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Web site start-up responses
The Bulletin asked those at member newspapers and others the following question via an e-mailing to those on the New England Press Association’s e-mail list: "If you were starting a news Web site from scratch, or advising someone else who was doing so, what would be the top 10 ingredients you'd include on that site?" Below are the responses we received:
1. A huge area devoted to photo galleries, by staffers and readers 2. An area I'd call "Coping with the mean old world" or something like that. This would have an interactive map that showed gas stations and prices in the area. Another would show wi-fi spots. Another part of this would be a list of oil companies, propane companies, and their prices; and places to buy fuel, solar suppliers, alternative energy sources, and links to information about grants, tax rebates and the like. I'd also put local farms and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture sites) on a map in this area, and let them upload their weekly produce and prices. Also in this area, I'd put contact information for hospitals, police departments, fire departments, animal control/shelters, schools, tax collector, town manager, etc. All in one place. 3. Breaking local news 4. Archived local news stories and columns 5. Traffic and weather for the area 6. National news 7. A craigslist-like space for people to trade, give and sell stuff. This would be free to the participants; you'd have to limit the value of the merchandise so as not to conflict with your newspaper. 8. A daily forum where people could engage in a modulated conversation about a daily topic, led by a staffer. 9. A bitch corner, where people could complain about anything, from the cable company to the weather. 10. Some sort of interactive novel, that people could write together, sort of like a Wikipedia, except that it would be fiction. This would have to be highly moderated, but it could be a really fun draw. It could be illustrated, too. Carrie Jacobson, Editor, Kent County (R.I) and Warwick (R.I) Daily Times
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1. latest headlines 2. show related stories features: 3. search 4. include sharing tools (e-mail, digg, social networks) 5. comments 6. top 10 pages (most viewed, most commented, most e-mailed) 7. interactive feature for clients (allow clients to submit/approve ads/stories via Web site, allow subscription through Web site, have polls/questionnaires/etc.) technical: 8. fast page loading 9. short and clean URLs 10. rss feed David D. Denelle, Gen. Mgr., New England Real Estate Journal of Norwell, Mass.
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Primary advice: Commit to it, believe in it, invest in it, and promote it. If you are "just testing it," it will fail. TECHNICAL: 1. Browser-based, database-driven, user-friendly content management system built specifically for managing a newspaper Web site. 2. Site hosting by a reputable company with a clean blacklist/block list history (usually included with #1). 3. Flexible banner ad rotation system. 4. Templates and navigation designed by a known and experienced Web designer and tested in all major browsers. 5. Merchant account and easily deployed mechanism for accepting credit card payments online. CONTENT: 6. As much of print issue as possible posted to Web site, plus breaking news, updates to existing stories, and extra photos; NOT "Here's what you missed by not subscribing." 7. User-friendly reader response facility (moderated) for each article, promoted online and in print 8. Facility for readers to submit news/information as text, images, and/or video 9. Easily accessible on all pages: contact and rate information and order forms for subscription control (start, stop, vacation hold) and for advertising (online and print) in all products. 10. No fee for online readership. David Merrill, IT and Graphics Mgr., Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association of Portland, Ore.
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I'm not an editor, but here's my list: 1. Top five LOCAL news stories - with plenty of pictures and video 2. Selection of AP wire stories covering the main national and state news of the day 3. Obits and death notices 4. Calendar of events for the current and succeeding months -- comprehensive local listings of entertainment, civic groups, churches, government, PTA, etc. 5. Comprehensive local sports coverage -- including youth and recreational sports and plenty of pictures and video 6. Directories of local resources, government, social services, craftsmen, professionals, child care, etc. 7. Classified advertising -- searchable -- the more volume of LOCAL listings the better 8. Interactive opinion pages, with easy response mechanism -- including video 9. Community news pages for each community -- including interactive material and submitted content 10. Easy navigation, clean presentation, intuitive log-on and submission of opinion, commentary, pictures, and simple purchase options for buying pictures, back issues, subscriptions to print products, etc. Roy Belcher, The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, Mass.
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1. The ability for members of the community to comment on stories and interact with the news. 2. Multimedia (video, audio, photos, etc.) that both stands alone and complements news stories. 3. News posted 24 hours a day as it comes in. 4. A Breaking News area that stands out and clearly identifies a story as important and new. 5. Special Coverage -- being able to build special pages on bigger stories quickly 6. Related stories -- give the reader logical options on where to click next after completing one story 7. A well-organized site so things can be easily found 8. Unique stories -- the Internet is full of news; you have to do something to set your site apart 9. Make information Webby -- if you can separate certain vital pieces of articles (location, people, sports statistics, etc.) into a database, the information can be presented in a way unique to the Internet. Locations could be posted on a map; statistics could be totaled and presented differently. 10. Site should have a good search and archive -- People are interested in not only what is happening now but are interested in the ability to look for things in the past. Michael Sperling, Eagle Tribune of North Andover, Mass.
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1. Loads quickly 2. Clean, easy, simple design and navigation – enough of this cramming everything onto the home page! 3. A dominant local photo and story that changes (at least) daily 4. A place where local residents can read and post opinions on local topics 5. A comprehensive calendar of what’s happening in the community 6. Links and contact info for local community resources, information 7. Links and contact info for local consumer resources, information 8. Easy-to-find contact information for the news outlet itself – including name of the city and state on the home page banner! 9. Quality photography on each page; Photo galleries of local interest 10. A means for local residents, community groups to post information – a bulletin board for the community Mary Callen, Comm. Dir., Wisconsin Newspaper Association of Madison, Wis.
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1. Compelling content that is different from what newspapers run in print. 2. An easy-to-follow navigational system. 3. Space for a dominant photo near the top of the home page. 4. Discussion boards. 5. Video. 6. Audio. 7. Blogs. 8. At least one reader poll question each day.
10. MyCapture-style photo gallery where readers could purchase photos. Note: I didn't include anything about advertising, but,
obviously, having a smart advertising plan is essential for any Web site's
success. Tim Farkas, Executive Editor, Berkshire Eagle of Pittsfield, Mass.
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1. Weather / Lottery results / Horoscope 2. Polls 3. Sudoku 4. Forums 5. Video + "Upload your video here" 6. Audio + "Upload your audio here" 7. Blogs 8. Social interaction buttons (Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, Hi5, etc) 9. Photo galleries 10. Events calendar Rafael Ulloa
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10. Search box 9. Easy navigation 8. Sense of place 7. A Webcast 6. Visual journalism 5. Databases 4. Participatory journalism 3. Hyper-local content 2. Interactivity opportunities 1. Breaking news CONTENT Breaking news is the most important aspect of a news site. It's exciting to see that "newspapers" are back in the breaking news business thanks to the Web. And they are unrivaled in their reach, their credibility and their ability to gather news. To do this right means changing the newsroom structure from being focused on a daily deadline to one of dynamic and constant publication. Interactivity is also a key element. Here is the lesson new media has taught to us old media types: There should be no walls between the journalists and their audience. Readers should have easy access to reporters; editors should have a dialogue with their audience. Newspapers developed (and largely earned) a reputation for being officious and inaccessible. The Web provides an opportunity to build a connection. Hyper-local is a vogue term, for good reason. A news site must find a way to drill even deeper than the reporting, to publish the ham-and-bean suppers or photos from the Little League parade that may not make the paper, to be a useful local resource for all things about a community. It's another important way to connect. Which leads to blogging and other forms of citizen participation. In my opinion, the debate about whether blogs or "citizen journalism" should be part of the mix is over. (Of course, the debate over the credibility of certain blogs continues, but that's a challenge a good editor can negotiate.) You have to find ways to draw your readers into the conversation and show them the value of contributing. Databases are important. Too many news people view content as story, photo, graphic, but a rich database is an aspect of journalism that should not be overlooked. Searchable lists of basic information accomplish a vital news role. News sites should put an emphasis on visual journalism, including photo galleries, audio slide shows, podcasts and interactive graphics. Layering audio and visual elements will have an immediate payback because the depth of the journalism will increase and the site will be engaging. Plus, photographers can be back in the photo story business because the space they've lost in print is bottomless on the Web. Visual journalism is critical to reaching new (younger) audiences, who have different information consumption habits than the traditional newspaper reader. It takes resources and it's an investment in the future, not the present, but a Webcast is a key ingredient for a news site. Video on the Web is exploding in all areas and news organizations must be at the forefront. Here's an excellent opportunity to be a disruptive influence to other media. STRUCTURE Like the newspaper, a sense of place is very important. You need to emphasize in look, feel and content what is unique about your market. Cookie cutters don't work in print and they don't work online.
Making everything on your site searchable is one way to address navigation issues. Search navigation works for all categories on your site, commerce, content, visuals, archives, etc. Make your search box big and prominent. Paul J. Pronovost, Editor, Cape Cod Times of Hyannis, Mass.
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I'd include quick links to the various sections of the site along the left margin of each page and make forms for readers to submit births, engagements and other announcements easy to find and user-friendly. Sarah Reynolds, Community Reporter, Courier-Gazette of Augusta, Maine
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Top 10. 1 through 10. “What is your revenue model and how will you achieve it?” “If it is not achieved in six months, will you abandon the site?” “If not, how long do you expect to take resources from editorial (or work it harder) to subsidize your Web effort?” Thomas V. Ward, Publisher, The Valley Breeze of Cumberland, R.I.
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I've been doing this online gig here at the Times for
10-plus years. I've seen a lot of changes and trends on the World Wide Web --
some good, some exciting, some bizarre and some downright evil. Gregory Bryant, Online Editor, Cape Cod Times of
Hyannis, Mass. NEPA |
9.
List of most-read/most-viewed stories on the Web site each day.
Easy
navigation is essential, particularly as the site becomes multi-dimensional. All
the good content you have on the Web is useless if your audience doesn't have
easy and intuitive access. Worse, if someone knows what they want and cannot
find it easily, your site will be frustrating and you will lose audience.