake is a new challenge. One thing I found if you disagree with anyone do it respectfully as possible and you should be heard. I was brought up respect is always a two-way street and that has nothing to do with it. I do agree with Fred he states many facts and his wisdom is showing – like the chief within the circle we should seek to understand – does not mean I agree with everything and once again there is wisdom and memories for me at least every day in the (GMG) they makes some very tough days or cloudy days much brighter. For that I say thank you for allowing me to be part of it. Are there close relationships with certain folks within or clicks – YES-that is also a part of life and everyone has the right to choose how they wish to deal with it what make MA and America special we have those freedoms I have seen and been in countries where this freedom does not exist…matter of fact 60 miles North. We have a country now that is divided and there are love ones on both sides who have lost family after the war depending upon which side they were on when DMZ was sealed I see the pain all the time.
Sorry long winded hope this helps some?
Stay Safe and God Bless you All!
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one mans garbage is another mans non garbage ……..
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All good points. I use the RSS feed and can easily scroll through stuff that might not interest me. I would like to see more of ‘My View of Life on the Dock’ and the blog has gotten away from that a good bit. It is good to keep up with Cape Ann happening and with some luck I’ll be moving back there one of these days ( and I’m only 25 miles away or so right now! ) .
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I enjoy GMG so much ~ I check in several times a day. As a Gloucester girl living in Maryland ~ your posts bring all things Gloucester to me. I enjoy the variety of posts and appreciate all the work that must go into this blog. Yup ~ I miss the bit of Joey that was a part of the blog. I trust any change would be, as my brother would say ~ “an addition to, not an in place of ” ~
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Like some of the other commenters here, I was just thinking the other day how I missed the old GMG. The photos of local beaches, birds, events, etc. are awesome as are the posts about restaurants, local businesses and events. Some of the longer posts (way too long) from some of the more recent contributors make the blog hard to read and just don’t follow the rules of blogging, not to mention don’t appeal to a wide audience IMO. The posts of the dock, joey’s adorable girls and funny bits should come back! My two cents.
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The “Rules of Blogging”?
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The “Rules of Blogging”? Say what?
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This is why I always hesitate to share my opinion. I try to be as articulate as possible but while trying to convey the idea of using the “read more” “continue below” feature I used the wrong word (rules) and some jerk, always anonymous!, takes things off topic to be nasty. Anyways, Joey’s post this morning addressed everyone’s feedback, which is awesome as it is his blog!, and I will continue to enjoy first thing every day.
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Sorry, Erin – it was me, S.D. Kelly, who made the comment. Didn’t mean for it to post as Anonymous, but I had somehow logged out without realizing it and didn’t realize it hadn’t posted under my name until I was reading through the comments just now. And I didn’t intend to upset you, either. Just wanted to know what you meant by the rules of blogging.
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I can hear the music from “one flew over the cookoo’s nest” in the background!!!
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More Gloucester/ Less cooking.
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Still LOVE the blog, old and new.
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Sometimes the front page is overwhelming because you post the entire story on the front page – photos and all.
You guys should learn how to use the ‘more’ quicktag for WordPress. Instead of posting the entire post on the front page, you can insert this tag after the first photo or or couple of paragraphs in the longer posts. After the tag, just continue the post as usual. What this does is adds a ‘Read more’ link to the story on the front page story teaser wherever you place the tag. The GMG page will load faster, and folks will be able to decide if they want to read the rest of the story, or not, as they scroll along.
This empowers the end user, and they will feel they had a better experience on GMG because they had more control over what they are reading.You could also use the ‘more’ tag to filter the questionable content a little on the front page, and send a warning to the reader before using the ‘more’ tag.
This also forces the authors to be more attentive to the readers, because they will have to change their styles to write a synopsis in the first lines of the post to encourage people to want to read more of their content.
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Now that I’ve crawled out from under several city buses, I’ll chime in. Everyone here that produces posts on GMG puts in a shit ton of work to do so. This is a beautiful melting pot of talented folks, fun posts, and cool happenings.That being said, there’s more going on. Some folks also have their own blogs, and have basically re-posted, or double posted, their stuff here. That to me seems like a stretch. The greatest thing about this blog is it’s uniqueness compared to anything else around. If everyone simply had their own blog, and re-posted things that interest them, we would begin to lose what’s special. Then it becomes about an individual, and not the community. Some of the posts, photos, copied articles, and “reviews” appear to be more like personal Facebook postings than original “locally based” content. There was a time when you could log on during any given day, and see several posts on the landing page without scrolling down, what seems like 30 feet, to get to the next post. Links and photo galleries are a beautiful tool, and keep things fun and moving. When some one works so hard to create something special, only to have it disappear 8 pages back, is heart breaking to them. I get it. I think folks need to show some tact, and courtesy when making these massive posts. This is not your Facebook status update, but a ton of the content has evolved to that. GMG’s success and foundation is on the community, what’s going on or went down recently, and not what you fed your dog for lunch, or what the Kardashians are up to this week. Serve the community, not yourself.
If you have a giant article you wrote on your blog, great, write a quick blurb and give us a link. If you took 30 photos of snake in your back yard, great, give us a snap shot, then library to go see via a link. This idea is be somewhat classy for the sake of our viewers and fans. Give them something they don’t get anywhere else, and make it unique to our area and community. That’s what made this blog a landing pad for all things Gloucester, Rockport, and Cape Ann. Make us laugh, make us cry, make us think, make us look good, entertain us, and make us love this place more, and make us want to come back for more.
No, not every post, opinion, photo, article, or comment is going to please the masses, that’s not reality, nor would we want that. To the lazy team members, such as myself, I say “Step up ya game!” To hard working members that kick ass and put up tons of stuff, don’t lose focus of why we love you here. And to our readers and fans, thank you for coming back day in day out to enjoy and respond.
Stay classy my GMG fam, it’s a new year, and we are the best at what we do!
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Put some lotion on those tire tracks. Seriously Craig we know what a fireball of manly testosterone you are – if you just posted more often the man stank of GMG would once again rule the day!
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Ouch! Yesterday was the first time I have ever reposted anything that I put on my own blog, and while I was thinking about putting a link to the “review” I wrote, it seemed self-serving, since GMG readers come here to read GMG, not my blog. I barely want to read my blog — which is why I rarely post — so why would I expect GMG readers to want to lumber over there through a link? I had no idea scrolling down was such misery for everyone. The way this blog is designed has always been laborious in that sense; it’s more like a newsfeed or a tumblr blog than a typical website-y blog. And in all the years I’ve been reading it there has been a post an hour, and that’s a lot of content, whether it’s packaged in two paragraphs or ten. I just scroll past if I’m not interested. If you’ve been jonesing to give all of your fellow contributors a tutorial on the Rules of Blogging, as someone else mentioned, then by all means offer a workshop. Joey will no doubt be glad to post a flyer advertising your Awesome Blogger Workshop for Original Thinkers. And then those of us who aren’t interested can scroll past it. (Just kidding about that last line — it just seemed too good to resist.) Regardless, the poll has generated a good discussion, though it’s gonna a be a long while before I post again. I was scared before and now I’m thoroughly freaked out.
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Sorry — didn’t realize I wasn’t logged in correctly (screwed up AGAIN) — the above post is from me, in case my Gravatar and ranting content wasn’t enough of a clue…
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Sarah WE LOVED YOU POST about Downton!
Rise Above my friend.
GIRL POWER.
More to say later when not rushing out the door!
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I think that Joey and all his sweet midgets are doing a great job! Hard or soft, it takes a lot of work to produce all of this content. If something doesn’t strike your interest, just keep scrolling. For example, with small children, I don’t have time to check out a lot of local live music so I skip those posts. However, I hope that they are still here in a few years when I might have more time to check them out.
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Can we please put a character limit like they do on Twitter for the comment section.:)
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A blog that represents all that this community has to offer so thoroughly should have it all! Isn’t that what it is about. Highlighting this amazing community….from soup to nuts. I personally like the nuts part of it too….but the soup isn’t so bad either. Scroll through, skip, ignore, or hang on every word….do what you’d like. My favorite thing about GMG is that I can get my laugh on, find out about somewhat obscure events, learn a lot, be inspired, and then be blindsided by some totally hysterical tidbit…be it super crude or just plain out there. The best of one-stop shopping if you ask me…not that you did 🙂
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