South Whitehall Patch: One Year Old Today

One year ago today, South Whitehall Patch was launched.

I actually wept at the moment it went live.

I suspect my boss initially thought I was feeling stress. They were tears of joy.

Here I was, a long-time journalist, about to embark on a new journalism venture that promised to inform, and maybe entertain, the residents of South Whitehall Township -- and build community too. 

On that first day, we brought you a mix of news and information:

• A being showcased at Parkland High School.
• A with South Whitehall Manager Jon Hammer.
• An  for the township's police department.
• A video and photo gallery of the .
• A cancer specialist's .
• An overview of the then-
• The police department's .
• And the Parkland 's forecast.

Oh what a ride it's been.

For its size -- 19,180 people strong and 17.2 square miles -- South Whitehall is a newsy kind of township. A team of writers, photographers and columnists have helped bring you diverse coverage of the community.

There has been information not only on and but also  and ; ; Cetronia's ; planned ; a ,  and at , and even a look at the township's . 

And when , and hit, we've kept you up-to-date on emergency endeavors. 

The community’s support for South Whitehall Patch has grown steadily over the first 12 months of the site, and we thank you.  I've personally enjoyed both running the hyperlocal site and meeting so many of you -- bloggers, church and community leaders, volunteers, police officers, township officials, students, teachers, mothers, fathers, business owners.

As in any pursuit, of course, we can always improve. So, South Whitehall Patch users, please let me know what we can do better.  If you have suggestions, do not hesitate to send me an e-mail at maryellen.alu@patch.com.

Since Patch is not just about the news but community too, I'm asking you to consider the following:

• If you value Patch, tell others about us! Send e-mail links of stories to friends or recommend stories on Facebook.
• “Like” us on Facebook. It’s easy to do. Just click the Facebook icon at the top of the page. Then you can get Patch updates and content even while chatting with friends or playing games.
• Comment on stories. Everyone’s opinion counts. Saw something that inspired you or got you riled up? Tell us, and the community, about it. 
• Post community events and announcements for free. It’s easy. On the bottom right of our home page is a list of links that will allow you to "Contribute" and "Send us news tips," “Put an event on the calendar,” and “Announce something to everyone.” One click will take you to a page where you will be prompted to type in the information needed to get your announcement or event posted on South Whitehall Patch.
• Follow South Whitehall Patch on Twitter. If you Tweet, you can get breaking news updates, including links to newly posted stories. It’s also a way to communicate directly with me.
• . Are you passionate about local politics? Do you have a hobby or pastime that you'd like to tell others about? Are you a representative of a local non-profit organization that is looking for volunteers or a way to distribute information? If you've answered "yes" to any of these questions, then you might want to blog for South Whitehall Patch. There are no minimum blogging requirements and getting set up with an account is easy. For more information, e-mail me at maryellen.alu@patch.com

Thank you, South Whitehall, for reading and contributing.