Blogfinger

BF editor Paul Goldfinger., M.D.     Date: some time ago. I still have hair.   Our Ocean Grove kitchen where I set the table, clean up, compliment the chef and take out the garbage.

Eileen Goldfinger, a cookbook author,  likes to “get in the zone” when she is creating in our kitchen, so I stopped by for this photo taken by her, then I set the table , get the coffee ready, and then I vanish, usually to my office where I  “work” on Blogfinger.

Now, as 2025 approaches, I have no staff to go to town meetings or events.  Jean Bredin still sends us photos from “Around Town with Jean.”

When I started Blogfinger in 2009, I was inspired by the fact that Ocean Grove had a newspaper almost from the date that it was founded in 1869.  That paper closed around 1999.

My predecessor, Steve Froias, a Grover,  had started an online “paper” in the Grove, the first here, and I used to write articles and send photos to help him. He is a true journalist and he was editor of the Tri-City News.  But then he moved away, so I picked up the ball by creating Blogfinger.

My original concept, which I posted, was that we would be an information-sharing website where Grovers would send us news, photos and information.   But that never caught on, and few  volunteered to help me with all the news in town that was fit, or sometimes not so fit,  to “print.”

Readers  would often make “comments” and sometimes we had some fine discussions, but even that fell off lately, and we rarely get comments or “Letters to the Editor” these days. But that’s OK–change is inevitable.  However,  we still welcome incoming:   Email  us at  Blogfinger@verizon.net.  Anonymous is OK—we favor ideas; names are less important, but we prefer those too.

Over the years we did have some serious journalists join our staff such as Charles Layton and Mary Walton, formerly of the Philadelphia Inquirer.   But they, a married couple who owned a home in the Grove, eventually moved back to Philly.  I learned a lot from them.

Other staffers  included Jack Bredin, an expert in land use law, and Yvette Blackman–formerly of the Associated Press.  Others included published poets Charles Pierre and George Held,  photographer Bob Bowné  and historian (from Philly) Rich Amole.

I’m sorry if I missed anyone, but thanks to all for helping to bring news and info to BF.   And let’s say, “Yes Chef!” to Eileen who watches, looking over my shoulder, as Assistant Editor.”

Blogfinger staff in 2011 when we won a Beersheba award. from the OG Historical Society Blogfinger staffers celebrate at Days garden: Charles Layton, Yvette Blackman, Mary Walton, Paul and Eileen Goldfinger

As of now, December 2024, we have counted nearly 5 million hits. That is satisfying, and perhaps record breaking,  for a small town blog,  and I wouldn’t have continued with this project if  I didn’t enjoy the process.

Our hit count has fallen off in the last couple of years, but our goals have changed also.  We never monitized Blogfinger.  It’s been a “labor of love.”   Photography is a passion for me, and this gives me a venue to show my work.   What good is it if you can’t exhibit one’s efforts?  After all, there is little wall space in our small OG home.

This is not a farewell, only a review of systems.

Now we are what we are: mostly photography, some writing, some news and music. We are not and never have been a newspaper.  But we do like to be a source of useful and provocative opinions, information,  fine-art and news photographs, music and news on occasion.  We do  hope that our content is helpful and amusing.

We celebrate the unique  town of OG for better or for worse. We have lived here for longer than any other place, so it is home.

I don’t know how long we will continue, but maybe some of our readers are young readers.  And thanks to our many readers, especially those who are “regulars.”   Lately we get 200-300 hits each day.  This is hardly the 1000-2000 per day of yore, but we are not the same either, and I am still amazed and grateful that 200-300 of you visit every day.  That’s a lot and is very satisfying to me.

You can click on “About” at the top of this page for more about us.

On the bridge between OG and AP. 2024. Are they reading Blogfinger.net yet ? Paul Goldfinger photograph.  Click once to enlarge.

I only post music that I like.  Here is a “Short Adagio”—ballet music.  “Positio”