Thursday, May 19, 2011

Finding the right balance

I can't believe it's going on seven years since I came to the Fort Mill Times. Among the many changes since then (personnel, building modifications, musical desks, bee swarms, just to mention a few) the biggest is probably our website. Not just the redesign going on two years now (it's ready for some tweaking and upgrades already!) but my direct role.

I went from being a sort of data entry drone to the person who oversees the site. I even learned how to do a little trouble shooting. But the main task is keeping the site fed with fresh content - and not just stories but photos and video as well. what can be tricky is the balancing act of feeding the web and making sure there's plenty of fresh content for the print edition too.

Part of the problem is I'm not completely sure what readers want from both anymore. Before we redesigned the print product about five or six years ago, we held extensive focus group to gather data that was instrumental in the final project. I think we need another focus group

I think it would be a lot easier to deliver what readers want via the web if we asked them.

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