10 Ways to Make Upper Southampton Patch Part of Your 2013

Want a New Year's resolution that will be easy to keep? Resolve to participate more on Upper Southampton Patch.

Upper Southampton Patch tries to keep you in the loop on local news, events and more. In 2013, you'll see and hear even more from us as we work to make our site even more engaging and interactive for users.

The opportunities to comment on stories, share opinions, post photos and announcements and add events to the community calendar are still available, and through the use of these and other features we hope our site will strengthen this community.

With that being said, here are 10 ways you can use Upper Southampton Patch now and in 2013:

1. Comment on an article or review a business.

Providing accurate, timely news about the community is on of our priorities here at Patch, but without your input, that news may as well be nonexistent.

We believe news is a conversation. Much of our reporting comes from what readers tell us in emails, comments on our sites and in conversations around town.

Share your thoughts and reactions to our articles by posting a comment directly below each story. Don't be shy about sharing your thoughts; we want to hear them. Love a restaurant? Hate a local retailer's service? You can review businesses listed in our directory, too.

2. Start a blog

Build a blog section and they will come. Talking fashion, law, cooking, politics and even motherhood, bloggers in our Local Voices section offer experience, opinion and expertise on a variety of topics. But there's always room for more in this conversation. Once you get started as a Patch blogger, you can post as little or as much as you want and you get the benefit of our editing for style and grammar. If you're interested, go to Blog on Patch.

3. Send a News Tip

At the bottom of the homepage, under "Contribute," there's a link that says, "Send us news tips." Tell us about stories we should cover. Your tip will be sent straight to Upper Southampton Patch's editor.

4. Post an Event

Do you know of a pick-up basketball game at the park, a school play at Klinger Middle School or a yard sale in the neighborhood? Is there an open house or graduation ceremony coming up? If it's not on our Patch calendar, it should be. Feel free to add these kinds of things to our events calendar.

5. Post an Announcement

Post births, engagements and wedding announcements. Tell us who made the honor roll or share school awards, social notes and thank you shout outs. If you're looking for volunteers or searching for your lost dog, we welcome you to call on your community for help. Just remember, our Terms of Use say announcements should be for personal use and not for advertising. Post your announcements here. (Add photos and your announcement might be featured on the homepage!) 

6. Sign Up for Newsletters

The daily Upper Southampton Patch newsletter brings you the five latest articles, the most recent announcements and opinions posted in the last 24 hours and a listing of that day's upcoming events. It is delivered to your email every day after 6:30 a.m. You can also sign up for a weekly newsletter and breaking news alerts. To sign up, click here and enter your e-mail address.

7. Claim Your Directory Listing

Our business and organization listings aren't skimpy. Our editors and team of researchers scoured the streets to include as many local businesses, schools, parks, libraries and more as possible. If your business is missing, contact us by e-mail us at directorysupport@patch.com. If you own or manage a business or organization in our directory, claim it here. Once you claim your listing, you can add photos, change hours of operation and more.

8. Upload Your Photos and Video

Upload videos of a Southampton Knights touchdown or your kid's first line in a school play. Post photos from local events, or send in a snapshot of your favorite recipes. We invite you to share the memories that you've caught on camera with the rest of the community. To do this, upload the photo or video directly to our Pics & Clips Gallery.

9. Facebook, Twitter and Apps

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for even more Patch news. Immerse yourself in our content and actively contribute and engage via social media. Our apps for iPhone and Android allow you to take Patch with you wherever you go.

10. Send a Letter to the Editor

Patch would like to extend an invitation to every member of the Southampton community to submit a letter to the editor. Express your thoughts or concerns about anything that might be stirring up conversation around town, and we'll post it. Make sure it's not longer than 300 words and send it to uppersouthampton@patch.com, and the editor will get it.