They say necessity is the mother of invention.
I don't know about that. All I know is what I hear from readers. Around these parts, they aren't shy.
They are more than willing to tell you exactly what they think of you just about every day.
And every once in awhile, they even let you know when they find something they like.
Believe me, in this job, I'll take it when I can get it.
Take our popular Page Two feature, Focus on Delco.
The original mission of this spot was to feature some of our staff photographers' best work. Unfortunately, photographers are pretty rare around these parts these days. Yeah, we've seen more than our share of staff cuts.
That's when I decided to do something that has not always worked out in the past.
I asked readers to help us out.
A few years back, a lot of people in this industry thought something called UGC might be our salvation.
That stands for User Generated Content. Basically, it means opening up the news-gathering process to our readers.
Most people quickly found out it's not as easy as it looks. Everybody wants to write a blog, right up until the time they start writing a blog.
Yeah, it's not as easy as it looks.
I offer this warning to people when I'm asked to speak to groups all the time. There is nothing as daunting as sitting here staring at a blank screen just waiting for you to fill it up.
But the one thing just about everybody loves is photos.
And if nothing else, the iPhone has turned all of us into aspiring photographers.
No, we're not Ansel Adams. Very few of us are.
But with the dearth of staff photos available, I made the decision to ask readers to submit some of their favorite photos.
It has turned out to be wildly successful.
I have received calls and emails from people who tell me they can't wait to open the paper each morning to see the image that appears on Page Two.
We even made Sound Off, as this recent submission will attest: "Congratulations to whomever came up with the idea of sending in pictures to Focus on Delco. It's so much fun to open the paper and see such nice, happy pictures."
No, I didn't have my wife call in.
If you have a photo you'd like to see featured in Focus on Delco, email it to me at editor@delcotimes.com. There are a couple of caveats: You must include your name and address. We don't use the exact address, usually just your town will suffice.
And this is most important of all: Turn your iPhone sideways. Most of the photos I get are vertical, which is what you get unless your turn your iPhone around. Take a look at the page and space allotted for Focus on Delco. Horizontal images work much better.
Here's looking at you, kid.
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