Hamden Patch Readers: Thank You For Helping Us Grow

Thank you, Hamden Patch readers, for taking time in your busy days to spend a few moments with Patch. We appreciate your visits and contributions, and we want you to know we take nothing for granted here. Almost eight years ago, on Nov. 22, 2010, Hamden Patch launched. We've come a long way, and you're a big reason why.

In August, Hamden Patch recorded 46,810 visitors. That figure — compiled and verified through Google Analytics — includes readers on desktop, laptop, tablet, mobile and our app, and our visitors often access Patch on several devices over the month.

Here are 5 of the most-read articles on Hamden Patch in August:

• 2 Hamden Residents Killed In Glider Crash In Vermont
• Hamden Cop Demoted After Assault Arrest: Report
• Bear Spotted Having Snack At Home In Hamden
• Man Punched 'Good Samaritan' In Face During Liquor Theft: Police
• Scared Dog Wanders Into Hamden Police Headquarters: UPDATE

Got a news tip? I'm Vinnie Salzo, your local editor. I’ve been covering local news in Hamden in various roles for the past 20 years. I started my journalism career as an intern with the Hamden Chronicle in 1998 and was then hired as the staff reporter. During that time, I covered everything from Arts Commission meetings to the epic hours-long Legislative Council meetings during Mayor Barbara DeNicola’s administration (and the ensuing court case in the budget battle between DeNicola and the council). I then made the move over to sports and covered the Hamden High School sports teams before eventually becoming the Executive Sports Editor of Elm City Newspapers, which included the Hamden Chronicle, and a copy editor in the New Haven Register sports department. Now, I’m back covering local news with Hamden Patch. Send your tips, ideas and questions my way at vincent.salzo@patch.com.

Our readers also love Hamden Patch’s calendar of events — nearly 1,300 visits were made to our calendar in August. Coming up soon on the calendar are a Fall Festival, a 40th Reunion for Hamden High School’s Class of 1978 and much more.

If you would like to post on Hamden Patch, you may easily to sign up for a free user profile. As a Patch user, you can post articles, events, jobs, and announcements. And the "rules of Patch" are easy to follow: "no abusive content, no commercial spam, keep it local, and be awesome."

What else is new? So far this year, 425 new email subscribers have joined Hamden Patch, boosting our email list to 2,827 daily subscribers. (Wait? You don't get our email? Click here and we'll hook you up.) And 278 Hamden lovers joined our Facebook page this year, too. We're almost at 4,000 fans! If you haven't liked our page yet, please give it a try. If you're already on the page, please share with a friend. Reaching 4,000 fans in September would be a huge milestone for us.

If you own a local business and are interested in getting your message on Hamden Patch or our nearby Patches, please visit the page and tell us what you need. One of our sales reps will be in touch.

Here's another fun fact about Patch: Did you know that Patch is among the 100 most trafficked websites in the United States? Patch ranks 91st on the most viewed websites in the country, according to Alexa. Hamden Patch is part of a broad network, with more than six dozen Patches in Connecticut and more than 1,200 across the United States. That's a lot of local news!

Many news websites are limiting access to free articles, but Patch articles and events by our journalists and our users are always free to view.

We're thrilled you've made Hamden Patch a part of your life. Thank you so much for your support and readership.

Try The Patch App

We've taken the best of Patch and packed it into a lightning fast, super-clean app that is loaded with features users have told us they want. If you haven't tried the app, give it a try. You can get the latest local news sent straight to your iPhone or iPad home screen on the free Patch app for iOS or the Android app.

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