The paper came out like always last Wednesday and, since I haven’t received a mountain of letters to the contrary, I guess that means we did a pretty good job.

It’s Friday afternoon as I’m writing this, and the issue this particular column will run in is getting closer and closer to being complete.

I’d be lying if I said that’s been an easy task. A lot happens in this small community of ours, something I was not fully aware of until taking over the editor position.

Until now, I pretty much resided in my own little bubble. I’d take care of the schools and sports stories, attend a community event here and there and occasionally work on a story that was bound for a section I don’t traditionally write for.

I thought I’d kept pretty busy these past 10 years, but I’m only just now learning what “busy” truly means.

But don’t think I’m complaining. The new gig has given me an opportunity to dig my hands into every section of the paper, finding out more than ever about interesting clubs, organizations, businesses and people that make this community tick.

My worldview is expanding and, because of it, I’m beginning to appreciate the intricacies of Fountain Hills more and more.

But while I’m getting to know Fountain Hills better than ever, I want that relationship to work the other way around, too.

If you follow The Fountain Hills Times on Facebook, you may have noticed that we posted more stories than usual last week. We want to get the word out about news happening in Fountain Hills faster than ever, so we’ll be utilizing social media more and more moving forward.

Don’t worry; we don’t plan on flooding your feed with constant updates. But if there’s a breaking news item, a class you might not have heard about or a big event on the horizon, we want to provide that information in as many ways as possible. We’ll be trying out some new things geared toward more community involvement, too, so be sure to “Like” us if you haven’t already.

As for all of those new people I’m interacting with, I want to open up The Times to allow their voices to be heard more regularly, too. From Town Council members to school administrators, the Chamber and beyond, we want to make this particular page a welcoming place where they can frequently comment on the issues they find most important. Or maybe they’ll just brag about the robotics program and all of that new art being added around Fountain Park. Either way, we’re happy to have them speak directly to the community right here in their local paper.

Finally, constant reader (okay, yes, I stole that from Stephen King), we want to hear from you. The Fountain Spouts page is your community message board, so be sure to reach out to Linda@fhtimes.com with your wedding and birthday announcements, pictures from vacation, the kids’ accomplishments or whatever else you want to share with your fellow residents. This is your paper, so we’re happy to share the news that’s important to you.