Let Us Be Your Megaphone

This was kind of a big deal. Well, at least to me.

Hopatcong Patch turned a month old last Monday, inciting a celebration so wild, so obnoxious that … OK. It really wasn't any of that. But there was my yellow Labrador, a bowl of soggy Corn Flakes and your cheery editor, and you know he was fist pumping around his house like Kirk Gibson in the 1988 World Series.

After the commotion, I savored the occasion for a few more seconds, during which I realized we ain't done nothin' yet. Yes, we've brought you the never-ending school usage-fee saga. Yes, we've brought you news from this club and that club and such. We've even hit you with breaking news.

But something has been missing, and it's you. Patch sees itself not just as hyper-local news organization, but also as an extension of the Hopatcong community. And that's not just because I grew up here.

We have features on the site just aching for your involvement. These added departments could help you reach your neighbors, your council members, your school administrators. They even provide an outlet reaching far beyond Hopatcong and into cyberspace.

So I'm going to give you a quick rundown of our most useful features. Use these and your voice will be louder than any flier you could post on the Quick Check bulletin board.

Events

Here's where you could really make an impact. Do you belong to any town organization, club or church? Will you hold a garage sale on the Sept. 11-12 weekend, when everyone and their mothers will be selling knick-knacks on their front lawn? After signing up on the website, you can click on our events tab and show everyone what you're doing and why they should show up. It's particularly useful for local fundraising efforts.

Directory

If you own a local business, or if you want to impress your boss, you could spread the word by updating your directory listing. Chances are our crack staff of community listing collectors already has your shop listed in our directory. But it could only help to update the information from time to time. It could only help to show the borough what you've got to offer.

Volunteer

Attention fire department, ambulance squad and anybody else around looking for someone to help: Use our volunteers tab to post your plea for manpower, donations or any type of aid. We know two of Hopatcong's three emergency departments—save for the police—need as much help as they can get. Why not throw a few words together, appealing to the concerned community for support? This could be especially helpful if you're organizing a one-day only occasion and would like some people to sacrifice their time for a good cause.