It's Simple to Promote Your Cause by Uploading to Novato Patch

I've told all sorts of service organizations, nonprofits, schools and churches that Novato Patch wants to be involved in promoting great causes. The best way to do that is to get you involved in publicizing your cause. This site is way more interactive than you think!

Using the tools on Novato Patch sort of like a Facebook page or an e-mail blast is a key part of what differentiates this site from other local media. You don't have to e-mail a press release to the editor and hope he has time to deal with it; you can upload the release yourself and immediately reach thousands of potential readers.

I'd be glad to walk you through the process of adding an event or announcement on Novato Patch. That way you don't need to wait for me or anybody else to get the word out about some important news for your organization.

It starts by logging into the site. To do that, go to novato.patch.com and look for the button near the upper right corner that says "log in." You create a name and a password there. People serving as a PR person for an organization can create a generic login profile by using the name or your organization that multiple people can use in a pinch.

Once you're signed on, go to the bottom of any Novato Patch page to the "contribute" button. If you want to promote a coming event, you click on "put an event on the calendar." If you want to tell people about something that just happened, click on "announce something to everyone."

From there, you just follow the steps. After you've handled the text portion of the event or announcement, uploading a digital photo, logo, PDF file or video is doing by clicking on "choose files to upload." It's always best to make sure you have a catchy visual element to attract attention, so get that photo or flier ready before you start the upload process.

Give it one more look, catch any typos, and hit "save" on the bottom. It goes to the site instantly. There's no filter.

But how does Patch know that all the items uploaded from the public are legit? Well, the honor system works pretty darn well. We trust you. And if somebody uploads anything of questionable character or accuracy, it can be deleted immediately and the offending party can be blocked from uploading anything else. In fact, there are quite a few spies out there who keep an eye on things and notify the site's editor of abuse.

If you upload a promotional piece, your notice will not automatically appear on the front page of Novato Patch; that's reserved for news articles and the events of that day. But your notice will be searchable either by entering words in the search field or by browsing through the announcements or events. If you are promoting an event, your item will be seen on the front page of Novato Patch on the day of the event, rotating with other events that have been added by the public.

If what you're posting is truly huge news for your group — the biggest event of the year or a major announcement that affects hundreds or thousands of people — the please let me know ahead of time and I can consider a news story on it that would get a higher profile.

So try adding your own event or announcement with those directions. Take advantage of this electronic community bulletin board. You'll start hearing "I saw it on Novato Patch."

— Brent Ainsworth, brent.ainsworth@patch.com