Patch Is Growing in St. Petersburg

December is a month that holds hope and promise. We look ahead to a New Year and new beginnings, even when it's gray and cold outside. This year, December does not disappoint in the Hersey household.

• On Dec. 13, I will graduate from Florida International University with a master’s degree in Business Administration. Earning this degree at middle age has more significance to me than when I graduated from Boston University, with a BA in Literature and a passion to be a journalist.
• December also marks my one-year anniversary as Local Editor at the Old Northeast-St. Pete Patch, the very first Patch site to launch in Florida. I consider the Old Northeast site, built from scratch, a personalized news stream for the people who live, work and recreate in downtown and northeast St. Petersburg.
• I also graduate from my post as Local Editor of the Old Northeast-St. Petersburg Patch this month to begin serving as Assistant Regional Editor for five Patch sites in southwest Florida. They include the Old Northeast as well as Gulfport, the Pinellas Beaches, Bradenton and Sarasota. The best part about my new post is that I do not have to leave the Old Northeast behind.

My family and I still live in the ‘hood. I also still have a hand in our coverage of St. Petersburg, but it will be more advisory, as I help to shape and guide quality, content and reader engagement for this and other Patch news operations in southwest Florida. Taking over as Local Editor in St. Pete is .

It’s hard to believe, but Patch has 19 Florida sites up and running since 2010 – from Bradenton to Clearwater, and Gulfport to New Port Richey. More are planned for 2012.

As traditional media companies retreat and abandon their original missions for local coverage, online startups like Patch have stepped in to stake a claim in community journalism.  

Our St. Pete operation is testament to that. We not only have a full-time Local Editor but we also have an Assistant Regional Editor (yours truly) and a new full-time reporter (or Assistant Editor), Rachel Jolley, a St. Pete native. The additional forces are to help out with the quick-turnaround coverage and community engagement that online readers expect.

Think about this: In a tough economy, Patch – and its parent company, AOL – have hired more than 800 full-time journalists to work in the cities and towns where they also live, shop, pay taxes and send their kids to school. That is an investment in local economies and a sign of optimism for the future.

It has been a pleasure to grow the Old Northeast-St. Pete Patch since 2010, and get to know my neighbors – the people who fill our stories, the bloggers who add their voices, and the readers we talk to every day in our Patch, on Facebook and with Twitter.  

Please take a moment and let me know how we’re doing at Patch and what your hopes and dreams are for your community. Patch is here to stay. Thanks, St. Petersburg, for welcoming us.