Community Corner

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

A reflection on Chatham's place in the growing Patch web.

It really wasn't very long ago that I timidly got on the phone with dozens of people in Soho who were all ready for a party.

"Three!" I heard. "Two! One!" And as cheers from the folks at our headquarters in Manhattan reverberated through my earpiece as I sat in Dunkin' Donuts on Main Street, a button was pressed and Chatham Patch was born into the world. It was the 22nd Patch site to launch, and it was one of quite a few that began operating last December.

Those were all part of a quick expansion that began when Patch was founded in 2008 and launched three sites (Maplewood, South Orange and Millburn-Short Hills) in early 2009, and is now continuing at an even more accelerated pace. It's an effort fueled in part by a $50 million investment from AOL, which bought Patch in 2009, and driven by the hard work of (until now) 99 local editors.

Find out what's happening in Chathamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Now we've reached 100, with Morristown Patch. And I have to stop and pinch myself.

In a few short months, this company has transformed itself right before my eyes from a solid regional news source for a couple of dozen communities into a nationwide powerhouse that provides important information to people in nine states—and counting. When Chatham Patch started, Patch was in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York. That was it.

Find out what's happening in Chathamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

So as the company has scaled, I've tried to keep my eye on my own little corner of the Patch world as best as I possibly could. It's been rewarding to receive nods of recognition from people around town when I tell them I'm from Patch; when I first started, those knowing looks weren't there. There were plenty of blank stares, though. "Patch—what is that? Haven't heard of it."

In my darkest of moments, just after the site launched, I attempted to explain Patch to a local official.

"Oh," he said, looking at me disdainfully. "I guess anyone can start a newspaper nowadays."

But over time, as word of Patch quickly spread, such cynicism has slowly begun to disappear from the lips of Chatham residents. That official who doubted my site's very existence now seems to recognize me as member of the regular press (though we don't, technically, have a press). That's because, in part, Chatham residents have (I hope) come to see the site as a reliable, up-to-date hub of information.

So I guess it's safe to say that it's been you—dear readers—who have helped make the site what it has become. You've given me tips, you've weighed in on some pretty thorny issues, you've told me about events I should cover and you've submitted your very own story ideas. And guess what? You've done all of that this week alone.

In some small way, then, you've helped shape Patch into what it's become, as have all of our stellar regular contributors. And I hope you'll continue to do so as it continues to expand. (Morristown has the distinction of being the 100th site to launch, but look for many more Morris County towns and surrounding areas to receive Patches down the road.)

So I raise a virtual toast. Here's to the next 100 Patch sites, and here's to the site's loyal readers. You deserve plenty of kudos.


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