Tricycle Guy

...or the first flake of winter. people share, get excited, look out their window to see if they can see it, too.

there is news here. there are also pretty pictures. and political commentary. and fights about bicycles and leash laws. there's a lot here, and rather seeing that one post diminishes a community, wouldn't it be better to just contribute something that you think adds content?

oh, and there is a filter. his name is "adam".

That would be me!

You're right: Spotting Louie isn't "news" in the traditional sense, especially when the original poster didn't even look up his name.

But I put the post on the front page for a couple of reasons. One is that it's something that's unique to spring in Boston - Louie's made it back after another winter (and the ducks are back in the Public Garden). The other, which is related, is that more generally, I do try to post items that give a sense of just what it is that makes Boston unique - especially stuff that only local folks will ever really notice or care about, such as Louie (I mean, think about the name of this site: It's a bad in joke that most locals will get but which people westa Worcester either won't get or will mistake for hubris).

At the same time, one thing I find most cool about running a community site is the idea of news or storytelling as a community effort - collectively, we know so much more than any of us individually. In this case, what the original post lacked, Kaz quickly filled in, with both the guy's name and a link to that video from last year.