Ten Ways to Get the Most Out of Scotch Plains-Fanwood Patch

Scotch Plains Patch was one of the first several patches ever! But some people are just catching on. If you've been with us from the start, thank you. If you're new, welcome! To those newbies, here are a few things about Westfield Patch you'll want to keep in mind.

1. Ask a Question: So maybe you want to know when that pothole is going to get fixed, or maybe you're curious about when a restaurant is opening (or, why your favorite restaurant just closed). You are always welcome to give us a call or send an email. The number is 732-742-0398, and the email is nicole.bitette@patch.com
2. Contribute Your Pics & Clips: Since Westfield Patch is just as much your site as it is ours, we want you to directly contribute as often as possible. This is just one way to do that. Upload your awesome shots to the site. It's easy!
    
3. Post an Announcement: Births, engagements and wedding announcements? We know you want to share them with the world. Tell us who made the honor roll or share school awards, social notes and thank you shout outs. If you're looking for volunteers or searching for your lost dog, we welcome you to call on your community for help.
4. Post an Event: Do you know of a great program coming up at the Scotch Plains Public Library, a celebrity appearing at a local business or a free event organized in the neighborhood? Is there a garage sale coming up? An open house? If it's not on our Patch calendar, it should be. Feel free to add events to our site here.
    
5. 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 Nicole Bitette, Scotch Plains' editor.
6. 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 emails, 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. Keep in mind, though, commenting is not a free-for-all. While we try to keep it as open as possible, if you're rude, vulgar, making accusations that cannot be backed up with facts or just otherwise not aboveboard, your comment will be deleted. Keep it clean, people!
7. Share Your Voice: Got something to say about life in Scotch Plains or Fanwood or news to spread? Need a forum for your community group? Just eager to share your views? Click here to learn how to become a Scotch Plains Patch blogger.
    
8. Claim Your Listing: This one is business-specific. Hey, Scotch Plains and Fanwood businesses, did you know you're already listed in our comprehensive directory? If you "claim" your listing, you will have access to the listing and be able to modify it as needed for things like hours of operation, goods sold and more. Click here to learn how.
9. Subscribe! Do you want to know what's going on in Scotch Plains or Fanwood quickly, sometimes as soon as it's posted? Then subscribe to our newsletters. You will get an email every morning choc-o-bloc with what we posted from the day before. And, if that was not enough, you will receive "breaking news" alerts on what's happening right now. It's easy! Just go to this linkhttp://scotchplains.patch.com/newsletters, add your email address and you're all set!
10. Advertise: Ok, this one's not free like all the others, but still, it's a great way to let your neighbors know about your business, school, team or your campaign. Contact Scotch Plains and Fanwood rep Lorin Kleiner at lorin.kleiner@patch.com to learn more.