Ten years ago, Dan Woog saw a decline of newspapers looming. He was writing a column in the Westport News called “Woog’s World,” and with the emergence of the internet as a way to spread information, he wanted to hop on the digital train.
Since 2009, Woog has been writing about the ins and outs of the Westport community, the little things that make the town interesting. Whether it be interviews with Westport residents, upcoming events or Staples clubs, Woog tries to cover it all.
He started his blog, located at the domain of 06880danwoog.com, and gained a larger audience while having more freedom to choose what he wanted to write about.
“‘Woog’s World’ is 800 words and it can be interviews or opinions, with a bit of humor,” Woog said. “06880 can be any length: it could be just a photo, it could be 200 words, it could be a thousand words. There are links so people can explore what I’m talking about. It’s much more of an online community.”
Woog’s favorite articles to write are articles that intrigue the reader.
“Whether it be parking, or complaining about something minor on Facebook, it’s a way to draw the community together,” he said.
One thing that often occurs on his blog is interviews with Westport residents and former residents. From a radio personality from the 1950s, to a fan of Buddy Holly recalling the 1959 crash, to a Staples grad who travels from Florida to Washington to protest.
A person that Woog wants to interview is Rolling Stones’ guitarist Keith Richards.
“He’s my bucket list guy to talk to because I love the Stones and I’m trying every way I can to get to him.”
Reader Tomas Curwen ’21 believes that Dan Woog’s blog is helpful to the Westport community.
“It’s very informational, it’s non-biased and it’s a good way to learn stuff going around the world and our town,” he said.
As for the future of the blog, Woog is not done.
“When I started, my biggest fear was that I would run out of stories,” he said, “but now I know I will never run out of stories. Sometimes I know a week ahead what the story will be, and sometimes I’ll do a thing at 7:00 at night for the next morning, so I never know what’s ahead, but it’s always something.”