Community Focus: South Boston

South Boston (“Southie” to locals) is a vibrant community on the outskirts of Boston. You’ve probably seen it in the movies—“Gone Baby Gone,” “Mystic River,” and “The Town” all featured scenes shot in South Boston–but that’s only a small glimpse of a multilayered community with historical roots dating back to the 1600s.

Southie is an up-and-coming community in Boston, and it’s the first town featured in our Community Focus series. We’ll be examining different communities to figure out what makes them unique. After all, each community has its own history, character, and personality, and South Boston is no exception. The town is growing as the Seaport District continues to expand while the vibrant culture attracts visitors throughout the year (including the spectacular St. Patrick’s Day Parade!). xtra xtra also has roots in Southie; our founder, Paul Rooney, grew up in South Boston, and Steph lives there today.

Click here to see a few of our favorite pictures from Southie on Flickr.

And like all communities, South Boston is also home to some spectacular milestones. Check them out at xtra xtra or at Your Town on Boston.com.

Why Should I Register?

People come to xtra xtra to check out local news in their favorite communities, and we’re always encouraged when they tell us how much they enjoy visiting the site and finding headlines they care about. They like the site and love its features, but sometimes we’re asked, “Why should I become a registered user?”

xtra xtra is completely free to everyone, and you have access to every photo and milestone on the site without registering. If you’re wondering why you should register, the answer is simple.

Sharing and service.

You can sign up for xtra xtra with a one-click registration or log into the site with your Facebook information. Once you’ve done that, you’ll have the ability to create and share milestones and photos with all of your favorite communities, and you’ll also enjoy additional tools and services. After all, only registered users can…

  • Create milestones and share photos.
  • Make a list of “favorites” to track posts from other users.
  • Comment on posts to help commemorate a special milestone.
  • Sign up to receive email notifications when new content is posted to your favorite schools and communities.

We use special filters to keep inappropriate content off the site, but we also require registration for posting so so we can see who is sharing what on the site. Users posting inappropriate content are suspended  from the site, helping us to ensure a positive experience for everyone visiting xtra xtra, and we also count on other registered users to help us flag content that might be inappropriate.

Long story short? Register at xtra xtra to share content, access special features, and connect with your favorite communities. It’s completely free, and we’ll never email you—unless you ask us to by signing up for email notifications. Get started today by creating a user account or signing in through Facebook.

Til next time,
CH

Dancing, Taboo, and a Helpful Push: Your Wedding Memories

We’re still not sure if we want to see “You Again,” this weekend’s wedding rom-com, but we certainly enjoyed hearing wedding stories from our friends and followers. Check out these memorable milestone memories….

  • Lois: I was very young, only 20, and a real Daddy’s girl, and as we stood at the back of the church waiting to enter, I told Daddy I had changed my mind and wanted to gohome. He looked at me sweetly, put his hand on my back, and gave me a little push so that we started down the aisle. It was only later that my husband told me he had said approximately the same thing to his best man, who also catapulted him into the church. (We’ve been married 42 years now.)
  • Elliot: My colleague’s wedding reception featured a slideshow of the bride and groom as kids…I’d never seen that in real life, only the movies!
  • Carmen: I went to a wedding where the couple hated dancing so every table had boardgames. Let’s just say drinking & Taboo is a rowdy mix for a reception…
  • Jenn: I remember being a flower girl for my cousin: she handmade every single party favor, which consisted of two tiny bears holding hands with a heart bead over them in the tiniest glass bottle. It was magical.
  • Amanda: Watching my oldest friend in the world tear up this past weekend when his bride started down the aisle!
  • Shannon: Down the aisle, feeling like heart would jump out of body. Shaking with emotion. Then total sense of calm when took DH’s hand.
  • Caitlin: The flash mob first dance at my cousin’s wedding…
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What are your favorite wedding memories? Share them in a comment below or celebrate them with a free xtra xtra milestone! Check out our friends at Beantown Bride, too, for the latest wedding news and trends!

Til next time,
CH

Create Headlines in Your Area

Do you like what you see at xtra xtra?

Do you wish more people from your area were posting on the site?

Do you like finding announcements from a variety of people in a variety of communities?

If the answer to any of these questions was “YES!” or “Absolutely!” then you’re someone we want on our team. xtra xtra is still a new site, and we’re working hard to attract more content content and users to the site.

You can help us grow the site in a few easy ways. Take a look at this list and see if you can help.

  1. Create a milestone and share it. Email it to friends and family, and “Like” it on Facebook. The people in your network will be excited about your news, and clicking your milestone might also help them discover our site.
  2. Add a “Link to Us” button to your blog or site. Embeddable links are available here, and they’re offered in a variety of sizes to fit any layout. You’re attracting great people on your blogs and websites, and we’d love to have them check out our site, too.
  3. Talk about the site. It’s that easy. If you know someone who’s having a baby, getting married, celebrating an anniversary, or commemorating any sort of milestone, encourage them to visit xtraxtra.com. Your good word is likely one of your greatest assets.

You might wonder why you should help, but the answer is simple. Your efforts to spread the word will ultimately make xtra xtra more interesting, more exciting, and more appealing to other users. More users means more milestones for your community and others across the country, and that’s something that benefits all of us!

Best,

CH

New Babies Are Always News To Someone

When I hear someone is about to have a baby, I get giddy. It’s just a natural reaction. I don’t have any kids of my own, but the idea of someone else welcoming a little one into their home is something I can rally around. It’s the idea of a fresh start and a new beginning, and it’s a moment for friends, family, and colleagues to shower the new parents with love, enthusiasm, and support.

When a friend or relative has a new baby, your first question is probably “Where are the pictures!?” or “What name did you pick?” I know that those were my questions when my niece was born, and when I finally saw the cutest baby in the world (yes, I admit that I’m biased), I knew I had to share it with the world.

I tagged my milestone to my hometown and my brother-in-law’s hometown, and I also shared it on Facebook so I could exercise my bragging rights as an aunt. It was quick and easy, and it’s a great solution for anyone who’s eager to celebrate a new arrival. After all, new babies are always news to someone!

Till next time,
Aunt Cooley

Fall Fun and Festivities

September is here, and that means fall is quick at its heels. Our friends at Boston.com created a list of local fairs and festivals, and that got us excited about pumpkin festivals, apple picking, and local fun. Today we’re offering a few of our favorite ways to celebrate fall, and we invite you to share a few, too!

  • Attend Fairs and Festivals—Communities across the country get excited when the weather turns and the leaves change. Find fairs and festivals in your town. These are often free events, and they’re a great resource of fun for the whole family. The Topsfield Fair in New England, for example, attracts visitors from across the region with food, music, games, and fun.
  • Donate School Supplies—School is back in session, and that means more schools need help! Donating school supplies is a great way to support your local schools and ensure the success of students in your area. You can find great deals on pens, paper, and pencils at this time of year, so toss a few extra items into your cart next time you’re at your favorite store. Your schools—and their students—will certainly appreciate it. You can also use online charities like DonorsChoose.org to help classrooms. This particular charity, a favorite of TV’s Stephen Colbert, lets you peruse classroom projects and teacher requests before choosing where you want to help. Mark the new season by making the new school year extra memorable.
  • Appreciate Fall Foliage—It might seem a bit early to be talking about changing colors and raking leaves, but we all know that it happens fast and deserves an extra look. Take pictures of the scenery in your area as the weather starts to change, and feel free to share those pictures in Local Photos at xtraxtra.com. Plan a hike or picnic with your kids to make the most of the season; cool weather makes for pleasant memories, and what kid doesn’t like jumping into a pile of leaves?

What’s your favorite part about fall? I love college football, but my friend is excited to have apple cider back on the shelves in grocery stores while my dad is glad the NFL is back underway. Share your favorite parts of the season below, and be sure to create a milestone if something memorable is happening in your community!

Till next time,
CH

Questions, Questions, Questions…

This week is an exciting one at xtra xtra. We’re interviewing local students for our fall internship program. We’re looking forward to meeting these students, and we’re making a list of questions to ask our candidates. This got us thinking about the art of job interviews.

We asked a few of our friends and followers to think about interviews, job hunting, and the search for the perfect position. Here are a few of the answers to this week’s question: “What’s the weirdest/hardest/most unique question you’ve been asked in a job interview?”

  • I haven’t been asked it, but Don Draper has a brutal but informative interview question: “Have you ever been fired?”  –Chris
  • “It’s your first day on the job. You walk into jail to meet a client, and he is, as you can imagine, freaking out. How do you calm him down?”  –Katie, a student in law school
  • I just always hated the “What’s your weakness?” question. Always seems absurd but perhaps it’s a way of weeding out people who would say they steal office supplies. Just seems pointless to me.   –Mike
  • The weakness is a tricky one. In business school they teach you to state a weakness that is also a strength. My favorite? Perfectionist. I think it is a sneaky way to find out weaknesses of a potential candidate. The person who says they are always late, steal office supplies or procrastinate probably won’t get the job.  –Steph
  • In a phone interview I had last week, an internal recruiter at a BIG agency asked, “I know economy is bad but you’ve been out of work a year. Why don’t you have a job yet?” –Kerry
  • “What motivates you?” My answer? “When I hit rock bottom.” …And guess what? Got the job!!!”  –Rachel

If you know someone who snagged a new job or scored a promotion, create a free Professional milestone to celebrate that achievement. Wish our intern candidates luck, and feel free to share memorable interview questions of your own in the comments below!

Til next time,
CH

See Your News on Boston.com

Have you ever tried to post an announcement in your local paper, only to be blindsided by hidden costs or sudden fees? It happens to a lot of people. You write your announcement, excited to think of seeing it in your local paper, but then you find out you have to pay $50 just to get it published!

xtra xtra is easing those frustrations. As you might remember, we’ve partnered up with Boston.com, the official website for The Boston Globe. Any xtra xtra milestone that’s tagged to communities in and around Boston will appear on Boston.com’s local “Your Town” pages. Your announcement will appear on this popular site for everyone to see—for free.

If you’re in the Boston area, start creating and sharing free milestones today.

  • Make It.—Sign up for a free account at xtra xtra, and click “Create a Milestone” to create your personalized announcement.

  • Tag It.—Link your posting to the schools and communities that want to hear about it. Tag multiple towns to make sure everyone sees your news.
  • Share It.—Share your milestone on Facebook and Twitter, or email it to friends and family using our helpful address book tools.
  • See It.—See your posting on xtraxtra.com and on your local “Your Town” page at Boston.com.

Posting with xtra xtra is a great way to get maximum visibility for your milestones. You can share your news with friends and family across the country with one single posting, and it’s completely free.

Go to xtraxtra.com to get started!

Til next time,
CH

Join Our Team!

xtra xtra is hiring interns for the fall semester. Specifically, we’re looking for college students in and around Boston to join us for some exciting and innovative marketing projects. This is a great opportunity to gain experience, hone new skills, and earn some money.  Here are a few of the projects our interns will be working on…

  • Helping to generate local content by venturing into local communities
  • Hyperlocal brand development
  • Develop and implement marketing campaigns
  • Build relationships with local content sources
  • Represent xtra xtra to new partners and contacts
  • Work outside the office at events and projects throughout Boston

This is a results-driven marketing position with the possibility of bonus pay, and it’s a great fit for students of marketing, communication, and journalism (other majors are also welcome to apply). Hours are flexible, but enthusiasm is required!!

If you know someone who might be a good fit for our team, encourage them to email Cooley at cooley@xtraxtra.com for more information!

  • Sep 3, 2010 by admin
  • Our Team
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We’ll take “Boston Facts” for $500, Alex…

xtra xtra and Boston.com are putting the latest local announcements right at your fingertips. Boston-area users can visit Boston.com/YourTown to find news and announcements from their favorite towns. It’s a fantastic partnership that gives you even more ownership on your local news because—with xtra xtra—you get to write it!

It’s hardly a surprise that xtra xtra and Boston.com would make such a great team. The city of Boston was the site for several “firsts” in our nation’s history, and many of these complement our milestone categories. Take a look at these Beantown trivia facts and discover how xtra xtra can help you with your present-day milestones.

  • America’s 1st elementary school was founded in Boston in 1639. Every school is special, and we feature milestones from over 34,000 schools and universities. Click “Search by School” at xtraxtra.com to start searching; you’ll find great news from lots of wonderful schools–including those in Boston!
  • Dickens gave his first reading of “A Christmas Carol” in Boston in 1867.–Create free holiday cards and seasonal announcements. It’s a great option for connecting with your favorite communities at the most wonderful time of the year.
  • The Boston Tea Party is reenacted every year on Dec. 16 in the Boston Harbor.–The Tea Party was a memorable event for the Boston community in 1773. Share your community events and celebrations at xtra xtra to ensure an extra enthusiastic turnout.
  • The Boston-docked USS Constitution is the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel.–Commemorate your newest military achievements with a milestone. Tag itt to all of the towns your hero has called home to ensure everyone knows about the accomplishment.
  • Polaroid was launched in Boston.–Polaroid made it easy to take pictures, and xtra xtra makes it easy to share them. Post local photos to capture celebrations, scenery, and memorable moments for the whole community.
  • The first “Running of the Brides” was held at Filene’s Basement in 1947.–Run to xtra xtra to create free wedding and engagement announcements. You can tag them to the bride and groom’s hometowns and alma maters to keep everyone in the loop.

We encourage you to celebrate a “first” of your own and visit xtra xtra. No matter where you are, you can create and share free announcements with all of your favorite schools and communities.

Til next time,
CH