Understanding the Interactivity of Rohnert Park Patch

September marks the nine-month anniversary of Rohnert Park Patch. So many readers have heard about the site just recently, so it's time to answer some questions about the ways new readers can maximize use of this site.

The online community in this tech-geek age is an interactive community. A reader's satisfaction with a website can be greatly enhanced by allowing and encouraging participation. You can help make Rohnert Park Patch better by joining in on the promotion of steamin'-hot news about our city.

Take a look at the opportunities one has to interact:

* Comments. Many of you have already started to engage by adding comments on the bottom of each story. Those folks have registered with a password and email address, which is then confirmed with the sending of an email to the personal account. We admit that, on occasion, the comments can be even more eye-opening than the story. We're hoping and expecting that reader comments will be civil, constructive and witty, but there's no way we'll bat 1.000 on that. Reader input that crosses the line of decency will be slam-dunked into the rubbish as quickly as possible.

* Sharing ideas. News tips and general story ideas can be shared by sending an email to angela.hart@patch.com. Rohnert Park Patch does not have a legion of reporters to dispatch at all hours of the day and night, but the local editor and freelance staff will sort through the best suggestions and act quickly to serve the community. The Rohnert Park Patch Facebook page and Twitter sites will be used to disseminate the most urgent items and to promote new stories when they're posted on the website. Kinks will be worked out as briskly as possible.

* Events. Rohnert Park Patch add events to the Rohnert Park Patch calendar every day, but anyone can upload information on the events site as long as any resident is invited to attend such an event. Scroll down to the "Contribute" arrow on the lower right side of the home page to create a new listing. Fill in the boxes and click on "post my event." This is a great opportunity – a free one, don't forget — for community organizations, libraries, houses of worship, nonprofits and schools to spread the word about their community gatherings. In addition to your email blasts, Facebook posts or posts on your own website, reach thousands more by creating an event on Rohnert Park Patch.

* Announcements. Using the same box as Events, readers can choose "Announce something to everyone" and fill out the fields with the basic information. Click on "Post my announcement" and it will move right onto the site. Announcements can include follow-ups from meetings, fundraisers and public events, but they can be "braggable" milestones such as births, engagements, weddings, anniversaries, school awards, college degrees and other achievements by Rohnert Park and Cotati residents. Generally, the Announcements are short news flashes from events that have taken place, and Events promote things scheduled in the coming days.

* Directory listings. For months before Rohnert Park Patch debuted, a team of journalists created a virtual community businesses, churches, schools, organizations, parks and government offices on the site. Most information found in the directory has been verified in person or by phone unlike other listings you might find on the Internet. The listings are intended to be a handy tool for readers to learn more about their city and promote businesses and organizations by sharing basic and verified information with the public. If you don't find a business in the directory, it can be added right away. For businesses without a website, the Patch listing page provides an Internet presence they can claim and change at their will. Additional facts, photos or videos can be added to supplement what Rohnert Park Patch created. Businesses with a loyal clientele can be "followed" by a reader with one click.

Blogging. Rohnert Park Patch has been actively seeking people who live or work in Rohnert Park, who feel passionate about issues here. Currently, we have a few blogs on the site — one from Laurie Cameron at the library, who keeps us up-to-date about events going on there, we have a fitness and a real estate blog. We'd love to hear from teachers here, students, parents who have kids in the schools, nonprofit organizations, elected officials and residents who love to write. If you're interested in writing for Patch, call Angela Hart at 707-239-9418 or send an email to angela.hart@patch.com.

With help from reader interaction, we're confident Rohnert Park Patch will keeping growing and become a part of your daily life, and add important, useful information to the fabric of this community.