RSS Feed
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Blogs, forum round out new Sentinel site changes
The first phase of development was put into motion with the launch of our redesigned website. Instead of functioning more like a scroll of new stories, the website now looks and behaves more like a metropolitan news site, with sections on the front page for community news, opinions, arts, etc. To build a layer of interactivity on top of our new, more functional design, Sentinel subscribers now have the option to post comments on any story, instantly giving feedback other readers can view and respond to. The sentinel wants to take interactive content to an even higher level, however, and is now introducing a Sentinel blog network, launched with three original blogs: The first is a Sentinel Photo Blog, highlighting the best photos taken by the Sentinel staff and pictures sent in by local citizens. The second new blog is "What's New in Clay County," a running update of local changes told through the eyes of Sentinel reporters and citizens who contribute photos and information. If a new business opens or a road is paved for the first time, locals can findout in one place. The third blog, "The Far Blue Mountains," is a stew of information, thoughts and poetry from the mountains. The debut of the three blogs only mark the first parts of a larger Sentinel blog network to come, inspired and written by those who live in the mountains. The Sentinel is also making it easier than ever for people and businesses to connect with two new sites, Smoky Mountain Business, and another, Smoky Mountain Faith, both aimed at compiling important content from a variety of sources for readers. The biggest change the Sentinel is making is instant content. The Sentinel will be posting new stories to the newspaper website throughout the week, after events occur, so readers don't have to wait a week for important news. The coverage of the 2008 Showcase signaled the start of our instant coverage, with video and a story online soon after the concert concluded. For the biggest events and most important stories, the Sentinel has developed a liveblogging platform to post notes on what's going on as it happens so readers can follow along at home. To enhance the news even further, many articles will now include embedded video or audio, unique to the Sentinel. Finally, as part of all of the changes planned, the Sentinel just transitioned to a series of new email addresses, the central one news@smokymountainsentinel. com. A full list of each of the addresses, one for each department, is available at the contact page on the website. For those who want to dialogue about current events and life in Clay County in general, the Sentinel is debuting a series of free forums dedicated to hot topics and intriguing opinion. The new forums are accessible through the Sentinel website.
To comment on this article, email Harrison at hkeely@smokymountainsentinel. com.
|
for larger version       |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
)
