St. Pete Patch Readers: Thank You For Helping Us Grow

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – It’s been nearly eight years since Patch launched its hyperlocal online news site in St. Petersburg.

Since that day on Dec. 1, 2010, St. Pete Patch has developed into one of the most vigorous Patch sites in Florida, thanks to the warm welcome and support of St. Petersburg residents.

The tech-savvy St. Pete community was quick to embrace this dynamic online source of local news.

We’ve been growing steadily since launching St. Pete Patch, and we have you to thank for that success.

In August, more than 33,000 people looked to St. Pete Patch for their local news on their laptops, tablets, cell phones and through the Patch app, as verified through Google Analytics.

Here’s some other facts about St. Pete Patch:

· We have 4,046 Facebook followers

· We’ve added 271 St. Pete Patch daily newsletter subscribers this year (Wait? You don't get our email? Click here and we'll hook you up.)

· So far in 2018, 16,052 readers have turned to St. Pete Patch’s calendar to find out what’s happening in the community

· And since the beginning of the year, 486 St. Pete Patch readers have used our online news site to post upcoming events, stories, announcements and opinion pieces

Here are 10 of the most-read articles on St. Pete Patch this year:

• Treasure Island SWAT Standoff Ends In Arrest of Fugitives
• Pinellas Sheriff: Stand Your Ground Applies In July 19 Shooting
• St. Pete Family Horrified As Otters Kill Treasured Pet Dog
• Treasure Island Couple Desperately Search For Massive Missing Dog
• Has That Python Become Too Big To Handle? FWC Hosts Amnesty Day
• Hunky Tampa Bay Bachelors Vie For Hand Of ABC's 'Bachelorette'
• 9 Dogs Found Sick, Starving, Crammed Into Crate In St. Pete Alley
• Doc Ford's Named 1st New Eatery At St. Pete Pier
• Vinoy Valet Hands Over Keys To $300,000 Ferrari To Wrong Guy
• 7,000 Runners Prepare For Debut Race Across Skyway Bridge

I’m D’Ann Lawrence White, your local editor.

Beyond being a journalist in Tampa Bay for 30 years, I’m also a mom and wife, a homeowner, a pet owner, a volunteer, a voter and a consumer.

So, the same issues that are important to you are important to me as well. Like you, I’m concerned about school safety, crime in our neighborhoods, decisions by government that impact my pocketbook and my quality of life, and severe weather that may threaten my home and the safety of my family.

I’m also interested in the more light-hearted local news -- what new restaurants are opening, the scores of the Friday night high school football games, the starting lineup for the next Bucs game and weekend festivals, concerts and other happenings I can attend with my family.

The stories I write reflect those concerns and interests.

At the same time, it’s impossible for me to know everything that’s going on in my community. That’s where you come in. I depend on Patch readers to be my eyes and ears – to send me news tips, to alert me to issues of concern, to post upcoming events on our calendar and announcements on our bulletin board, and, yes, to correct me when I get it wrong.

St. Pete Patch wouldn’t exist without the support of our readers. I'm always anxious to hear from you. Send your tips, ideas for improving and questions to me at dann.white@patch.com or you can message me on the Patch Facebook page.

I’d also like to remind you that it’s easy to post your events and announcements on St. Pete Patch. You can 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."

If you own a business and are interested in getting your message on St. Pete 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 a fun fact about Patch: Did you know that Patch is among the 100 biggest websites in the United States? Patch ranks 91st on the most viewed websites in the country, according to Alexa.

St. Pete Patch is part of a broad network, with 39 other Patch sites in Florida 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 might not have the resources of local newspapers or TV stations, but you can look to us for the latest breaking news alerts and coverage of important local issues across Pinellas County.

Image via city of St. Pete