Four and a half years ago, this newspaper went online utilizing the current TypePad format and with that, we took on a heavy burden right out of the gate. The general public, locally speaking, was not used to having real local news and other newspaper content available anytime of day or night – and the ability to anonymously comment, or blog, on anything posted with few boundaries.

There were classic moments and classic bloggers on the weblog who have come, some who have gone, and others who just sit there, content with only reading and not commenting. There have also been fantastic moments in local news history that have been recorded for all time in the annals of cyberspace as well.

We have brought unsurpassed coverage of local news through both print and online mediums – news/issues/stories such as: the Assembly Square and MaxPak developments and Barack Obama’s infamous parking tickets, just to name a few.

On the weblog, characters like: “The Mole”, “Dr. Mrs. McCarthy”, “Delusional”, “Imux”, “Dicky Bird”, “Tricky” and the infamous “Cambriville News”, for example, have simultaneously enlightened and enraged the online masses. They have also concocted their own brand of insight, humor and insanity that have left some people reeling in laughter and others seething.

Regardless of your personal thoughts on what has transpired on our weblog, it has become a daily addiction – a true love/hate relationship – that has grown and grown. We have, at times, toyed with the idea of hiring a professional company to transform our weblog into a real news website, but have come up short of pulling the trigger. We didn’t want the raw, gritty and mostly uncensored interaction lost.

Well, like all things, the time for change has come for us. Finally, we have taken the plunge and will be rolling out our new website in the next couple of weeks. It will not be overdone with flash, pomp and circumstance – but it will be on par with major metropolitan newspaper websites.

You will find more options for readers to connect with the community – every facet of it. Eventually, you will be able to come to our website and find anything you would ever want or need from the community at your fingertips – and if you want to post a comment on a story, you will still be able to do that as well. We couldn’t have made it to this point without the readers, the advertisers and the close-knit family we have at The Somerville News and we look forward to growing along with this community that we love so much.