Read, Comment, Recommend Patch Posts

We hope you love our fresh look and have clicked through the site to discover the new bells and whistles.

Speaking of upgrades, here is a run-down of how to interact with our site:

Comments: Just like our former site, we love to see what you have to say! Be sure to log in to your account first. After you’ve logged in, write your comment in the text box below the article and select the ‘post comment’ button. To see what people are talking about, scroll to the bottom of the home page.

Recommend: Did you find an article or comment particularly striking? Point other readers to it by selecting the circular “Recommend” button. You'll find the most recent recommendations at the bottom of the home page.

Flagging: This is for something that doesn’t belong on Patch. You’ll see these words — Flag as Inappropriate — on the top and bottom of Board posts, articles, blogs and notes, and next to every single comment anywhere on the site. To flag something, you simply click those words.

What is it? Readers can flag any content they find objectionable on any Patch site at any time. We’ve put the flagging link in more places to make it easier to find and backed it with more sophisticated tools. Our goal is to recognize and reward readers who make our community great.

What happens when I flag? It alerts us that something might be up with the content. 

When should I flag? We ask that you use your common sense and a general spirit of openness. You should never flag things that you simply disagree with and certainly not to clarify minor points. We encourage you to comment, post (or even start your own blog) to be heard on those things. You can review the Patch Term of Service.

Why not just insist people use their real names? Great question. We are always evaluating our commenting policies. We require a valid, verified email to comment, offer an easy Facebook sign-in option and absolutely encourage people to use their real names. But, since we technically can’t check your ID at the door, we appeal to everyone’s civility to keep that balance between a wide-ranging, open and passionate conversation and basic neighborliness. 

I flagged something but it’s still there. What’s up? That can mean a few things. It can mean not everyone agrees the content is truly objectionable or our editors are reviewing it. If you have any concerns, email Community Editor jenny.manning@patch.com