A couple of weeks ago we launched a new web site because our old one was showing its age. It had limited features, both for the reader and for our use, so it was time.
As soon as we launched it we got a lot of calls and emails from people. Most really liked what they saw; a few complained they liked the old one better.
Familiarity is an important factor for human beings. They like order and things to be where they have been, because it seems easier that way. Unfortunately, to move ahead, and to ultimately come up with something better, change is inevitable.
Over my years in managing people in various kinds of organizations, I always found that change was hard. Often changes that were to be implemented benefited the very people who resisted them. But sometimes for those involved it is hard to see the forest for the trees.
That old sites were award winning sites, is true. We took home a number of plaques from the Utah Press Association and even our own company contest at Brehm Communications for the best web sites a few times since 2000. But it was time for a change; we have to keep up with the technology that is available to us and what we can do.
In the next couple of months we will be adding new features to the site that will benefit our readers. First of all we intend on producing some local video that will go on the site and will be replaced often. That video will allow viewers to see things that are going on in the community.
We will also be adding a comment log to the articles that are written and opinions being expressed in the paper. Many large papers have this and for some people this is useful, informational and entertaining.
We will also be adding the ability of our readers to subscribe to our print product on line without ever having to talk to anyone. In addition people will be able to enter their own classified ads online as well.
We will also be adding a community calendar as well.
Presently you can also subscribe to RSS on our web site which allows you to keep updated on breaking news. Depending on who you ask RSS is the acronym for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary. You can hook up to that by going to the RSS link on our web page.
In the 21st century the Sun Advocate can no longer only be a newspaper. We must be a media source used by many in the community in different ways. And of course all this technology and information provision costs money. Since the web is a free service to anyone with access, we must find a way to finance this endeavor. More and more people are reading our paper on line, so advertising now becomes more important. We have designed these new sites to add pazazz to our advertisers messages. For such products as a viable web site to continue, our advertisers must see value in advertising there.
So the next time you go to a local advertiser on the web tell them that you saw their ad there. That will help us to continue to keep our web site going and help us to meet the needs of the community as well.
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