Good Morning, Burlington, on this last day of 2022!

A little under a year ago, I set out on a mission to inform Burlington residents about our local government. From that humble mission grew this online news publication and, more importantly, a community of people who want to be connected and involved.

2022 Was an Amazing Inaugural Year for the Buzz

As of today, our daily email newsletter reaches 1,000 inboxes (YESSSSS! We did it! Thank you!) and thousands of social media users! We have covered some interesting, timely, and important topics for the community.

Most Popular Buzz Stories of 2022

Lots of Buzz stories were read and shared across the internet this year:

• This pair of stories about some drama in our school district and its aftermath. I don’t know if I officially say it in either of these articles, but as an addendum to both: Director if Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Ray Porch, left the district in September, and the future of DEI has yet to be articulated by the School Committee or Dr. Conti.
• The first in many profiles of our amazing athletes, this story about Burlington girls becoming national hockey champions skated into people’s hearts.
• My interview with John Sanchez, the now-retired Department of Public Works director, about the state of our water and the history of contamination and cleanup in Burlington gave many residents a better understanding of this very complex topic.

Some Highlights from Our October 2022 Survey

Our first survey confirmed what we’re doing is working for readers, and gave us some more ideas of where to focus going forward:

• 92% of paid subscribers and 87% of free subscribers said they are more aware of local government and current events since reading the Buzz.
• 39% of paid subscribers and 37% of free subscribers said they are more involved in the community since reading the Buzz.
• 99% of subscribers report being satisfied with the level of local news coverage provided by the Buzz!

Looking Ahead to 2023

In keeping with our mission, here are some of the things that we are looking forward to in the coming year:

• Overall increased awareness of the importance of local government, leading to:

  • Higher voter turnout

  • Lots of competition for elected seats

• An overall increase in involvement and turnout at local events

• Increased participation

Other Things to Know

To increase our ability to provide excellent reporting, there will be some small changes in the new year:

• Beginning next week, you’ll see some small, unintrusive advertising in our daily newsletters. We’ve opened up our first round of advertising to a small collection of businesses that have a proven track record of strong community values and involvement. Spots are filling up very quickly, so if your business is interested, please reach out to me by replying to this email or sending a new email to hello@burlington.buzz.

• On February 1, the cost of an annual Hive membership will be increasing to $60. We took into account the value readers state they receive from the publication, as well as the amount of work it takes to write, edit, produce, and promote the publication, and have decided this modest increase will best support this work.

  • Sign up for a paid Hive membership between now and February 1, and you’ll pay $50 for your first year.

  • If you’re interested in supporting with a contribution greater than $60, choose “Select Your Own Annual Rate” on the subscription page and enter any amount over $60. The default is $150, but that is not the required contribution.

  • All paid Hive memberships come with a weekly Hive Roundup email, as well as discounted merchandise, exclusive Hive Meetups, and other perks I’ll probably dream of in 2023.

As always, thank you for your continued support. We look forward to working for and with you in the coming year and beyond!

I’ll be back tomorrow with all the sports updates. Hive members, the Roundup will resume next week!

Take care and enjoy a safe New Year’s Eve!