“As busy as I claim to be, I’ve still got the greatest job in the world.” ~Peter Criss
So, I’m back for an update. Let’s start with WM news, shall we?
The WM Network
Last week, I mentioned that The WM Network is in transition. This week, I can share a bit more about our evolution–but not everything, just yet. So here’s what I’ve got:
- We’ve been working on developing a couple of new sites and there will be some changes with some of our existing sites.
- We are forming an LLC and have revamped our concept.
- We’re expanding our services and offerings, and we’re really excited about it.
- We are also bringing some of our individual blogs and websites into the WM fold, and we’re adding in some new talent.
- We’re also working on some new ways to compensate and encourage our bloggers, among other soon-to-be-announced developments.
We’ve got many exciting changes coming in the next few months, and we can’t wait to share them with our readers and our fellow writers. Stay tuned for more updates.
Scrubs & Suits
Scrubs & Suits is also preparing for a big transition, and we are excited to have recently brought Linda Bryant on board as our Director of Business Development. She’s already off and running in her new position and we are so thrilled to have her. I am also happy to say that I’m the one who found her. 🙂
Patch
Things at Patch are going great. I’m still so excited to be a part of the team, and still loving everyone I work with. Though the recent announcement that editor-in-chief Brian Farnham has resigned is a bit of a shock, and though some are predicting gloom and doom, I’m remaining positive.
That’s because I believe Patch fills a need in the community. I’ll admit that some of our fellow journalists take issue with the whole Patch concept, but in the communities, people are happy to have hyper-local news. While all of this happened before it was ever launched, some people seem to think Patch had something to do with these developments. I don’t believe this is true–I believe it was developed as a solution for this issue.
Many community papers have gone defunct thanks to easier, faster (and free) access to internet news–and in those communities, neighborhood news has often gone by the wayside in favor of more regional news.
So, unless the news was really BIG, it wasn’t likely to hit the local news–so you couldn’t see your kids’ scout group in the regional news when they did a small service project, and you weren’t likely to hear much about your local elementary school or church events or even your neighborhood politics, among other hyper-local topics you might want to hear about or share with others.
When it launched, Patch changed all that for many communities. It brings people together and gives them a chance to “get to know their neighbors” a little better. What’s so wrong with that?
I’m out there talking to people in the community about Patch on a pretty regular basis. I find that they are happy to have Patch in the community. They are excited and proud when they’re featured, and they keep up with their neighborhood news through Patch sites. There’s no other organization dedicated to ONLY hyper-local news for individual communities in this area. And as I mentioned, nearly everyone I’ve spoken with in the community feels very positively about Patch and what it offers.
That’s all I’ve got to say about that. 🙂 And, for the record, everything I write or insinuate on this site is solely my opinion and is not influenced or otherwise affected by any individual or organization.
In other Patch news, our greater St. Louis area regional editor, Kurt Greenbaum, is on his way to becoming a local celebrity. He and the St. Louis-area Patch sites are teaming up with the local Fox station’s news team. As I understand it, some of Patch’s stories will begin running on the Fox2Now website, and Kurt will appear on the local morning show each week. You can get more details on the story from Kurt’s recent writeup at Hazelwood Patch.
Also: New York Yankees star Mark Teixeira has been named “Commissioner of Patch Baseball.”
Read Some of My Stuff
Here’s a little cross-section of some of the things I’ve written since the last update.
- Facebook Acquires Instagram
- Storified Resources for Writers: April 1, 2012 (Storify)
- Make More Money Freelancing: Writing-Related Services
- How to Integrate Marketing Into Social Media (Without Looking Like a Huge Jerk)
- Charter’s ‘All In’: Stepping Up Customer Service With a New Customer Satisfaction Guarantee
- Charter’s Customer Service: What Customers Have to Say
- Starting a Small Business in Florissant: Finding a Location
- Florissant Firefighters Issue Warning in Response to Local Couple’s Death
- 50 Best Buy Big Box Stores on the Chopping Block for FY 2013
- Artist’s Work Selected for Midwest Art Exhibition
- What Made You Happy Today?
That’s it for me this week. What have you been working on? Tell me in the comments section, below.
Related articles
- News and Updates, Secrets and Teasers (angelaatkinson.com)
- Patch Teams with FOX 2-KTVI for St. Louis News Coverage (hazelwood.patch.com)
- Do You Use Storify? (wmfreelancewritersconnection.com)
- Meet Patch’s ‘Commissioner of Baseball’ – Yankees’ Mark Teixeira (hazelwood.patch.com)
