NOTEBOOK:Back in familiar surroundings

Let me get something out of the way first.

I’d like to raise a toast to S.J. Cahn, the former editor of the Independent, who decided to take some time off from the daily grind and spend quality time with loved ones.

To those of us who know him well, we know how seriously he took his job here and how hard that must have been for him to make this decision.

Here’s to many more good times, S.J., for you and yours. We all wish you well.

But now, we need to get back to business.

Independent Publisher Tom Johnson has asked me to help guide the ship until a permanent editor is found.

So that’s what finds me back here in this spot, back — at least for the interim — in a job I did for six years until I left in May of 2005 to work on our websites.

The editor job is a good job, an oftentimes fun job, an important job and one that we will fill with the strongest candidate we can find.

In the meantime, rest assured, dear readers, that the paper is staffed with a talented array of writers, editors and photographers.

As we begin the search for an editor, though, I’ll work closely with the staff and get reacquainted with the issues and community leaders who I have basically watched from the sidelines as I took my venture into cyberspace a year and a half ago.

Speaking of those websites, let’s talk about some of the changes there and some of the changes that should be coming down the road to www.dailypilot.com and the paper itself.

You may have noticed the website has changed quite a bit in the last year or so.

* Classified advertising, complete with auto, jobs, rental and real-estate ad listings and online ad placement: www.hbindependent.com/classifieds.

* Calendar of events, which allows readers to submit their own events online: www.hbindependent.com/calendar .

* E-mail alerts in which readers can sign up for weekly headlines, breaking news and special-section alerts: www.hbindependent.com/shared content/perform/?domain_ name=hbindependent.com&form;_ template=email_alerts.

* Reader photo gallery, where readers can submit their best shots for publication online: www.hbindependent.com/gallery.

* Archives, stories dating back to 1999: www.hbindependent.com/shared content/search/index.php? search=advanced.

* Special sections, like the Coastal Football Preview, weddings and gift guide sections are online now: dailypilot.p2ionline.com/ specialsection/ splash/splash.aspx.

These are just some of the changes, with many more yet to come.

On the print side, there are more changes coming as well. We are looking at giving the paper a new look, new features and better readability by early next year.

While the newspaper industry is filled with dire predictions, the truth is that the outlook for community papers like the Independent is bright. We will continue to deliver news you can’t find anywhere else, and the rise of the Internet is only going to make us stronger.

But as we go through this time of change at the Independent, we need to hear from you — the readers. Please offer suggestions on how we can be better, how we can improve our news and how we can be the best community newspaper.