12 Ways to Use Patch in 2012

It's a new year, and we're ready to serve Towson in a bigger and better way—but we need your help.

Towson Patch is as much your site as it is ours. Here's how you can use Patch to make an impact.

Take photos. Patch has launched a new community gallery, where you can post any of your own photography. Have a photo of something you spotted around town (like )? Share it with us.

Shoot videos. The community gallery is not just for photos—send clips of anything around town you think is newsworthy. If you also give us a heads up via email that you're uploading a video, we can feature it prominently on the homepage.

Add to the calendar. Have an event you want to make the community aware of? Don't be shy. Whether it's a yard sale, concert, banquet or festival, post it in our events calendar for all to see. It's free!

Announce. Share your good news as an announcement on Towson Patch, including births, sports awards, religious occasions, thank you's and more. Post your announcement and even add photos and video to accompany it, and after posting, you can share the link with your friends and family. Your announcement can appear in our email newsletter.

Share the news. When we know about community news, we're on the case. From important announcements to power outages and crime, Patch is covering news 24-7. See something you think others should read? All you have to do is click the Facebook "recommend" button above an article or blog to share it with your neighbors and friends.

Comment. If you have relevant information to add to an article, jump in and make a comment. We'll follow up and possibly add it to related articles in the future. Most community stories continue to evolve after they are reported—you can be a real-time source by commenting.

Connect with the local editor. Email me at tyler@patch.com or call 410-725-4828 if you have any tips or information to share. We're always looking for interesting stories, people and events.

Follow us on Twitter. When we write an article, we tweet the news out to our followers. We also use Twitter to share news as it happens and connect with our readers. Want the info the fastest way possible? Follow @TowsonPatch.

Get the iPhone or Droid app. Your smartphone is an awesome tool for getting the info on what's going on in your community. Click here to get the Patch app for free on iTunes. Not only can you read news on it, but post photos and videos as well. For information about the Droid app, click .

Volunteer. The same goes for our announcements section on Patch. Are you looking for volunteers for a service project? Share it.

Blog. Everybody in any community has a story to tell. Don't keep them to yourself. Sign up to be a blogger on Patch.

Sign up. Want Towson Patch's news delivered to you each morning? Sign up for a daily newsletter to be delivered to your email by clicking on "Patch Newsletter" on the top right of this page or by scrolling to the bottom of this page and clicking on "Newsletters" under "Goodies." Simply enter the e-mail address you want your community news delivered to and you're done!

Be sure to follow Towson Patch on Twitter and "like" us on Facebook.