Our Observation

Happy New Year, readers!

By now, you’ve noticed we’ve implemented some changes this issue. Probably the most obvious is the new layout of our Opinions/Editorial section. It’s been restructured to increase readability and allow for more reader feedback.

We’ll be having more guest columns, submitted by experts in the community, about health care, law, banking, finance, fitness and more. If you have an idea for a guest column, please write to me at [email protected]. In addition to the guest columns in print, we’ll also be featuring more blogs from our writers, columnists and readers on our newly redesigned website, wpmobserver.com. If you have an idea for a blog, let me know.

It’s great to see readers using our comment function on the new site, which allows comments to stories to be posted on the site and linked to Facebook accounts. You can air either praise or concerns about Observer stories and spread the word about local issues to your friends!

New sections

Readers will continue to enjoy the Senior Observer section, which is in the first issue of every month, and Observer Homes in the second issue. In addition to that, we’ll be debuting two themed sections — one will focus on pets and the other will focus on health. We’re still working on naming the sections and I welcome any suggestions (maybe Winter Bark Observer for the pet section?)

Another big change — our font. We’ve decided to take on the font of our sister paper, the East Orlando Sun. It allows us to fit more words on the printed page and is more readable. It will also make way for more creative design layout work. Compare a 2010 copy of the Observer to this one and tell us what you think.

Submissions

As always, we welcome submissions to our Letters to the Editor section, Calendar, Family Calendar, Community Bulletin and Senior Bulletin. Letters to the editor should be 400 words or less and include the writer’s full name, city in which he or she lives and contact information. Calendar submissions should be in sentence form and contain the event name, place, date/time, admission fee if applicable and a contact number/e-mail/website for more information. Community bulletin items can be any community announcement, including obituaries, commendations or other accomplishments, either by a person or by an entity.

This is a service we provide to the community, and it’s always free of charge. Deadlines are 5 p.m. Friday for the following week’s issue. If you’re looking for a more prominent mention — our blurbs are usually about 25 words — you can contact our advertising director ([email protected]) for information about a display ad.

Community focus

As we move into 2011, you’ll see a renewed focus on the Observer’s coverage area — Winter Park, Maitland, Baldwin Park and Goldenrod. The newspaper exists to support that community and we will be ramping up our presence at community meetings and events. Let us know how we can improve the newspaper and what you’d like to see us cover. If you think it could be a good story, tell us about it!

We strive to bring you unbiased, accurate and compelling stories that you can’t find anywhere else. If you see an inaccuracy in the paper, please report it to [email protected]. We will publish any corrections or clarifications immediately on our website and in the next issue of the paper.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the 2011 Winter Park-Maitland Observer!

—Managing Editor Jenny Andreasson