Editor's Notebook: Patch as a Community

What do you get when you put almost 500 journalists in the room together? A lot of questions – and surprisingly, some answers. 

Journalists are naturally inquisitive, talkative and skeptical. It's a fact in the professional journalism community, it's something I learned in J-school and something I continue to learn every day I interact with my co-workers in my job as your Local Editor. 

At a conference in New York City, Patch editors from throughout East Coast got together to talk, question and try to figure out the best way to enhance the site for you – the readers. 

I realized during these talks and sessions that Patch is so much more than Commack's individual site. Living here and covering this community, I've experienced so many things and learned what great people call this place home, but I've also forgotten that many of you probably commute out of Commack. You also need to be served; you're the readers that would probably enjoy content from Huntington, Dix Hills, Smithtown and Northport. 

User engagement from these readers is what all editors are currently evaluating as a part of their growth process in their own Patch. We've realized that we need to look at our communities as a whole, instead of just individual Patch towns.

That being said, what new features would you like to see? We're considering fresh possibilities each and every day and would love your input.

If you have a suggestion on how to make the site better, are an expert in your field or just want to sit and have a conversation with us, e-mail victoria@patch.com.