Holy cow! Sewickley Patch has arrived and is in session -- and we want to get to know you.

We may be the new kid on the block, but we're hoping to make new friends quickly and we'd love to hear from you. Please get to know us a little better by discovering how to use the Patch website.

Here's the skinny:  We built Patch to give you plenty of opportunities to comment on stories, share your opinions, post photos and announcements, and add events to the community calendar. We hope that by getting to know us, you will have a better connection to your community.

So let's get started!

1. Comment on an Article

To us, 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. Ask a Question

Maybe you want to know about plans for Route 65 construction, or perhaps you're a local expert on brewing beer and are dying for someone to ask you for your latest recipe. Patch's Q&A section is the place for you to ask your questions and show off your expertise, all while connecting with your neighbors. Visit http://sewickley.patch.com/questions and ask a question, or answer someone's question.  

3. Post an Event

Do you know of a book signing at our local bookstore or a band playing at the 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://sewickley.patch.com/events/new.

4. 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 Larissa Dudkiewicz, your (incredibly grateful) editor.

5. Post an Announcement

Post births, engagements and wedding announcements. 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 encourage you to call on your community for help. Just remember, our Terms of Service state that announcements should be for personal use and not for advertising.

6. Sign Up for Newsletters

The daily Sewickley Patch newsletter brings you all articles and announcements that have been posted in the last 24 hours. It is delivered to your e-mail address every day at 6 a.m. 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. Look for the Follow Us and Newsletter links in the right column of this and almost every page.

7. Claim Your Directory Listing

Our business and organization listings aren't skimpy. Our team of researchers hit the streets and visited businesses, schools, parks, libraries and other organizations so we can provide photos as well as detailed information, such as products sold, services provided and hours of operation. To contact us about the listing for your business or organization, e-mail us at directorysupport@patch.com. If you own or manage a business or organization in our directory, claim it at http://sewickley.patch.com/search/listings.

8. Shout It Out!

You now have a way to shout out on the site without having to add a comment to an existing article. You can tell us what you have to say right now by using the new shout box at the top of the Activity Stream on the homepage. Whatever you "shout" will go directly into the stream, right on the homepage.

9. Upload Your Photos and Video

Upload videos of high school football touchdowns or your hockey Mite's first goal. 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.

10. Advertise With Us

For all advertising queries, please send an e-mail to our Sewickley Patch ad manager, Nicole Tocco, at nicole.tocco@patch.com, or 724-510-9558.

11. 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 athttp://sewickley.patch.com/restaurants. Or, search to find what you're craving; you can filter results by cuisine, price or seating accommodations.

12. Social Media Engagement

You can "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Sewickley-Patch and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SewickleyPatch. Immerse yourself in our content and actively contribute and engage via social media. Let's start a conversation.

13. Send a Letter to the Editor

Patch would like to invite every member of the 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. Make sure it's not longer than 300 words and e-mail it to Editor Larissa Dudkiewicz at larissa.dudkiewicz@patch.com