Editor's Notebook: Patch Celebrates its 100th Site Launch

On July 30, 2010, life as we previously knew it in Bridgewater changed.

OK, that may be an exaggeration, but for residents of the Somerset County municipality, what began on that day was an opportunity to find hyperlocal news easily, just by logging onto Bridgewater.Patch.com (you know, the site you're reading now–thanks for that, by the way). It's part of a growing network of similar sites, each serving one community by providing round-the-clock local journalism.

And when I say "growing," I mean that in every respect, as we in the company celebrate an even bigger milestone Tuesday: the launch of Morristown Patch, the 100th site to open since the company launched its first three in Maplewood, South Orange and Millburn-Short Hills in February 2009.

From the little company that could when it began in February 2008, Patch has expanded into nine states, published more than 55,000 articles and displayed almost 1 million photos. It's been purchased by AOL, which has invested $50 million into the news venture.

And all that in only a little more than two years.

But for local residents, the fact that Patch has now expanded into Illinois, Virginia and Rhode Island is, while a major accomplishment, not really of the utmost importance.

Instead, they care about (we hope) the fact that Bridgewater has joined the fold.

A little more than two weeks ago, Bridgewater Patch went live with coverage of government, schools, sports and entertainment. And that's what we are continuing to provide in the tradition of Patch's goals, to give the most up-to-date and comprehensive coverage about what matters most to residents of this town.

It's interesting when you try to introduce a new media source to a town that is used to its daily and monthly newspapers. In doing so, I have been asked when the printed copy comes out, what newspaper I'm affiliated with and the ever popular, "Huh? What's that?"

But I've also been met with excitement at the prospect of continuous news coverage, joy at the thought of videos and photo galleries of local events, and the thrill of knowing that there is one source covering only Bridgewater.

Coming from a job at a print newspaper, I have delighted in posting videos to the site, knowing that this way I can give viewers a real taste of any event, rather than simply telling them what I happened to observe. And I have even found the joy in being on camera myself as I can talk directly to my audience, and communicate with the people who support the work we do on the site and the company in general.

I think my favorite story thus far has been my coverage of the opening of Premiere Dance of Bridgewater, because not only did I get to watch dancing (a hobby I kept at for more than 15 years), but I even got to embarrass myself on camera trying to keep up in a hip hop class. This is the kind of coverage you don't get from a regular newspaper, but only on Patch can you be more creative in your work.

And through that, we find ourselves actually creating new and interesting ways to inform our readers.

I wish I could sit here and talk about the multitude of comments I've received from readers, feedback from officials, breaking news pieces and innovative investigative reporting—but the truth of the matter is, while we have had all of that in these two short weeks, this site is still growing too.

Like the company itself, Bridgewater Patch is growing everyday, getting better everyday and understanding more and more every day about how to provide the best for its readers. Like everything, it's a process that I take very seriously, and, beyond all else, I can't wait to see where this train goes.