Needham Patch Featuring New Widgets, Other Changes

Want headlines from Needham Patch delivered directly to your blog or Web site? Now you can.

Through a new feature on the site, you can stream all Needham news — or just certain categories — directly there for you and your visitors.

The new feature is one of several changes made to the Needham Patch site this past week that also includes free classified ads and a news feed from nearby Patch sites.

With a new widget feature, you can create a box that's easily insertable into blogs and web pages.

It's also customizable by topic, so if you just want sports, you can limit to sports or if you just want police and fire news, you get police and fire news. Just scroll down to the bottom of the main page and click on "Widgets" to find the directions of how to insert the news feed. Or click here.

And for those who might still might be wondering: What is a widget (Also, called "gadgets" in Blogger)? Not far from its mechanical origins, here's how our experts explain it:

"A widget is a self-contained piece of HTML code that you can embed into your site to add a cool new feature. All you have to do is paste the code into your website. Patch's first widget offering is a News feed, but there are all sorts of widgets out there, including clock widgets, countdown widgets, and lots of other fun features."

Why would you want one? Again, the experts:

"Depending on what it does, a widget can add awesome functionality or content to your site, with you barely lifting a finger to get it. For example, our first Patch widget is a cool local news feed. So if you have a local business, government or school Web site, or maybe a local blog, the Patch News Widget can be an easy source of awesome local content for your site!"

Other Changes: In addition to widgets, the site also is featuring news feeds from four nearby sites, including Dedham Patch, Wellesley Patch, Newton Patch and West Roxbury Patch. Check them out and keep up with local news in those nearby communities.

And, do you need a classified ad? We've had them on the site from the start, but this past week we've made them completely free. To place a classified, click on the "Marketplace" tab at the top of the site or here.