Prodigious Polls Proliferate

It seems they are everywhere. Knoxville places in or tops all types of polls, some of them flattering, some not so much. Over the coming days I'll talk about several from the last year or so give you my take on them as someone pretty attuned to the city and its finer points as well as its foibles. It should be a fun trip and, hopefully, should engender some good conversation.

For today, I'd like to make my (second) annual request that you vote in the Metropulse Reader's Poll. You will be required to provide your name and e-mail address and you must vote in at least twenty categories and confirm via the e-mail they send to your account for your vote to count. It only takes a few minutes and I'd really appreciate your support. This year's poll includes drop-down menus with suggested answers and for best blog "Knoxville Urban Guy" is already provided.

The winners will be announced in the May 3 edition of the Metropulse and a party honoring those people will be held at Cafe 4 in the Square Room on May 4. It's always a good time and I'd encourage you to put it on your calendar.

And while you are feeling supportive of the blog, how about friending Knoxville Urban Guy or liking Stuck Inside of Knoxville on Facebook? If you haven't become a follower or subscribed to the blog, you can do that just to the right of this post. See how easy it is to be a part of something fun?

I'll likely remind you again along the way, but I hope many of you vote today. I'll also be sending out the same request to my e-mail list and as an invitation via my Facebook page and the Stuck Inside of Knoxville Facebook page, so some of you will get hit multiple times since there is some overlap among them.

So, thanks for reading and for voting and stay tuned for articles on the various polls with a Knoxville presence.

A Little Help from my Friends

I started writing this blog because I felt there was no other source of information regarding daily life in downtown Knoxville. I'd had passing thoughts about moving into the city, but once those thoughts turned to serious consideration, I had very few places to read and consider the great, the good and the not-so-good elements of city living - particularly as it pertained to Knoxville.

Once I made my leap and moved into the city, the thought kept nagging me that despite the fact that we have more information available to us than at any other point in history, there was a gap in the information available about this specific topic. After a late night conversation with my friend Debbie, who has her own blog, in which she convinced me that I could set up a blog and begin writing within minutes, I did just that.

That was at the beginning of June, over eight months and 230 posts ago. I've learned a lot, had a great time and, hopefully, have provided you with a few interesting, funny or thought-provoking moments along the way. Maybe you have been moved by some of the posts, reminded of why you miss and/or love Knoxville or perhaps even inspired a bit. Something brings us together, as over one hundred people each day from Knoxville, all over Tennessee, the U.S. and the world come to the blog to see what's new. I try to have something new about six days a week.

So why bring all this up now? Because I could use your support. Metropulse is running their annual "Best of Knoxville" poll. One of the online categories is "Best Local Blog/Blogger." I would like to ask you to follow that link, take their poll (you have to vote in at least twenty-five categories for your ballot to count) and give my blog your support by filling in "Stuck Inside of Knoxville" or "Knoxville Urban Guy," or just to be clear, why not both?

I like to think this is one of the very best of Knoxville's blogs. Do you? If so, please consider voting. I'll probably mention it again, but I'll try not to beat it into the gound.

So, what do you think? Can you return a favor for the hundreds of hours I've put into the blog for you by taking a few minutes of your time to help me out? Could I get a little help from my friends?