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- Local every day in
Frogman
7:33 am on Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Stories such as this suggest that Patch is struggling to stay relevant.
James Myers
10:53 am on Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Frogman, I'm a little unclear on your logic here. We get these alerts about product recalls and we pass them on to our readers. How is that a struggle to remain relevant? I consider it a public service.
Tim Andrews
11:13 am on Tuesday, July 3, 2012
James, because everything is state and national news that is regurgitated across all of the sites, and has nothing to do with the local community. It is not the same Patch as it was last year, or even six months ago. None of the editors cover municipal meetings anymore and do not hear the voice of the community. That is what Frogman is trying to say, if you are unclear.
Peter
12:10 pm on Tuesday, July 3, 2012
I have to agree with Tim on this one. I started reading Patch because it was the only place I could find really local news and information. There is still some of that, but now there are a lot more state and national stories I could get anywhere else. There are also more polls, blogs (some of these are just thinly veiled ads) and "vote for the best" stories. All these require very little work from the editors because the comments become the story, or in the case of the blogs, someone else is writing the story.
You need to go back to covering the news you can't find anywhere else.
Len Faulkner Jr
12:03 pm on Tuesday, July 3, 2012
I have to agree with Tim and Frogman on this...
There does seem to be alot of "Filler" and getting away from the PATCH theme being: "What We Cover
Comprehensive and trusted local coverage of Limerick, Royersford and Spring City, PA. Featuring news and events, business listings, discussions, announcements, photos and videos. It may be due to the recent loss of Kevin (the former editor). I hope that a new (replacement) is found soon that can get things back on track and focused on our little area. Let the national news explore the other issues. We can all get that stuff from other well know sources. I think time will tell and I am glad someone actually mentioned what has become pretty obvious.
James Myers
1:38 pm on Tuesday, July 3, 2012
I hear what you guys are saying and it's true we've been touching on more national and state issues lately, but that's because there are some pretty important things happening at those levels that impact everyone – even on a local level. It doesn't mean we've abandoned our local focus, it just means we're expanding to be relevant to more people. We share those stories that are relevant to that larger audience.
As for the increased polls, blogs and comment-generating stories, it's because we're trying to be more than just a source for your local news. We want Patch to be a place for the community to not only get news, but to be able to discuss and debate the issues that the news brings up for everyone. This debate we're having now is a perfect example of that. We want to hear from you and what you're looking for on your Patch. I can't speak for all other Patch editors, but here at Norristown Patch, you get plenty of coverage of local issues. We don't run out of news here in Norristown. :)
In any case, anytime you have a suggestion for something you'd like Patch to be doing, I suggest you send it to your Patch's editor. We can't be everywhere at once, but we do our best to get our users the information they need.
Tim Andrews
2:06 pm on Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Great corporate copy and paste answer. The polls, blogs and comment-generating stories are all about AOL's bottomline and ignores the people who came to Patch in the first place. I don't go to Limerick Patch to read about Lansdale's opposition to a Turnpike exit being renamed, I go to read about the Royersford Council meeting and Spring-Ford School Board meeting. That has all stopped, which is not just limited to Limerick Patch. Look at Phoenixville Patch, Perkiomen Valley Patch, ect. No meeting, community, ect. coverage. Just a standard, cookie cutter approach. Patch was the showing the newspapers in the area how to do journalism, now it is just following what they do.
Tom Bartman
10:49 pm on Tuesday, July 3, 2012
I see your point. When I was asked to be a contributor, I was told Patch is a "hyper local" source of news. That term stuck with me. At the same time however, the recalled light is something that can be bought at Lowe's or Home Depot which makes it a local story in a way. And to be honest, the first I heard about this recall was here.
James Myers
11:03 pm on Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Tim, that honestly wasn't a corporate response. It was all me. I'm pretty involved in what's going on in my community in Norristown, but I'm starting to get that you're talking about specific Patch sites that are currently missing editors.
We've been working to staff those sites with the right candidates, but it takes time to find the right person for this job. We'd rather make the right hire instead of the quick hire. We want someone who can serve your needs (with just those things you've been talking about) the way a Patch editor is meant to.
I'm sorry those sites haven't been up to snuff for you lately, but I hope you'll keep with us and see how things go when we get a new person in place. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. In the meantime, please keep letting us all know how we can be doing better. We really do listen.
And Tom, thanks. That's exactly why we post these things. My rule of thumb for my site is "Would someone in my town care about this information?"