what's up w/ Patch.com

[Hank_Scorpio]

Seems like you'd want ANYONE who could write well to help build the brand.

Going from sports to news is quite easy. I mean, you are gathering facts, interviewing sources in sports, just like you would on a news beat.

 

[wicked]

Seems like you'd want ANYONE who could write well to help build the brand.

Running a Patch site is about a lot more than writing -- in our sites here, I see some of the editors who are good writers but who clearly can't copy edit, nor manage story flow (feast or famine in terms of new content), nor time manage. That's not a slam. It's not an easy thing to master.

 

[sgreenwell]

Seems like you'd want ANYONE who could write well to help build the brand.

Going from sports to news is quite easy. I mean, you are gathering facts, interviewing sources in sports, just like you would on a news beat.

There isn't a ton of experienced sports guy in RI just hanging out right now either though. I can think of three, and two are looking for full-time teaching gigs now, and the other already does some stuff for one of our sites. The weeklies in our area are mostly in the same boat, as they rely on a couple college kids.

 

[Stitch]

Seems like you'd want ANYONE who could write well to help build the brand.

Going from sports to news is quite easy. I mean, you are gathering facts, interviewing sources in sports, just like you would on a news beat.

There isn't a ton of experienced sports guy in RI just hanging out right now either though. I can think of three, and two are looking for full-time teaching gigs now, and the other already does some stuff for one of our sites. The weeklies in our area are mostly in the same boat, as they rely on a couple college kids.

Patch isn't looking for a typical news reporter either. Some regional editors are heavy into crowdsourcing via Twitter and Facebook. It's a hit-and-miss when seeing if local Patch editors are actually doing this.

 

[Boom_70]

The demographics in urban areas, specifically Springfield, aren't necessarily what Patch wants. They only have sites in a handful of Boston neighborhoods, ones with very high household incomes.

They seem to be targeting suburbia -- and, based on what I'm seeing, pink-collar suburbia.

Sounds like Patch is redlining. The digital divide is alive and well.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Ok, so we know what's up with Patch.com.

Do we know what's up with Patches.com?

 

[NickMordo]

I'm actually doing a sports freelance piece for a local Patch on an aspiring Olympian. Good experience and money in my pocket. Wonder how the Huff Post purchase will affect Patch...hmm...

 

[rpmmutant]

I've been told that the Patch freelance budgets, at least in my area, have been cut severely. That should be a good indication of how the Huff Post purchase is going to affect Patch.

 

[Miz09]

I've been told that the Patch freelance budgets, at least in my area, have been cut severely. That should be a good indication of how the Huff Post purchase is going to affect Patch.

They cut the budget in my area and the editor told me they might cut it further. Not sure if it's related to Huffington though.