More goals for a new year

The calendar has little to do with it. 

For instance, a few months ago I wrote a column about having to lose weight to improve my overall health. Surprisingly, it received about as much reaction as any other column that I've wrote over the past few months. 

I even had one person out there mail me several letters with blunt words of encouragement. 

For those that are interested, I am down about 15 pounds – probably be a little more if my diet hadn't came around holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

I feel better, and I am exercising on a regular basis. We'll find out in a few weeks with a return trip to the doctor if the inner workings of this sports editor have improved. 

Anyways, that's enough about me. 

In 2012, I made some resolutions for our sports staff. The biggest being an increased presence on the internet. One of the goals was to make us more visible in the realm of social media. 

That has been a success as well. 

The number of likes on our Facbook page (Sauk Valley Sports) has increased from about 350 at the beginning of the school year to 833 as of Friday afternoon. 

On Twitter, the action has increased as well. I've tweeted well over 4,000 times – many of which are reflections from our Facebook page – and I have 315 followers. 

My colleagues here at SVM have also increased the amount of tweeting they do – including live updates from games – and have added followers on a daily basis. 

In the 2 years that we've been on Twitter, I have also seen a massive increase in the number of people in our community using the service. Many of them are prep athletes in our coverage. But, they aren't the only ones.

I follow local coaches, parents and even other media outlets. The result is a constant stream of information on area sports.