So Long and Thanks For All the Fish

 So folks, it's come to this.

I'm genuinely heartbroken to announce that PeopleofLeeds is closing its doors in January 2024.

 The account will continue through the festive season and we'll wrap up on 16 January 2024, which will be PoL's 12th anniversary. That's not bad for a project that I planned to run for three months.

I've tried to keep it going through all the changes being made to Twitter, and thought we could outlast either Elon's reign or the whole damn platform, but it has become unsustainable to keep the account running. The disintegration of Twitter's safety team and the rise of hate speech, bots and malicious content on here means that I no longer feel like I can support our curators, and I'm increasingly worried that someone volunteering in what has always been a friendly and supportive corner of the internet will be exposed to content or targeting that hurts them. I can't in all good conscience continue knowing that's the case.

Because I have concerns about how Twitter is using the information gathered through tweets, and because I feel that the majority of that information is not mine, but yours, I'll be archiving and then deleting the account. I know that doesn't avoid the data they already have, but hopefully prevents it from being used more in the future.

I've looked at moving the account to another platform, but none offers the same experience that Twitter did, and I think that rather than try to shoehorn an account that was born out of the uniqueness of Twitter into somewhere it doesn't fit, it's time to cede the floor to someone else who wants to set up something as exciting and engaging as PoL was when I first set it up back in 2012.

Please also know that this shutdown is not because I don't want to admin any more, or because we haven't got curators. Being the creator and a small part of this account has been the absolute best thing I've ever done, and I feel privileged that we've been invited to share in so many lives and be part of so many experiences in this awesome city. I'm very sad that we're now turning people away who want to share their stories, as every single week I've learned something new about Leeds, about Loiners, and about lives. We've had weddings and babies, rallies and art exhibitions, Light Night and LIFF; and everything inbetween. The joy has been in not just the big moments, but the little ones that make the people of Leeds PeopleofLeeds.

 

If you'd like to share any memories or stories you have of PoL, I would really like to hear them so I can curate an online memory of the account's impact on the city. Please email peopleofleeds@gmail.com and let me know.

Please note we are fully booked until January, but if you would like to go on the waiting list then email me at peopleofleeds@gmail.com

We'll also be celebrating the account with a final PoL Meetup on 2nd December at Hyde Park Book Club. I'd love to see as many of you there as possible, and there will be nametags! Just so we can keep track of the numbers we are asking for people to get a ticket, and you can find those here. I hope to meet as many of you as I can before we wrap up!

2019 UPDATE

Please note, the account is still active, we just gave up on the blog because nobody read it. Please go to Twitter to follow the account. We're always looking for curators, and previous curators are welcome to apply again. Get in touch using the Get Involved button above.

Week 104: Second Anniversary

This week we're doing something a bit different. It's the second anniversary of PoL, so we've invited back past curators to take over each day as a sort of retrospective. We'll also be having a birthday party on Thursday at Lazy Lounge on Wellington St from 7.30pm, so please do come and join us. So the week looks like this: Monday - Lianne Hi, I'm Lianne Marie. The last time I did PoL I live tweeted my wedding, so am somewhat under pressure for a follow up! I'm currently 10 months into my Baby Holiday from my job as a Social Media Marketing Nerd, but thankfully I haven't lost all sense of social decorum and won't spend all day tweeting "Starchild did this", but whilst trying very hard not to swear a lot, I may forget. I make no such promises about talking constantly about food. I'm a real food movement fanatic, make lavender jam & write the food blog Everything Goes With Toast. Tuesday - Ben I'm Ben of Leeds from Week 15. I published an itinerary each morning of my week and walked across Leeds in a storm on my last day for your entertainment. I put my name in the hat for an anniversary day so I could take you all on a special tour of the city. Wednesday - Amber I was the 17th PoL back in May 2012 and it was such fun that I jumped at the chance of coming back for a day. I still spend most of the time wandering the streets of Leeds with my sons but there are now 3 of them, aged 7, 5 and 18 months. And we have recently moved house from Burley to Kirkstall. Thursday - Kirsty I was the original PoL, and I'm also the admin for the account. I'll be spending the day looking back over the past two years, and answering your questions on PoL, Leeds, and the universe. I'll also be out and about all day taking photos and meeting people. Then at night, I'll be handing over to all the previous PoLs at the PoL Birthday Party, for them to tweet about their time as curators. Friday - Ali I first wore the PoL hat in April 2013 – which seems like much longer ago than it actually is! Lots has happened since then and I’ve gotten to know Leeds and her lovely folk even better, so I can’t wait to help celebrate the PoL anniversary by chatting to you all again. I’m an adopted Yorkshire-person (via Florida) and I currently live in north Leeds with my lovely fella Robin and our two tearaway cats. I’m a Senior Account Exec at a lovely PR / social media agency on the Calls and a few of my very favourite things are music, food, words, colours and aerial dance (like pole and lyra). Let’s talk! Saturday - Ewan Hello, I'm Ewan, and back in September 2012 I was Person of Leeds #34. Since then I have also had a week as Person of the UK. If I'm honest, I long for the giddy speed of the Rotation Curation Twitter time-line, which is why I jumped at the chance of being PoL for a second time, even if it's only for one day. Sunday - PP Hello people (again) I am the mysterious Prodigious Progeny – if anybody doesn’t know, my true identity must be secret because I’m only 11. The last time I was a Person of Leeds was the 79th week ,which was from Sunday the 14th in July, after the whole awesomeness began. Mainly, these are the reasons of wanting to be a PoL again: 1. I get to swim in the sea of social networking (being metaphorical is the best thing ever). 2. I get to represent the young generation of my fellow east Leeds brethren!

Week 103: Jon

My name is Jon. Jon Stormbeard. That's not my real name obviously, but it's how I'm best known on Twitter @stormbeard. I live in Kirkstall, near the abbey and I work for a broadcasting company in the city centre. During this week, I'll be attending and live-tweeting as many Leeds-based events as I possibly can. I try to be active in community and art events locally and I'm a huge fan of live music, live theater and art exhibitions. I am a filthy, no-good, soft Southerner. I'm originally from Kent. I moved to Leeds 4 years ago because I wanted an exciting life, with capital city glamour and opportunity but with northern personality and affordability.

Week 101: Scotty

My name is Scotty and I am a resident of Leeds, gods' playground. I work in Criminal Justice and I will be letting Leeds see a week in the life of me.

Week 100: Dan

I'm Dan, I was born and grew up in Leeds, then was exiled to the grim nether-regions of Hull before returning to Kirkstall 3 years ago. I run a blog about soup and can often be found searching for weird and wonderful ingredients in Leeds Market. When I'm not sweating over a hot pan, I can be found getting fanatical about books, music, films, comics, TV shows, games, monkeys, meat, beer, kittens and basically geeking out a bit. Why don't you geek out a bit with me? Also, its Christmas. Lets see how Leeds does Christmas!

Week 99: Anna

Passionate about food...live in community friendly Chapel Allerton and work for a global ingredients company in marketing. I research and present culinary trends and EU insights for retail & foodservice. This week, tweets will capture Leeds' growing foodie & art scene...if you enjoyed reading #FF @anna_nichol