Olivette Joins the Patch Family of Local Websites: The Big Story of the Week

We're proud to launch Olivette Patch today, and we welcome to the latest site in the Patch family. We're now 24 sites strong in the St. Louis area and we hope you love Olivette Patch as much as we've heard readers love our other sites.

Olivette readers are in good hands. We've got three experienced Patch editors with their hand on the tiller in this community. Jim Baer, editor of Ladue-Frontenac Patch; Gregg Palermo, editor of Creve Coeur Patch; and Maggie Rotermund, editor of University City Patch are all co-managing the new Olivette site. They'll be tracking the news, local sports, police updates and school happenings around town.

But we are also in your hands!

With Patch, we value your contributions to our sites perhaps more than our own. We want to hear from you — your comments, your events, your photos, your announcements. That's what this site is all about. Simply put, it's about you.

We've built Patch so that you have plenty of opportunities to comment on stories, share your opinions, post photos and announcements and add events to the community calendar. We hope Patch will strengthen the Olivette community, but we can't do it without you.

Here's how you can help and leave your mark on Olivette Patch:

1. Comment on an article.

We subscribe to the idea that "news is a conversation." Much of our reporting will emanate from conversations around town, comments on our site and what readers tell us in emails. Share your thoughts and reactions to our articles by posting a comment directly below each story. 

2. Become a blogger.

Passionate about a particular issue or subject? Love writing about your kids or family? Have something to tell the world? Blog it on Patch! Blog is short for web log, which is basically a fancy way to say, share your thoughts or news online. It's free, easy and fun. And best of all, it gets you engaged in the community like never before. Blogging on Patch means you reach tens of thousands of readers each month and ensures that your voice is heard throughout the community.

To blog for Patch, CLICK HERE.

3. Post an event.

Do you know of a book signing at our local bookstore, a trivia night coming up to support our local high school students or a bake sale at your church? Is there a garage sale or graduation ceremony coming up? If it's not on our Patch calendar, it should be.

Feel free to add events to our site by CLICKING HERE. 

4. Sign up for newsletters.

The daily Patch newsletter brings you everything you need to know about Olivette that day—articles, blog posts, events and announcements that are relevant to your everyday life. It is delivered to your email each day at 6 a.m.

To sign up for the newsletter, CLICK HERE. 

5. Claim your directory listing.

Claiming your business' lisiting on Patch is a no-brainer. Once you've claimed your listing, you can add events and announcements about your business, upload photos, recognize clients and customers and more! You'll also be notified any time a user rates your business or leaves a review. Best of all? It's free! To contact us about the listing for your business or organization, email us at directorysupport@patch.com. We're contantly adding new listings to our business directory, so keep watch as it grows.

If you own or manage a business or organization in our directory, claim it by searching for your business by CLICKING HERE.

6. Get engaged in social media.

Like the rest of modern society, we can't get enough of Facebook and Twitter! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and you'll always be connected to University City information. Immerse yourself in our content and actively contribute. Let's start a conversation together.

7. Upload your photos and video.

Upload videos of the high football touchdown or your U City Little Leaguer's first home run. Post photos from local festivals or send in a snapshot of your best holiday recipes and decorations. We invite you to share the memories you've caught on camera with the rest of the community.

Where will the photos go? In our Community Gallery! To upload a photo or video, .

8. Hate traffic? Patch can help with that!

To help make your morning drive as efficient as possible, Olivette Patch allows its readers a live view of traffic conditions via Mapquest. To view the feature, CLICK HERE.

9. Review restaurants.

Do you want to be the first to tell your friends whether the new restaurant in town gets two thumbs up? You can post a review of your favorite (or least favorite) restaurants! Or read our existing reviews to find what you're craving. You can filter results by cuisine, price or seating accommodations.

To leave a review, search for restaurants by CLICKING HERE.

10. Send a news tip.

At the bottom of the homepage there's a link that says, "Send Us News Tips." Tell us about stories we should cover. Your tip will be sent straight to Olivette Patch's grateful editor. Of course, you can always email Maggie, Gregg and Jim at olivette@patch.com.

11. Post an announcement.

Post birth announcements, engagements and wedding announcements. Tell us who made the honor roll or share news about school awards, social notes and thank-you shout-outs. If you're looking for volunteers or searching for your lost dog, we welcome you to call on your community for help. Just remember, our Terms of Service state that announcements should be for personal use and not for advertising.

12. Send a letter to the editor.

Patch would like to extend an invitation to every member of the community to submit a letter to the editor. Express your thoughts or concerns about anything that might be stirring up conversation around town, and we'll post it. Make sure it's not longer than 300 words and email it to the local editor.

The more Olivette Patch serves as an online space for community dialogue, the more useful our site will be. So, next time you have something to share with your neighbors, consider taking a moment to send a letter to Patch. Chances are, you're not the only who feels that way.

Related Topics: Olivette Patch