13 Ways to Contribute to Patch in the New Year

For more than a year Birmingham Patch has been a part of the community sharing local news, events and more across the city.

This site is meant to provide readers with news as well as a platform to share information with the community. There are many ways interact, such as commenting on articles, sharing photos and posting event information to Birmingham Patch. Here's how:

1. Comment on an Article

We subscribe to the idea that news is a conversation. Much of our reporting will emanate from what readers tell us in emails, comments on our site, Facebook and Twitter and in conversations around town. Share your thoughts and reactions to our articles by posting a comment directly below each story. 

2. Send a News Tip

At the bottom of the homepage, there's a link that says, "Send Us News Tips." Tell us about stories we should cover. Your tip will be sent straight to Laura Houser, Birmingham Patch's editor. You can also send an email to laura.houser@patch.com or call 248-534-9780. 

3. Contribute to the Neighborhood Gallery
We have a special photo gallery just to show off photos of Birmingham. . Just sign up for a Patch account, or sign in, and upload your photos here.

4. Post an Event

Do you know of a local book signing, a celebrity chef appearing at a Birmingham eatery or an art exhibit at a local coffee shop? Is there a garage sale or graduation ceremony coming up? If it's not on our Patch calendar, it should be. Feel free to add events to our site at birmingham.patch.com/events.

5. Post an Announcement

Post births, engagements and wedding announcements. Tell us who made the honor roll or share school awards, social notes and thank you shout outs. If you're looking for volunteers or searching for your lost dog, we welcome you to call on your community for help. Just remember, our Terms of Service say announcements should be for personal use and not for advertising.

6. Sign up for Newsletters

The daily Birmingham Patch newsletter brings you all articles and announcements that have been posted in the last 24 hours. It is delivered to your email every day after 6 a.m. You can also sign up for the weekly newsletter, which shows a subset of the content created and featured on our site over the last few days. It is delivered every Thursday at 10 a.m.

7. Talk to the Community on the Birmingham Patch Homepage
Readers can communicate to those who visit Birmingham Patch on the site without having to add a comment to an existing article. You can tell us what you have to say right now by using the comment box at the top of the Activity Stream on the homepage. Just write your message in the box labeled "What do you have to say?" and whatever you post will go directly into the stream, right on the homepage.

8. Upload Your Photos and Video to Articles

Upload videos of high school football touchdowns or your Birmingham youth athlete scoring the winning goal in a soccer game. Post photos from local festivals, or send in a snapshot of your best holiday recipes. We invite you to share with the rest of the community the memories you've caught on camera. You can add photos and videos to most any article, event or announcement!

9. Review Restaurants and Other Businesses

Do you want to be the first to tell your friends whether the new restaurant in town gets two thumbs-up? You can post a review of your favorite (or least favorite) restaurants at birmingham.patch.com/restaurants. Or, search to find what you're craving – you can filter results by cuisine, price or seating accommodations. Additionally, you can review any business in our directory to let the community know where you got a great haircut or top-notch service.

10. Social Media Engagement

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Immerse yourself in our content and actively contribute and engage via social media. Let's start a conversation together.

11. Volunteer
We have a fantastic array of information on volunteering in Birmingham. Just visit our Volunteer page at Birmingham Patch. Here you'll find information about Patch's volunteer efforts, our employee Give 5 volunteer days, posting information to find volunteers for your organization, finding information to become a volunteer, and links to articles about volunteers in the Birmingham community. We also donate ad space to local charities in the community — just contact us from the link on the volunteer page.

12. Claim Your Directory Listing

Our business and organization listings aren't skimpy. Our team of researchers actually hit the streets and visited businesses, schools, parks, libraries and more so we can provide photos as well as detailed information such as products sold and hours of operation. To contact us about the listing for your business or organization, email us at directorysupport@patch.com. If you own or manage a business or organization in our directory, claim it at birmingham.patch.com/places.

13. Advertise With Us or Post Your Own Classified
For all advertising queries, please send an email to our local Patch Ad Manager Catherine Grace at Catherine.Grace@patch.com. And if you've got an old couch or desk sitting in your basement you want to get rid of just post a classified ad.

The more Birmingham Patch serves as on online space for community dialogue, the more useful our site will be. So next time you have something to share with your neighbors, consider taking a moment to send a letter to Patch. Chances are, you're not the only who feels that way.