Please Welcome Kat Cannon & Lorin Smith, Our Newest Bloggers

This week Kirkland Patch welcomes Kat Cannon and Lorin Smith as its newest bloggers.

In her first blog post, Cannon wrote about the Kirkland Kiwanis decision to make a series of quarterly donations to Pantry Packs, a non-profit that provides meals for children in the Lake Washington School District when other food programs are not available.

Her post is a great way to promote awareness of Pantry Packs in the community, and we look forward to reading more about other local non-profits and projects that the Kiwanis are involved with.

Our other new blogger, Lorin Smith, works for the U.S. Small Business Administration Seattle District Office as a public information and veteran business development officer.

He's already contributed two posts in the Kirkland Patch Local Voices section.

Facebook and Twitter are great resources for small business owners to drum up business and connect with customers; however, these digitals mediums can serve a greater purpose.

"While social media has become an essential information tool in the midst of a crisis for first responders, many business owners have yet to develop a social media plan to keep their clients and employees in the loop in the event of a disaster," Lorin wrote in his first post, Get Tips on Using Social Media for Disaster Recovery.

Lorin continues with a plug for "Social Media and Disaster Recovery," a free webinar from Agility CEO Bob Boyd on April 9. Click here to register.

His second blog on Patch, SBA and AARP Celebrate National Encore Entrepreneur Mentor Month, aims to encourage people over 50 to consider an 'encore career.'

Want to blog on Patch, too?

Kirkland Patch is looking for bloggers who’d like to share their local knowledge, personal expertise, political opinions, or hobbies. We want bloggers who can have readers walk away feeling challenged, inspired, happy, sad or further educated on a particular subject. Photo and video blogs are also encouraged!

Keep in mind that this is not a reporting gig. There’s no need to be a published author or someone who needs to be told what to write about. We want you to write about what you want and when you want.

Blogging on Patch is just one more way you can get involved with your community and spark important discussion.

So, start a blog on Kirkland Patch today! Have questions about blogging? Email Community Editor Jenny Manning at jenny.manning@patch.com.