These were Delaware’s 10 most-read tech and business stories of 2020

2020 is finally over.

That’s true whether it feels like the year’s most impactful event — the COVID-19 pandemic — began yesterday or a decade ago.

This new year, with a new (homegrown) president and new vaccines, has most people looking forward, not back. But we’re taking one last look at the stories that, for whatever reason, got the most attention from readers this year.

Here are the top 10 most-read stories on Technical.ly Delaware in 2020, in descending order:

10. RealLIST Engineers: These 10 influential technologists are building a better Delaware

Our inaugural RealLIST Engineers list, a selection of the most impactful software engineers in Delaware as decided by a combination of reader nominations and newsroom curation, was announced Nov. 17.

9. Downtown Wilmington’s DECO is reopening — with a twist

The reopening of the DECO food hall in downtown Wilmington, with a unique-for-Delaware delivery platform that allows people to order from multiple eateries at DECO for a single delivery fee, got readers’ attention in September.

8. There is no early voting in Delaware, but you can vote early (by mail)

This Oct. 1 explainer article broke down how to vote by mail in Delaware as surrounding states like Pennsylvania saw people lining up to cast their early in-person votes.

7. New SMART trash bins are landing in Wilmington this week

Back in January, SMART trash bins were big news, apparently. Or, at least an explanation of what made the typical-looking bins “smart.”

6. Work-from-home burnout is real. Here’s how to combat it

No surprise here. This July article features advice from Wilmington therapist (and host of the podcast “Attorney Buoyancy”) Rich Lombino on how to avoid and cope with burnout from long work days at home.

5. Delaware, meet your nominees for the 2020 Technical.ly Awards

The most recent article on this list, from Dec. 10, is our list of nominees for Delaware’s Techincal.ly Awards. The winners were ultimately selected by reader votes: See who won.

4. Meet the 22-year-old fintech founder who plans to change banking in Delaware (and maybe the world)

This is the January story of Kasai Guthrie and his startup, Neggster, which was slated to launch in June. After some delays and a move to Cape Verde, Guthrie is still going forward with the app. Look for an update in the new year.

3. Can you get Delaware unemployment payments during the coronavirus pandemic?

Published just as businesses were closing down for the lockdown in March, this explainer laid out who could get unemployment benefits at that time. It may not be entirely accurate anymore, as guidelines have evolved over the last few months. Check out Delaware’s Department of Labor COVID-19 Response Center for the latest info.

2. The Technical.ly Delaware Black-Owned Business List

Started in February for Black History Month as a list of about 50 businesses, it was later renamed to the more evergreen “Technical.ly Delaware Black-Owned Business List” as more and more businesses were added. In June, a reader made a social media graphic to facilitate sharing it on Instagram. The list continues to be updated; contact holly@technical.ly to be added.

1. LA Times profiles Wilmington, capping off a wild week for Delaware

We no longer think twice about seeing newscasters on TV with the Wilmington skyline in the background or press conferences held at The Queen on Market Street. But back in February, the LA Times was one of the first to write about Biden’s hometown of Wilmington as an actually interesting place. Other media outlets would follow, and now our city is almost semi-recognizable to people not from Delaware.