5 Things All About Westport: Bloggers Wanted

1. Things change fast at a new site like Westport Patch. Up until now, we've primarily been a news operation, written by our staff and freelancers. But soon, very soon, we're hoping to add a new voice to the site: Yours.

We're introducing a new site section, for community blogs. And we want you to be a part of it. Got something to say about life in Westport or news to spread? Need a forum for your community group. Just eager to share your views? Then read on and see if a Westport Patch blog is right for you.

 2. We don't have a lot of hard requirements around what we're looking for in a blog outside of this: it's got to be interesting and relevant to Westporters. Maybe you're talking about our local politics. Maybe you're spreading news about community projects. Maybe you're the local authority on a given topic, with the bona fides to back it up. All of those sound great. If Westporters feel more plugged into their community after reading it, you've hit the nail on the head.

3. What kind of blogs are we looking for? Well, just about anything, if there's a local hook. Got perspective on how the community's changed over the years? Want a place to showcase your cool photos from around town? Need a de-facto online newsletter for your community group? All of those sound like contenders to us.

4.  Opinions are awesome, particularly well-thought-out ones, backed up with facts. But personal insults, unfounded claims and defamation aren't what we're looking for. When opinions get strong and contentious, it's not always clear where the fine lines are drawn, but we're more than happy to help guide you through those murky waters. And as long as your intention is to keep things above-board, we're happy to have you on the site.

5. Sorry, you might get fame, but no fortune from your Westport Patch blog. So here's the deal: We get the privilege of hosting your valuable views. You get to put them on a site that's increasingly serving as a community hub, where more and more people will have the opportunity to discover them all the time. And since we're part of the Huffington Post Media Group, we may occasionally be able to put your submission in front of a huge audience. You can write as often (or as infrequently) as you'd like, though we'd love it if you’d come back again and again.

Finally, you'll have a lot of freedom with your blog. We see our coming blogs as a bit different than our staff- and freelancer-produced content—which is to say, we don't expect to do a lot of heavy editing. We'll be keeping an eye out for anything inappropriate, and trying to cultivate an atmosphere that's constructive, with a lot of diverse views aired in useful ways—but we're not planning to do a lot of line-by-line tweaking of your material. If we've got a serious concern with a submission, we'll let you know—but other than that, it's your words coming through, not ours.

If that sounds good to you, e-mail the editor at anthony.karge@patch.com. If you've got a sample of the type of writing you'd like to do, send it along as well.