As Eyes on EB approaches 3,000 Facebook followers, it seemed like a good time to reflect on how this all started and how much it has changed over the past two years.
When Eyes on EB launched, it wasn’t intended to be a traditional local news source.
In fact, the inspiration came from a website called Not the Bee.
For those unfamiliar, Not the Bee shares real news stories that are often so bizarre, ridiculous, or unbelievable that they almost read like satire. The stories are real, but they’re presented with a tone that makes readers stop and ask, “Wait, this actually happened?”
That concept resonated with us because, at times, local discussions in East Brunswick felt exactly the same way.
Whether it was social media arguments, community controversies, neighborhood debates, or public meetings, there were moments when the stories were simply too absurd to ignore. The stories themselves were always real, but they were often written with a tongue in cheek style because reality was doing most of the work for us.
Ironically, many people thought the stories weren’t real.
Some assumed we were exaggerating.
Others thought we were writing satire.
We weren’t.
The meetings happened.
The comments happened.
The arguments happened.
The screenshots were real.
Sometimes the truth was simply stranger than fiction.
Those early posts generated attention. People shared them. People debated them. People laughed at them. Most importantly, people talked about them.
But as the page continued to grow, another question emerged.
Would people eventually get tired of it?
We didn’t want Eyes on EB to become a novelty. We wanted it to become something people could rely on.
At the same time, we noticed something else happening.
Many of the larger media outlets covering local stories were doing exactly what they were supposed to do: reporting the basic facts. But often the nuances were missing. The context was missing. The follow up questions residents were asking never seemed to get answered.
Stories would end at the headline.
We became interested in everything that came after the headline.
Why did a decision get made?
Who supported it?
Who opposed it?
What details weren’t making it into the initial coverage?
What questions were residents still asking?
Instead of simply reporting what happened, we started digging deeper into why it happened.
That shift changed everything.
Gradually, Eyes on EB evolved from a social media page into a local news and community platform focused on context, accountability, and awareness.
The website launched and quickly became an important part of that mission. Today, Eyes on EB attracts thousands of readers every month, allowing us to go beyond social media posts and provide more detailed coverage of the stories that matter to residents. Our Facebook page reaches hundreds of thousands a month and our Instragram tens of thousands.
The topics expanded as well.
Township Council meetings.
Board of Education meetings.
Local elections.
Development projects.
Community issues.
School programs.
And one area that has become especially important to us: local sports.
Some of our favorite stories involve highlighting the accomplishments of East Brunswick students and athletes. Whether it’s a sectional championship, a state qualifier, or a student achieving something extraordinary, those stories deserve attention too.
The growth eventually led to another milestone: the Eyes on EB Podcast.
Alongside Rachel, we’ve been able to bring conversations to a different format, discussing local issues, interviewing guests, highlighting community stories, and occasionally just having fun. Some topics work best in an article. Others work best in a conversation. The podcast gave us another way to connect with the community.
Through all of these changes, one thing has remained the same.
Curiosity.
We ask questions.
We read the documents.
We attend the meetings.
We follow the discussions.
And sometimes we uncover details that might otherwise go unnoticed.
That doesn’t mean we’ve abandoned the spirit of the original page.
Far from it.
If you’ve followed Eyes on EB for any length of time, you know we still enjoy the lighter side of local life. We still appreciate the humor that comes from living in a town where debates about everything from school issues to traffic patterns can somehow turn into multi-hundred-comment discussions.
We still enjoy pointing out the occasional absurdity.
The difference is that today we’re just as interested in understanding the serious stories as we are in laughing about the funny ones.
Looking back, it’s remarkable to see how far this community has come in such a short period of time.
What started as a page inspired by Not the Bee has evolved into a website, a podcast, a sports outlet, and a growing source of local information for thousands of East Brunswick residents.
Most importantly, it has become a community.
To everyone who has followed a page, read an article, listened to a podcast, shared a post, sent a tip, corrected an error, offered feedback, or simply spent a few minutes of their day keeping up with what’s happening in town, thank you.
The 3,000 followers matter.
The thousands of monthly website readers matter.
The 300,000 to 600,000 Facebook and Instagram views per month matter.
The podcast listeners matter.
But what matters most is the community that has formed around all of it.
Eyes on EB has always been about paying attention to what’s happening in East Brunswick, especially the things that aren’t always obvious at first glance.
We believe that’s what sets us apart.
We try to dig a little deeper.
We try to provide context.
We try to explain the nuances.
And every once in a while, we still like to have some fun.
Thank you for being part of the journey.
Here’s to the next chapter.
And as always, thank you for keeping your Eyes on EB.
