New Regional Website Focused on Oil -- Delving Deeply Into The Technology That Made It All Possible

Kindred, ND, man always loved bagpipes

North Dakota oil production hits record

Fargo bars offer free cell phone charging

Santorum handily wins ND GOP caucus

faces of the boom; couple near Williston

tough on youth living in Williston

publicity hound, poodle

Debbie Downer noted that there is a new website for all the news in the oil patch.

Thepatchtoday.com, which can be found at the Internet address of the same name, will serve as a general news website to the geographic area in western North Dakota and eastern Montana that is collectively known as “The Oil Patch,” or “The Patch” for short.

The site also aims to keep residents of the quickly growing section of the country informed about local and state news, features, sports and entertainment. And finally, the site will delve deeply into reporting regarding the burgeoning oil industry that is centered in the region, thanks to new technology that has made tapping into The Bakken Oil Formation possible, company executives said.

I was thrilled that we might see a real oil patch site, but my hopes were quickly dashed. When I went to the "new" website, the first story that popped up was the story on the couple that can't make it in Williston. That story has been out there for several days, maybe more than a week. The next story, about "tough for youth in the oil patch" was new to me (this particular article, not the issue), but of the same genre. So, I quickly started typing the top stories and that's what I typed up above. I didn't want to miss them.

Turns out there was no reason to worry; the stories keep going round and round. So, here they are again, with fewer typos, and more comments:

• Kindred, ND, man has had lifelong passion for bagpipes [honest to God, this was the first story I saw when I clicked on the site; I immediately thought I had entered "The Twilight Zone"]
• North Dakota oil production hits record, again, in January [old story; that's what advertisers are paying for?]
• Fargo bars offer cellphone charging ... for a cost, of course [for a cost? is that a local idiom?]
• Santorum handily wins North Dakota GOP Caucus [that's certainly oil patch news]
• In new life near Williston, family can't make ends meet [been making the rounds for a week]
• Boom's marginal housing tough on youth living 'The Oil Patch' [and you know who I fault]
• Publicity hound: After lifetime of struggles,Wahpeton, ND, poodle gaining admirers [you have got to be kidding]

I won't link the site; you can find it easily but I don't want to be blamed for wasting anyone's time. Don't get me wrong; it might evolve into a great site, but a) the NEWs has to be NEW; b) it has to be relevant; and, c) it has to be relevant.  (no typo)

But this is the main reason for the new website: the site will delve deeply into reporting regarding the burgeoning oil industry that is centered in the region, thanks to new technology that has made tapping into The Bakken Oil Formation possible. Expect a lot of stories on the dangers and downside of fracking.

At least we didn't see any stories of food shortages or photos of soup lines in the Bakken in the inaugural issue.