Kudos for …. The Washington Times???????
One of my theories for this site is that conservative politics and conservative use of technology go hand in hand. But here’s a technology kudo for that ultimate right-wing train wreck, The Washington Times.
The re-design of the print edition (see details here) is one of the best I’ve seen at integrating the print and online offerings. The print product in many ways becomes a jumping-off point and guide to the meat of the company, the website.
There are caveats attached to this kudo. The big one is that the digital edition the print product plugs is, well, not very good. washtimes.com makes the same mistake almost every newspaper website makes, leading with the print offerings. It does, however, include more-prominent links to online tools than many sites. The big problem is that the online tools tend to be as skimpy as the print product. There’s just not much there considering the market and budget of the paper, regardless of your politics.
(BTW … where are the email addresses for editors? Phone numbers are great, but email is a better option for everyone.)
Critics no doubt will argue that these changes are being made out of desperation, to save a rapidly sinking ship. I won’t argue that point, but I would remind other papers that the Times is sort of the canary in the coal mine. Its problems are worse than most papers, but only by degrees. Many of the rest of you are headed down the same path.
The early posters on the site hate the changes. Then again, the most vocal newspaper readers tend to hate any change (”Don’t mess with my ‘Nancy’ strip! It’s the best!”).
But don’t dismiss the blue tab gimmick and some of the other changes designed to help guide you to fuller coverage online. If implemented at a paper with more robust content, some of these ideas just might work …
