Greg Flynn used to be a frustrated letter writer.

An architect for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, he liked to research and write about state politics, particularly on issues like transfer taxes and the influence of home builders, but he didn't have an outlet for his thoughts.

"It's frustrating writing a letter to the editor that may never get published," he said. "And then, even if they do, you can't write anything for another 30 days."

In 2006, Flynn learned about BlueNC and began blogging regularly. Soon, he was given the power to "front page" — allowing him to promote posts by himself or others to the site's home page.

Flynn, 48, of Raleigh, avoids writing about public education or other issues that could get him in trouble at his day job. He says his boss asked him about the site once, but it has never been a problem.

He hopes that BlueNC can serve as a sort-of think tank for progressive ideas, countering the influence of well-funded conservative groups like the John Locke Foundation in its own freewheeling way.

"It's messy like democracy," he said. "It can get out of control. People can post anonymous things that are associated with campaigns or say nasty things. But it's turned into such a good community that people get called out for making ridiculous claims. It's self-regulating."