One Community, One Site, Thousands of Voices

Why is Bridgewater Patch different from all other news websites?

Because it literally thrives on audience participation.

That's right, this site is about more than just providing the most comprehensive news coverage you can find on the Internet about Bridgewater, N.J. It's a place that welcomes input and participation from its readers.

But the site is still new, and I know people are not yet used to the interactivity it allows. So, as we welcome the start of the 2010-2011 school year—and Bridgewater Patch celebrates its first school year reporting on the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District—I wanted to take this opportunity to remind readers of just what we have to offer.

I, for one, am excited about this milestone achievement as Bridgewater Patch begins its first year covering this very large regional district. We have already, and will continue, delving deeply into all the sports this school district has to offer, and will stay on top of the academic changes, budget announcements, Board of Education decisions and everything else that will shape this school year.

But to make sure we don't miss anything, I would like to ask for your help.

All it takes is a quick [and free] sign-up on the site to get access to opportunities to post events, announcements, awards and anything else you believe is relevant to the entire Bridgewater community.

With the school year finally getting underway, the students are taking center stage with sports, activities and academics—and, at Bridgewater Patch, we don't want to miss a moment of it.

As the foremost site covering Bridgewater, we try to attend as many of the events, sports games and other offerings there are to inform residents about life in the township. But we can't do that without your help.

Let us know what you see going on in town and what you think is missing from the site, so we can adjust our coverage and give readers absolutely everything they want to read about.

Want to tell the community that your sports team just won a tournament or important game? Post it as a sports award in our announcements.

Looking to bring residents out for a fundraiser to raise money to sponsor a trip for students? Post it in the events calendar.

Hoping to attract people to an upcoming sporting event? Post pictures in the announcements section to show off what your team can do.

Tell readers about an award your student just won or about an upcoming performance by a school drama club.

And don't forget that we also love comments on articles already posted. Take the opportunity to tell us what you think of a story, if you agree with the situation at hand or if you believe an aspect of town is not getting enough consideration.

I truly believe that a local news organization cannot properly cover the community without the community's involvement.

They say it takes a community to raise a child—well, it also takes a community to raise a news site.