The Evolution of Eldersburg Patch: Five Upgrades you Should Check Out

Patch's Blog Platform: Local Voices

Patch knows that local voices are important in terms of sharing news, analyzing news, and creating a conversation about the news. In order to highlight these local voices, all in one easy-to-access location, Patch has created a section of the site called Local Voices. Here you will find local blogs unique to Patch, as well as a feed of headlines from blogs that already exist in Carroll County. Know of a blog in Carroll County that you don't see here? Email me a link to it at Valerie.Bonk@patch.com. We will continue to invite bloggers to utilize the Patch blog platform, so if you are interested in blogging about something interesting happening in Eldersburg or Carroll County - shoot me an email at Valerie.Bonk@patch.com. 

Event Placement: Front and Center

You might have noticed late last week that the Westminster Patch homepage layout changed. One of the major features that we wanted to bring front and center is the event listings, which can now be found...well, front and center. It is smack dab in the middle of the home page. We feel that this Patch feature is an important resource for our users and we want to make it easy to access and view at a glance. Do you know what will make this feature even better? You! This event listing calendar should be full of events happening throughout the community - churches, schools, in government, nonprofits, recreational events and the best way for the events to get posted is for users to post them. So next time your church is having a bake sale or your favorite nonprofit is having a food drive or your class has scheduled a reunion - post it on the events calendar!

Article Layout: More Articles at a Glance

We have tried to bring more news to the homepage so that with a quick glance, users can see up to 8 articles that have been featured. We have also added links to feature articles at nearby Patches so that you can get a feel for what's happening outside of your city limits. 

Letter to the Editor: Send them in!

Do you have thoughts and ideas that you want to share that go beyond what you want to type in the comment box on the right hand side of the page? Patch hears you and has created a space for you to voice your thoughts and opinions. Just send your letters to the editor, 300 words or less, to Valerie.Bonk@patch.com. No anonymous letters will be posted and letters should include a phone number and email address - not to be posted with the letter but so that Patch can verify information. Don't forget, if you think you will want to voice your opinion regularly, perhaps a blog is in your future.

Volunteer Section: Find Opportunities in your own Community

This is not new, but it has yet to be utilized. In the menu running across the top of the home page, there is a Volunteer button. If you go to this portion of the site, there are articles written about volunteers, but there is also a place to upload volunteer opportunities, which will also serve as a resource for people looking for volunteer opportunities. So list your local volunteer needs and people will then come to this section of the site looking for ways to volunteer. It's a win-win function!

Patch truly believes in the "if you build it, they will come" theory. We have built it, and you have come. Patch has seen great success in the past year (The Westminster Patch is just a baby--just over four months live) and our sites are evolving based on feedback from users and data gathered from sites across the country. Please let us know how we're doing! What is working for you on the Patch site and what isn't working --what is missing? Email Valerie.Bonk@patch.com with your comments and feedback. And thank you for being a loyal Patcher.