Introducing the Geeky Swedes

Geeky Swedes Ballard

Nine months after the launch of MyBallard.com, we’d like to properly introduce ourselves. Our names are Cory and Kate Bergman. And Kai, too.

It was Kate’s idea to start a blog shortly after we moved to Ballard in October of last year. Yes, we’re technically “New Ballard,” although Kate has “Old Ballard” roots: her grandma was born and raised just a stone’s throw from our home. We were so excited to be in the neighborhood, we started to write about it.

We’ve been anonymous because we didn’t want My Ballard to be confused with our “real jobs.” Kate is the morning coordinating producer at KING 5. Cory is the director of business development at msnbc.com (and at the time, the director of digital media for KING 5). We’ve been journalists for our entire careers, and My Ballard became a way for us to explore our new neighborhood while experimenting with community-powered journalism. After all, you power this blog. Not us. We just moderate it.

We thank you for making My Ballard what it is today, and we’re excited what the future may bring. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have to teach Kai how to blog.

(Photo from Inglin Photography)

Geeky Swedes

The founders of My Ballard

31 thoughts to “Introducing the Geeky Swedes”

  1. hello. i have repeatedly tried to sign into the forum and recieve “password incoreect” after entering the password that you r site sends me….

    help

  2. Wow, I just found this site, what a great thing. I grew up in Ballard (North Beach), went to St Alphonsus and Ballard High (class og 1963) lived in Bothell, Lynnwood, Mill Creek, Eastsound,on Orcas Island and now in Austin, Texas.
    Will tune in frequently to see what is going on. Is the Totem House restaurant still around?

  3. I'd like to see the option of voting not only approval, but disapproval, of posts. I can do it on the websites of The Seattle Times and the SF Chronicle, but I find I won't even read comments on websites where that's not an option (like the new PI site).

    Please, add a thumbs up/thumbs down option. Unfortunately, there has recently been a poster or two that I've been dying to “thumbs-down”.

  6. Thank you for closing down the trash California site (which evolved to trash anyone else who is not from Ballard. If I recall correctly–but her posts are so very numerous that I can't remember them all–she, I think, is unemployed, apparently from Ballard, and has posted overwhelmingly negative about anyone not from Ballard.

    And this thread seems to have been maybe (hopefully not) resurrected with the Howdy post.

    Just a comment–MyBallard gets quite a bit of comment on the street and the bus–and it's mostly on the (negative) trashing of posting of comments in the last couple of months. There seems to be about 5 posters who dominate, and it really is mostly negative about anyone else who posts a comment that might offer another opinion.

    Again, just my opinion–but I'm sorry to see this MyBallard go down hill so fast.

    And since I believe I am posting to the Geeky Swedes (oh yes, I'm the Proud Hawaiian and Proud Middle Easterner–the term “geeky” was not even invented when I was your ages!), I don't expect this post to show up on the forum.

  7. The Seattle Times is offering pet memorials on its pages. This service strikes me as a revenue opportunity for MB. After all, how many of the Seatimes million readers knew the deceased? It's a neighborhood thing.

  8. Hi Folksm

    I am a board member of the Ballard Senior Center. We would like to added to your wonderful URL. Were having a fund-raising auction March 28, 2010 and would like to have that published on your Myballard.com.

    Can you help us do this? Thanks much.

    Bernie

  9. Cory and Kate,

    I like this site, but I am pleading that you monitor ALL comments on one particuar story, the car crash that killed the three young men. I know this is a very sensitive story and a lot of people knew the boys. I did not know them personally, but I did chaperon the graduation night party the year they graduated and I do remember one of the boys just from that night. He was so excited to be graduating and becoming part of the adult world. It is so tradgic for his family and the other families that they are gone so young. So many of the comments are useless and unthoughtful please get rid of them. I have children that are still in Highschool and this could be one of them or their friends. How would you feel if it were your child or one of their friends?

  10. Hello, I have been enjoying your MyBallard site and forum for 2yrs now, in the forum I chose the username of “hummingbird” and have forgotten my password! I have tried the recovery option for several wks but have received nothing.

    Can you help me? Thanks for all you do in helping to bring a community closer together!
    Joan Bussey

  12. Today I went into a blog under the forum to edit some information. I can’t. It’s under “leave the homeless alone.” It’s second one down. Could you please delete it for me? Appreicate it.

  13. Hmmm…having some ancestors from Sweden doesn’t make one a Swede. Were you born in Sweden? Do either of you even speak Swedish? Go to a Swedish Lutheran Church? Anything?

    Definition of Swede: A person from Sweden.

    Sorry, but being from Ballard, Seattle, USA does not equal Sweden. LOL.

    How about, “Geeky Americans of some Swedish ancestry amongst other things living in a neighborhood that highly exagerrates its ethnic character”?

  20. hello, im attempting to regiter to my ballard but have come to a roadblock with the “activation code” ?? Ive filled in reg. form properly and captcha but when I received email ( in junk mail ) I was asked to enter an activation code ?? please help if you can, thanks, JohnH

  22. Hi, I never received the activation email although your site says it was sent. I cannot re-register because it says the name and email is already used. Help

  23. How about you fix the sign in procedure ? After jumping through all the captcha hoops you are dumped back to the sign-in page. Wassa ma

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