WHAT WE DO: You write it shoot it share it on neighborsgo.com. We turn it into the best community paper every week. To be certain, this is revolutionary and we owe it to remarkable contributors/readers.

Lots of good things going on these days. Save the Texas Rangers current slump (is my bandwagoneering really to blame, Greg "Mr. Rangers" Tepper?), life couldn't be much better.

The business of neighborsgo-ing constantly reminds me how fortunate I am -- gainfully employed, doing what I'm best at, love what I do darn-near every day, etc. ... However, the journalism business is constantly reminding me how bad off it is. Last night I found out that the Waco Tribune-Herald is laying off 43 folks as it outsources its press operations to its sister paper in Austin. (Not an unheard of practice: Scripps Howard did the same thing with its papers: San Angelo, Abilene and Wichita Falls are now produced in Corpus Christi).

And this is just the latest news. I have friends at every stop in my career who have been "RIFed," laid off or who have been bought-out. I'm talking about good people with talents greater than mine, minds sharper than Ginsu knives and hearts warmer than this heat are jobless. This bothers me to no end, effecting my waking hours and often disturbing my sleep.

But I persist. I continue to do what I do best -- help share your stories and those in your communities -- because it's important. I owe it to you and to my colleagues -- past and present -- to give it my all. To this I am resolutely committed. 

So yes, the industry is turbulent; but the boat we're steering every day on neighborsgo.com is built well. Our success is due to our incredible contributors and loyal reader -- often they're one and the same. Your passion for your communities in all four corners -- from Carolyn Campbell in DeSoto to Matt MacVeigh in Irving, and Mathew Lewis in Frisco and Joe Lalumia in Rockwall (and of course the numerous folks and friends in Lewisville/Flower Mound/Coppell/Carrollton) -- radiates on the site and inspires me and the rest of the neighborsgo staff to share your enthusiasm and interests in our (yours, mine, your neighbors') paper each Friday.

And for that, I say thank you.

Summer is a favorite season for the staff of neighborsgo. It’s when all the all-stars contribute at neighborsgo.com.

From prolific bloggers to community-covering photographers, the best seem to share their lives during June, July and August.

And there’s no better example than Lindsay Toler, last summer’s all-star. The Lake Highlands grad spent her summer living in Beijing  and working at the 2008 Olympics. Through her blog — Lindsay at the Beijing Olympics — she shared more behind-the-scenes insight than Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira  and Al Roker combined.

In her more than 100 blog posts, she answered questions from readers, detailed partying with Olympians (seeing Michael Phelps smoking … a cigarette) and let everyone know what the bathroom situation is like in the world’s most populous country.

And who can forget her memorable videos (more than 20!):

• “Is the side of the Water Cube Squishy?” — neighborsgo.com/video/1167
• “Yao Ming!” — neighborsgo.com/video/1131
• “Nastia on the Balance Beam” — neighborsgo.com/video/1189
• “Eating scorpion!!” — neighborsgo.com/video/1103

Sure, Lindsay was very ambitious (she was at the Olympics after all), and she’s left some pretty big shoes to fill. But I am confident that each and every one of you has something you would like to share this summer.

Seriously, what are your summer plans? Are you going on a mission trip with a church group? Maybe you snagged a summer job as a lifeguard. Are you looking for an opportunity to dust off that camera?  Whatever your plans, neighborsgo is interested.

So start that blog, and post those stories, pictures and videos. Sharing them on neighborsgo.com and publishing them every Friday in our paper is what we’re planning on doing all summer!

Robert Tracy, assistant managing editor-design, will spend his summer finishing a complete redesign of neighborsgo’s editions. He can be reached at rtracy@neighborsgo.com, 972-426-5551, ext. 2016 and neighborsgo.com/robert_tracy.