DCentric

Arlington County via Flicrk

Ballston, VA

Local (and from what I can gather, volunteer-run) blog ArlNow.com has some interesting news about AOL:
“Internet giant AOL is rolling out a local news site devoted exclusively to the Ballston-Virginia Square area. The Ballston Patch will launch on September 13 with a paid, full-time editor at the helm.”
The Ballston Patch has the following “introduction”:

Ballston-Virginia Square Patch is a hub of local news and information for and about Ballston-Virginia Square — and we’re launching soon…Our mission is simple: to make people’s lives better by providing quick and easy access to the local news and information that is most relevant to them.

It sounds like a neighborhood blog crossed with Yelp!:

Ballston-Virginia Square Patch is much more than a news site. It will also include a comprehensive events calendar, restaurant reviews, and a rich directory of all of Ballston-Virginia Square’s important places. We want to be the place you go to find a dentist, a mechanic, an activity for the kids, or the name of the official to call for a building permit or to make a noise complaint. And our listings won’t be skimpy Yellow-Pages stuff—we’ll provide detailed information like maps, products sold and even photos of every business.

Developing…