Today, Martinez Patch is one year old. It was on Nov. 1 of 2010 that the site first went live, and every day since then has been a real adventure. Patch is an experiment in hyper-local community-based interaction, using the Web to create a common space for people to mingle, discuss and convey.
As the editor of this site, I have come to a place I never thought possible – I love this community more than I did a year ago. I get to take a magnifying glass to its beauties, its faults, its quirkiness and its darkness and light. Most of all, I get to see its people every day, to hear their voices, to hear what’s going on in their lives, and to share their sense of joy, outrage and concerns.
Patch has evolved quite a bit in the short year that it’s been “on the air.” We have discovered new tools and new ways of reaching out, and of listening. We have more such tools on the way in the coming year. We want to make this site the place you go on a daily basis to see what’s going on in your city, and on your street. More than that, we want this to be the place you get to talk about that.
Because you’re not a Patch reader – you’re a Patch user. This is not a one-way monologue going on. I try to find news and information that I think you’ll find useful, informative and entertaining, but I sincerely hope that you feel that Patch is a place you can post your information, as well.
See something going on in your neighborhood that you want to share with the world? Post it. Have an announcement about a newborn, or a garage sale, or a graduate? Post it. Are you having a block party or a New Year’s Eve celebration event? Post it.
Did you take a hike and along the way take some amazing photographs? We want to see them. Post them. That video you took of the band you really liked? Post it.
Patch is a place for sharing. It’s not about the community, it is the community.
So I hope, as the next year begins to unfold, that we continue to get to know each other better, and continue the conversation. So far it’s been very interesting, indeed. I look forward to many, many more.
