Forest Park Patch is Here!

Hello, Forest Park.

We’re Patch. We’ve already been jamming for a couple of years over in Oak Park and River Forest, and today we’re proud to announce the launch of Forest Park Patch.

You may have heard a little bit about us already. (The good things? All true. The bad things? Lies! All lies!) And one of the main things we want you to know is that Patch is your site. It’s here for you to use.

Patch is a community platform open to all Forest Park residents, merchants and anyone else lucky enough to enjoy the village’s “big city access and small town charm.”

So go ahead, make it your own. Here’s a look at some ways to make that happen:

Connect With Neighbors

One of the most powerful things about the Web is the way it can connect groups of people. Take that concept to the local level and great things can happen. Everyone is welcome here—PTOs, politicians, nonprofit leaders, foodies, news junkies, librarians, neighborhood groups, you name it.

Got something to say? Start a blog. Have a press release? Post an announcement. Throwing a block party or bake sale? Contribute your group's events to the calendar. It’s easy. No item is too small.

Questions on getting started? Email forestpark@patch.com and we’ll give you a hand. It’s what we do.

Accelerate Your Business

Have you ever searched for a local service online and waded through all sorts of weird results? Typically, those listings pages are generated automatically and contain all sorts of bad information.

That won't happen here. Right now, we’re building an extensive directory of business listings, created and maintained by real people. But that's just the start.

Local business owners can claim their Patch listings, free and easy. Claimed listings allow owners to add and update their photos, website information, hours of operation, contact information and more. That's all free, but there are paid options, too. For more on listings claims, Oh, and if you see something that's off in your listing, please let us know and we'll fix it.

And if you're a local business owner-slash-expert in your field, why not start a blog and share your expertise?

Get Social

We're all about social. We hope to make our Facebook Page a daily community conversation. We invite you to become our fan. We won't overwhelm you with headlines, but we will tell you what you need to know, share what others are saying and doing, and we promise not to take ourselves too seriously.

Take Patch With You

We have iPhone, iPad and Android apps, which include mobile versions of news stories, events calendar and business directory—awesome for your Blue Line commute. There's even a local weather forecast.

Another great way to get Patch is through our newsletters, with daily and weekly delivery options. And signing up for Breaking News alerts is always a good idea.

Feeback

We love feedback. In many ways, we're a local startup and we're learning as we go. That's driven by you. Please tell us what you like and don't like. Why? Your voice deserves to be added to the marketplace of local ideas. And we expect to hear from you.

In short, we're really, really excited be here. Stay tuned for details on our upcoming launch party. Again, if you have any questions at all, just email us forestpark@patch.com and we'll get back to you. Meanwhile, we'll see you on the Street of Dreams.