Blogging Begins, But Many More Voices Are Welcome

Regular readers will notice a change in the configuration of the Wauwatosa Patch home page today. We've made room for our first Local Voices bloggers.

A single mother of an adopted foster child. The founder of an interpretive trail that leads to meadows teeming with monarch butterflies. Local politicos and some of their critics.

These are among the first few offerings, with more to come by the hour. Expect the first posting from Wauwatosa Crime Stoppers later today in a blog that will raise awareness of community policing efforts.

You'll notice that not every blog is the sole property of an individual. Crime Stoppers and The Monarch Trail, for starters, are "organizational" blogs that may feature different authors writing from time to time around a central theme.

These will be more informational than opinionated, and they are a great way to get out a message about a good cause. Since no newspaper can cover every item of interest in its community, starting a blog based on your group's activities helps you get the word out and helps Patch fill in a more comprehensive report.

More individual voices will be coming, too, day by day. We've lined up a spokesman for the Old Hillcrest neighborhood and a writer with some interesting ideas about the way money flows through a local economy. And, yes, we have a couple of community members sharpening their pens to take on politics.

But we want more, and we hope that seeing others raise their banners on the pages of Patch might prompt you or your community organization to join in the conversation.

It's easy enough to do. Our first couple of bloggers were posting within hours of the first mention of the idea. Just send e-mail at james.price@patch.com or give me a call at 414-218-2779, and I will tell you how to get started.