Most everyone is familiar with their local newspapers and the Letters to the Editor sections.
But are you familiar with your local online newspapers?
I wanted to bring to your attention the growing online community newspaper called
http://www.patch.com
(Full Disclosure, I do not work for, nor am affiliated with, nor do I get any kickbacks for plugging this website. I simply am passing on information that this site can be used as a political messaging tool. )
Patch.com is a community based online newspaper with presence in around 24 states.
My community is covered by a Patch site.
So why should you care?
If you blog with Daily Kos, you are blogging to the choir with other like minded people.
The challenge is how do you translate your writing ability and views to the masses without the millions of dollars?
Patch offers opportunities for blogging.
Also, you may write letters to the editor and make comments.
You may use an alias.
Here is a neat story:
Someone I know spotted the deadline for submission for political letters to the editor.
40 hours prior to the election they submitted the pro candidate email to their local Patch. Not only was the letter published, but the pro candidate headline appeared as THE lead headline in the 24 hours prior to election day. The Republican candidate campaign was unaware of this website completely.
I believe that my local Patch site gets at least a couple hundred hits per day.
The Democratic candidate supported in by the letter to the editor won the election by less than 200 votes in what was rated as a Republican District after redistricting.
I believe wholeheartedly that at least 200 people in a district of 50,000 people were swayed by the headline and the letter on the Patch site.
So, take a quick gander at this site. We complain that the locals never here the real stories behind their politicians due to the corporate media controlling the message.
Here is an opportunity to help distribute the message to the "unwashed".
Use this tool to your advantage.
If you have any Patch or similar online newspapers you have written for, please pass those on.