FORNEY, Texas — Today marks 10 years inForney.com has served the citizens of Forney and Kaufman County.
FORNEY, Texas — Today marks 10 years inForney.com has served the citizens of Forney and Kaufman County.
We first registered our Facebook Page on August 12, 2010, and began publishing online. We most definitely weren't the first newspaper to go online-only but, we were among the few to go all-in on a new hyper-local approach to serving small local communities in rural America.
We hadn't quite made it that far yet. Once our website was complete, we initially began offering local information, coupons, a community bulletin with forums, and business news — because that was BIG news for a small town that only just a few years ago had one traffic light AND had the high school band and cheer squad perform for the opening of Walmart.
We've come a long way since then.
News wouldn't take the center stage of inForney.com for several months and, only after an EF-3 tornado swept through portions of town, did we see a lack in local media coverage and dissemination of important disaster information for residents.
And so it began — with daily and hourly updates on donations, fundraising, and clean-up efforts for those affected by the tornado. In the days to follow, inForney.com staff, community members, volunteers, and local businesses rallied to host a benefit concert and raised over $8,000 for the Forney Tornado Relief Fund.
In the weeks and months that followed, inForney.com began publishing regular news articles and updates and, in less than a year, became Kaufman County's most-read online publication.
Our coverage expanded beyond the Forney community and into the greater-Kaufman County area — with regional, national, and worldwide media outlets and journalists referencing our journalism and reporting in their coverage; in print, online, and broadcast media.
Our social media presence has grown to over 56,000 followers and our pageviews continue to break new monthly records — nearly surpassing 1 million pageviews delivered in July 2020 alone.
Today, inForney.com is the largest media outlet between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Tyler, generating over 4.5 million pageviews so far this year.
Some of our most cherished coverage over the years include that of the numerous times our community members have come to their neighbors' aid in times of need; local charities and non-profits who do good everyday to help others, among them, our early coverage of Emily's Monkeys and their mission to ensure every child at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital had a companion sock monkey; to the countless heroic actions of civilians, fire fighters, and police officers throughout the county who risk their lives to save others everyday.
We're proud of our in-depth investigative reporting in rooting out corruption among local politicians; corrupt local governments and their agencies, leaders, and administrators; and important issues affecting the many residents who call Kaufman County home.
We're grateful to the businesses and organizations that have invested in us as advertisers. You are what makes all this possible. Our success is your success and we are fortunate to have watched many of you grow with us. We look forward to continuing to building our business alongside yours as we expand our reach and coverage. We have big plans, and we're not slowing down. We hope you won't either.
Thank you all for joining us on this journey and here's to countless many more years serving the great citizens of Kaufman County and our readers around the world.