11 Ways You Can Participate on Lake Minnetonka Patch

We've built Patch so that you have plenty of opportunities to comment on stories, share your opinions, post photos and announcements and add events to the community calendar. We hope that our site will strengthen the community, but we can't do it without you.

Here’s how you can participate:

1. Comment on an Article: We subscribe to the idea that news is a conversation. Much of our reporting will emanate from what readers tell us in e-mails, comments on our sites and in conversations around town. Share your thoughts and reactions to our articles by posting a comment directly below each story. 
2. Post an Event: Do you know of a book signing at our local bookstore, a celebrity chef appearing at cooking store or an art exhibit at a local coffee shop? Is there a garage sale or graduation ceremony coming up? If it's not on our Patch calendar, it should be. Feel free to add events to our site at http://lakeminnetonka.patch.com/events/new. 
3. Send a News Tip: At the bottom of the homepage, there's a link that says, "Send Us News Tips." Tell us about stories we should cover. Your tip will be sent straight to Jay Corn, Lake Minnetonka Patch's (incredibly grateful) editor.
4. Post an Announcement: Post births, engagements and wedding announcements at http://hopkins.patch.com/announcements/new. Tell us who made the honor roll or share a school awards, social note, thank you or shout out. If you're looking for volunteers or searching for your lost dog, we welcome you to call on your community for help. Just remember, our Terms of Service say announcements should be for personal use and not for advertising. 
5. Sign Up for Newsletters: The daily Lake Minnetonka Patch newsletter brings you all articles and announcements that have been posted in the last 24 hours. It is delivered to your e-mail every morning. You can also sign up for the weekly newsletter, which shows a subset of the content created and featured on our site over the last few days. It is delivered every Thursday at 10 a.m. Click here to sign up for the newsletter.
6. Claim Your Directory Listing: Our business and organization listings aren't skimpy. Our team of researchers actually hit the streets and visited businesses, schools, parks, libraries and more so we can provide photos as well as detailed information such as products sold and hours of operation. To contact us about the listing for your business or organization, email us at directorysupport@patch.com. If you own or manage a business or organization in our directory, claim it at http://LakeMinnetonka.patch.com/search/listings.
7. Upload Your Photos and Videos: Upload videos of high school football touchdowns or your Little Leaguer's first home run. Post photos from local festivals, or send in a snapshot of your best holiday recipes. We invite you to share with the rest of the community the memories you've caught on camera. Photos can be uploaded right to an article page or shared on Hopkins Patch’s community gallery.
8. Advertise With Us: For all advertising inquiries, please send an e-mail to our Minnesota Patch Publisher Jon Thielen at jonathan.thielen@patch.com or call 612-516-7479.
9. Review Restaurants: Do you want to be the first to tell your friends whether the new restaurant in town gets a thumbs-up? You can post a review of your favorite (or not-so favorite) restaurants in our directory. Or, search to find what you're craving—you can filter results by cuisine, price or seating accommodations.
10. Social Media Engagement: You can "like" us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Immerse yourself in our content and actively contribute and engage via social media. Let's start a conversation.
11. Send a Letter to the Editor: Patch would like to invite every member of the Lake Minnetonka community to submit a letter to the editor. Express your thoughts or concerns about anything that might be stirring up conversation around town, and we'll post it. Just e-mail your letter to Editor James Warden at jay.corn@patch.com.

The more Lake Minnetonka Patch serves as on online space for community dialogue, the more useful our site will be. So next time you have something to share with your neighbors, consider taking a moment to jump on Hopkins Patch.

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