Rohnert Park Patch Opens Door for Local Bloggers

Local Voices, a new feature on Rohnert Park Patch, is making its debut on our homepage, and we are making room for local bloggers.

We're looking for locals who can write on various topics, share their personality and engage our readers in discussions.

Why are we mixing unbiased news reports on the same site with opinion pieces? Because Patch is more than a news site. It's an online conversation about your community.

• Are you passionate about Rohnert Park's core issues?
• Are you an expert craftsman or hobbyist who can share do-it-yourself tips?
• Do you have strong opinions about local government?
• Can you write compellingly?
• Can you just make us laugh?

If so, we want to hear from you.

This isn't a reporting job. It's blogging, and those of you with a video camera, that could mean vlogging. You write/shoot what you want to say and when you want to say it. Do it on your schedule, whether that's posting multiple entries per day or a couple times a month.

It's not a paid journalism job, so Patch won't own what you post. You are free to  repost entries to your other blogs. Much like The Huffington Post has done, Patch is providing local bloggers an online platform to have their words seen by a large audience of your friends and neighbors.

Be interesting. Be provocative. Be yourself.

My role as editor would be to review blog entries submitted to Rohnert Park Patch to ensure quality. I might make small spelling, grammar and style changes to help your blog shine, but at the end of the day, the content is yours.

There are a few rules, such as no hate speech, no personal attacks and no potentially libelous material. If your only goal is to promote your business, well, it's best if you blog on your business website. And Patch bloggers cannot be anonymous.

If you'd like to chat about the opportunity to share your unique voice with Patch readers, contact me at angela.hart@patch.com.