Palos Patch Celebrates 1st Anniversary

Dear Palos Patch Readers,

It’s official: Palos Patch has hit the one-year mark.

Honestly, the past 12 months have flown past. When I look back on the variety of stories we have posted in the past year, I am amazed not only by our work but by the vibrancy of the community we cover.

There are many perks to this job that far outweigh the sometimes long days I spend in front of a computer screen. The most prominent one is that a large part of my job involves meeting and talking to interesting people who are doing amazing things.

From high school students dedicating themselves to helping others, to local volunteers who devote countless hours to making their community a better place to live, I get to hear their experiences and tell their stories.

Patch was built on the idea that people need an online space to not only get information about their town, but a place to interact and share their own news. I never wanted this to be a one-way avenue where we dish out information and you consume it. That’s the old way. The new way works much better.

Instead, we want readers to submit their own stories and photos, challenge our reporting when they don’t agree and engage in a discussion with their neighbors.

Over the past 12 months the site has added numerous new features like a Q & A section, Patch Deals, a more searchable Places Directory and a vibrant Facebook page.

We are going to continue to change. Change is what makes Patch an exciting place to work, and I hope it is what makes it an exciting site to read.

I am proud of the work that we have done over the past year, but I am endlessly excited about the opportunities we have in front of us. It is my hope that we can continue to grow our coverage and tell even more compelling stories.

Over the next week I will be highlighting some of our coverage from the past year. Please leave comments or send me an e-mail and let me know what you like about the site, and what you would like to see improve.

As always, thanks for reading.

Dan Lambert,

Local Editor, Palos Patch

DanielL@patch.com