Problems at Patch.com

What does this mean in real language? Does anyone believe a regular reader understands this crap?

"Patch will provide an unprecedented infrastructure for citizen engagement in time for the 2012 presidential election, with a focus on community and local solutions."

 

A lot of newspapers are trying the local voices approach and it's not working. Too many opinions based on ignorance and not enough meat.

 

Our local patch just had a nice slice of "small town life". They printed the name of "pillar of community" that got arrested in police hooker sting. the local weekly would have never printed a name.

 

I think that translates to "PLEASE START BLOGS ON OUR SITE AND POST COMMENTS ON OUR STORIES PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE." But I'm trying to blink away the haunting image of her mugshot first.



Yar, that'll be replacing the whale in my nightmares!

 

Man, that made MacGregor's piece on the Cage at W. 4th Street seem positively reader friendly.

What a bunch of crap.

 

We keep an eye on our local Patch competition, but it's hard for us to make any sense of what they are trying to accomplish over there.

Sometimes, they chase breaking news. Other times, they don't. Sometimes, they cover meetings. The next week, they won't be there.

I give up.

 

Citizen journalism is like blogs. 100 people say they will write one article a week but only one person does it and another person writes one per month and then wants to get paid.

 

The more I read about her plan, the more unintelligible and unworkable it seems, and the more I think the main source of HuffPo's valuation and funding (and the AOL/Patch deal) has been getting in a room with a bunch of older, distinguished, ego-driven men and using that voice to charm them into thinking "I would so love to hit that." In this light, her lead paragraph mentioning sex is no accident.

Full disclosure: I would so love to hit that.

 

To be fair, I think Patch is still figuring out what it wants to accomplish next, too, or at least how it wants to accomplish it. Adding the blogs is just the latest change, though I think we all saw that one coming once Huffington was brought in.

I'm not saying that is a good or bad thing. Could be interpreted either way, but it can definitely cause some confusion.

 

I mentioned above that our local Patch ran the name of a pillar of community that picked up in police hooker sting.

The comments sections of story now reads like a good old fashion SJ row.

Patch better start using moderators.

http://newcanaan.patch.com/articles/new-canaan-resident-arrested-for-patronizing-prostitute-in-greenwich#comments

Thank goodness the police have gotten these horrible criminals off the streets! They are much, much worse than the thieves on Wall Street that are stealing the American taxpayers blind and making millions and millions in the process. Our children are much safer now!

11:37am on Thursday, May 5, 2011

New Canaan house wives are totally clueless there are many men seeing high priced escorts in NYC regularly. As a 40 something man in New Canaan I am no longer shocked to hear from other married men quite openly about the lack of attention at home and the fulfillment they get elsewhere.

Lucy Ann Douglas
2:19pm on Thursday, May 5, 2011

Right, blame the wives, everything is always their fault.

MPM
6:32pm on Thursday, May 5, 2011

I was thinking maybe those men might get some more attention if they by passed the bar car on the train home.
Walter E Knight
3:06pm on Thursday, May 5, 2011

Men like "action". Deal with it. It's how we are wired.

"The majority of women in New Canaan, Greenwich and Darien are clones. I meet very few unique, non conformist women in either town as a female personal trainer. I hear every day how bored they are; how about volunteering to help those in need? Sad that the press needs to publish the name of this guy or any other person arrested for a non felony it is a private matter."

 

What clueless posters. Housewives, bypassed, nonconformist and nonfelony as two words? And big-time need for some commas.

 

If any of you work for the company -- I believe sgreenwell (?) does -- what are Patch's hiring tendencies?

Do they skew younger and bring in cheap(er) people fresh out of college? Or do would they opt for someone with more experience if given the choice between A and B?

Just curious. I hit all the requirements needed to be Patch local editor -- I ran a section solo in the past, I've been the head sports photog, I'm proficient in design, I'm familiar with social networking, etc. -- yet I've never even received a call back, despite numerous Patch openings in the area.