T-Squared

…Karen Wood, who also won in April, making her our first repeat winner. Can you keep her from claiming the July QRANK:TT prize, whose estimated value is $800?

Put another way: Our traffic in the first six months of 2011 was 2.5 times what it was in the equivalent period last year. Blame the legislative session, yes — but as I’ve said before, this thing is working.

Congrats, “acw”: You’re our QRANK:TT winner for May, with a score of 112,218 points. And now on to our June game, in which the fabulous prize you’re competing for is…

It’s always a kick to announce big hires, and this one is massive: Jay Root, an award-winning journalist who has set a standard for coverage of Texas politics and breaking news with The Associated Press and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, is joining the Tribune’s staff.

I’m overjoyed to report that last week’s brief membership drive — our first ever — exceeded our wildest expectations on the number of members generated, the amount of money raised and the size of the average gift.

Nice to discover — belatedly — that Fast Company magazine named the Tribune one of the 10 most innovative media companies in the world in its March 2011 issue, which is all about the most innovative companies of 2011.

It’s exactly 18 months since we launched, and by now you know that we’re in this for you — for Texas. If you believe in our brand of public service journalism, if you care about the big issues affecting every one of us, now is the time to become a member of The Texas Tribune.

Karen Wood — user name: KarenJWood — who amassed 103,612 points in the month of April and takes home our big prize: a baker’s dozen of books published by the University of Texas Press. Trust me: You’re gonna love our May prize.

a smart and dedicated Trib reader who goes by the user name KentWillis. Don’t you want to be our winner in April? Play QRANK:TT now! You could win a prize valued at more than $500…