By 1812Blockhouse
We’re starting a short series today on 1808Delaware that we’re calling “Under the Hood.”
There’s not a great deal of mechanical ability here at 1808Delaware, truth be told. A series entitled “Under the Hood,” therefore, is certainly not going to be about automobile repair or anything of that nature.
Instead, we’re going to pass along, from time to time, some of the behind the scenes activities here and also a bit about why we do what we do.
Today, that means the first of a two-part look at Delaware County News, a feature on the home page of 1812Blockhouse on desktop and at the very top of the site on mobile, immediately following the featured stories. Delaware County News is actually one of the key ways that our site differs from most other news sites in the country.
First, a bit about the process we use to create the Delaware County News section each morning.
We begin with four local online news and information sites — the Delaware Gazette and the ThisWeek Community News editions for Delaware, the Olentangy Valley, and Westerville. Those four have been the main lineup for much of our history; the Sunbury News was also included until its closure.
Unlike Richland County, home to our sister site and which has two sites which feature a “paywall,” these sites are completely free to access. That is the model which we have also adopted, and we are happy to support our sister sites that treat readers in this way.
Each morning, we choose posts from those sites that meet the following criteria — first, they are about Delaware County or Delaware Countians, and second, we believe they provide relevant and timely information to readers.
There are a couple of exceptions to this rule. First, we do not post links to stories that we have covered or deal with subject matter that forms the basis of articles which have been published by or are being written here at 1808Delaware. Second, we will almost always choose only one post for a given subject — usually that which appears to provide the best coverage.
Lastly, we use various means to find relevant additional news coverage of stories that deal in some way with Delaware County. That often includes posts from the Columbus Dispatch. We are just as likely to post links to stories from other cities and states.
This weekend, we’ll share a bit about why Delaware County News exists, and why we believe that it is one of the best parts about what we do here at 1808Delaware.
