Day: March 13, 2003

Updated 2/7/06
Contacting InShaw
Although Mari is not the sole writer of the InShaw blog she is still the queen and high head webmistress, so all communications regarding the blog shall be directed towards her.

Email:
mari at in shaw period com

Please have a subject line, better yet a precise subject line, something that will help me determine if the mail is not spam without having to open it. Subject lines like “hi” “your blog” and “re:” or “fwd:” lines that I haven’t been a part of are doomed to the trash bin. Can’t think of one? Then use “Truxton Circle” and it will be opened. (warning this open sesame subject line may change if spammers catch on).

Quick Faq:
1. I am not a journalist or “writer”. I’m a librarian and archivist, so press releases may or may not wind up on the main InShaw website. Also requests for me to show up at some media thing or to write for any publication not devoted to librarianship or archives theory may be ignored or rejected because it isn’t my thing.
2. The neighborhood of Shaw in lovely unrepresented Washington, DC is the main focus of this blog. Occasionally, surrounding neighborhoods, and general city living are covered. I don’t do clubs or bars so despite being in Shaw, I ignore them. I also spare readers from some personal stuff besides it’s quite boring anyway.
3. It is all about me. I feel no obligation to write or not write about something because the blog is at its core an expression of my self-centeredness.
4. Comments are allowed or deleted at my discretion. The general rule is put your name or initials behind what you say, no cursing, and please attempt to be respectful of others.
5. Link to what ever. You don’t need my permission to put a link to an article or your blog. Most requests I get tend to be spam anyway so I ignore them without reading them. However if you are a print or broadcaster I would like some heads up.
6. I will link to whomever I darned well please. I generally link to other bloggers whom I have broken bread with or whose blogs I really, really, like. You want to feed me for a link? Email me and let me make a reservation at Café Atlantico or Equinox and I still have to like your blog.
7. The works created on InShaw are written under a creative commons license. If you are a commercial entity and you want to use my pictures or my text beyond whatever falls under ‘fair use’ you have to contact me and get my permission.
8. Other contributors are responsible for their content. Comments will definitely be deleted if there is something illegal in them.
9. Depending on how much e-mail I get I try to answer questions about the neighborhood. If I don’t know, I will tell you I don’t know.
10. If you want to advertise, I’ll take advertisement, but I get to say no if I don’t like it.

In Shaw
In Shaw is my little website that is occasionally abandoned for other interests and then rediscovered when I get inspired to update it, which could be every other blue moon. This is not to be confused with the other excellent sites covering Shaw, hosted by people with more energy than little old me, such as ShawDC.Com .

In Shaw (Now with more gentrification)
Is the blog. The main topics are gentrification, culture clashes between the different races and classes living in Shaw, home repair, home ownership, observations of going ons in the neighborhood, city living, and whatever I feel like posting. I do have other personal blogs where I post things that are only of interest to the people who know and love/loathe me, I will try to spare InShaw readers from any personal information, and post that boring stuff elsewhere.

Advertising
If you want to advertise on InShaw.com or the blog contact me. So far my rates are a)dinner; b)money equaling that of dinner. All ads must be approved by me.

Bias
I am a moderate conservative. Some days a tad liberal, other days quite conservative and the posts may reflect that. On the subject of gentrification I tend to lean to the right, with some sympathies to the victims of gentrification.

Comments
Please keep comments short as the current Blogger template likes to cut off posts. If you are a Blogger.com user and logged in your comments should be recognized as you. If you are just a random person PLEASE initial or leave a nickname in your post so I can ID you from one anonymous person from another.
I am sensitive to foul language, long posts, and incoherent rambling that is not my own. I can delete posts at my whim. I have the right to delete them if I really can’t tolerate the idea of words I don’t like sitting on servers I pay to use.

Postings
Postings shall occur whenever. They could be once every quarter, month, week, day. As of the Summer of 2004 postings are about 5x a week, with some postings on weekends. As there is just one poster, me, postings can drop off without warning because of vacation, work, or I just don’t have anything to say.

Privacy
With the exception of the people living directly next door or across the alley to me and in my house I will try to limit descriptions to initials and I will try to be vague. Sometimes I change the gender, location, martial status, sexual orientation, and in rare cases ethnicity to protect the identity of some people. I’ll admit I’m biased in my privacy policy and will name people arrested, suspected drug users/dealers, city employees, politicians and people I decided I don’t like. If you are concerned about what I post, please contact me.

Who am I?
Short: I am your neighbor.
Long: I am a single 30something African American homeowner, federal worker and 5 year resident of Shaw. I began In Shaw.com when I saw there was little in the way of information about the Truxton Circle area of Shaw. Silly me thought I could provide some information. So far the best I can do is post by biased opinions. Oh well.

Lastly, thank you. Thank to all of you who read my blog. I am humbled.