Back before Mailchimp and all the other fancy email tools existed, I built my own newsletter system for Street Source. It might sound simple now, but at the time, it felt pretty advanced — I could type up updates, hit send, and instantly reach everyone in the community. I even figured out how to track how many people opened it, which felt like magic back then.
But here’s the thing: it’s been over 10 years since I actually took the time to write one. In total, I probably sent fewer than 15 newsletters during the entire life of that feature. Somewhere along the way, it just stopped being useful — the site evolved, the way people consume updates changed, and the feature quietly became a piece of Street Source history.
As part of cleaning up the old code and removing features that no longer make sense, it’s time to finally let it go. But this isn’t the end of updates. I’m already thinking about something new — something better. Instead of blasting the same generic email to everyone, I want to build a feature that’s personalized. Imagine getting updates that match the rides you follow, the events you care about, or the projects you’re watching. That’s the future, and honestly, I think it’ll be way more interesting than a one-size-fits-all newsletter ever was.
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