The Goodspeed Update

I didn’t note last week, but I was quoted by the Post in an article about neighborhood listservs: Many Neighborhoods Find a Voice Online.

… A few sites seek a broader view of the city, including DCist, a Web site that features a daily news and sports roundup and reviews of rock bands, trendy restaurants and cafes. “Good morning, Washington. There’s a 70 percent chance of showers today in both the morning and afternoon, so remember to bring along an umbrella,” the site announced one morning last week.

Rob Goodspeed, 23, who develops youth programs for People for the American Way Foundation, started DCist a year ago, after concluding that young professionals in the District were yearning for a Web site devoted to the city.

“There’s a void of information,” said Goodspeed, who oversees a volunteer staff of five editors and 30 writers who put in a few hours a week, sometimes more. “It’s very difficult to find your way around the city if you’re an average young person.”

Many of the neighborhood sites are Yahoo listservs, in which members can read and post e-mails on an array of topics. Among the largest is Cleveland Park’s listserv, which was founded in 1999 and has more than 3,000 members. Bill Adler, 48, a writer who started the site with his wife, Peggy, said they hoped it would “be just like walking into the supermarket and post office and talking to your neighbors.” …