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Smith, a North College Park resident for eight years, unveiled his blog — or Web log — The College Park Observer, in December, writing about everything from ‘‘the rebirth of College Park” to city crime to interviews with locals.

After printing 1,000 copies of The College Park Observer newspaper last August, Smith said the blog could attract a citywide reader base that proves essential to any print publication.

‘‘This is the first college town I’ve ever seen without a local, alternative paper,” said Smith, 35, who moved from his native Buffalo, N.Y. in 1998 to take a job at the Bethesda-based Society of American Foresters, where he still works. ‘‘[The blog] could really drum up support so I can maybe [distribute the newspaper] again.”

Smith, who published the first paper edition with no outside revenue, said he would look for advertising support in any future issues.

Smith’s critiques of College Park — like many city activists and local bloggers — reads like a laundry list, with development and Route 1 troubles at the top.

‘‘The biggest problem is the way College Park is laid out. It’s not conducive to creating an exciting cultural atmosphere,” Smith said, pointing out the difficulty of walking and biking with the perpetually busy Route 1 corridor running down the middle of the city. ‘‘I live about two minutes from [College Perk Coffeehouse on Route 1], but I would take my life in my hands to walk [there]. That has a dampening affect on creating a vibrant community.”

Many city residents grow tired of the abundance of media reports about the latest downtown College Park robbery or Maryland Terrapins score, said Smith, who usually posts a couple of items every week.

‘‘It seems like a lot of the news we get about College Park has to do with crime and sports,” said Smith, who also publishes ‘‘The Die,” a compilation of philosophy-based essays and opinion pieces. ‘‘With a major university right down the road, I think there’s probably better things that can be focused on.”

One of Smith’s alternative news items was written after he read a series of reports in The Gazette last February about the City Council’s effort to curb panhandling.

‘‘For weeks, I was literally driving around with a tape recorder in the car. I’d see a panhandler and pull over,” said Smith, whose entry came to life after a little trial and error. ‘‘I probably got shot down by three or four [panhandlers] at first.”

For Mark Shroder, president of the North College Park Citizens Association (NCPCA), city-focused blogs could be an alternative for residents who can’t make local meetings.

‘‘We provide a forum by which ... people can be better informed every month. But people don’t like to come or can’t come to meetings. For them, [Smith’s blog] is another way they can become informed.”

Newly elected Councilwoman Mary Cook (Dist. 4), whose interview with The College Park Observer was posted last week, said Smith’s blog could stimulate discussion and debate on College Park’s most pressing issues.

‘‘I think it’s a good way to have some give and take within the community,” Cook said. ‘‘Anything to get some dialogue going between residents is great.”

E-mail Dennis Carter at dcarter@gazette.net.