The Daily Californian launched its redesigned Web site Sunday evening. It was another step in our efforts to increase our online capabilities. The redesign has been in the works since July, when we had our first online summit to brainstorm new features. In addition to having a much cleaner look and feel, we wanted the site to address several key issues:

1. Improve user navigation and interactivity of our content
2. Organize the many projects we’ve introduced such as blogging, photo reprints, multimedia, Marketplace
3. Increase our online revenue-generating capabilities
4. Better feature our articles and special issues

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Popularity: 17%

As you may have noticed, The Daily Californian Web site is undergoing a major overhaul. We realize there is still a lot of work to be done, and we ask you please be patient! Although we have many new features in the works, the most immediate concerns we are addressing are implementing our more advanced site search and improving our article organization system.

The purpose of the redesign is to ensure our organization’s online presence is competitive with other newspapers. The first sentence of the Daily Cal mission statement reads: “The Daily Californian exists and functions to provide an opportunity for the students of the University of California to receive training in journalism and all aspects of newspaper production.”

Most professional newspaper organizations are increasingly integrating podcasts, photo galleries and video to complement their coverage. The Washington Post’s summer internship application this year included a separate section asking applicants to “describe your multimedia experience or interest.”

A major focus of the Daily Cal over the past year has been on multimedia development. This semester, we are making an even greater effort to produce more audio slideshows and podcasts. When the bulk of our changes are implemented we will be able to more effectively display these features.

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Popularity: 30%

San Francisco Chronicle editor Phil Bronstein announced last week that he had promoted former blogger Eve Batey to online editor. It is yet another sign of the increasing connection between newspapers and their online development.

Last year The Daily Californian introduced The Daily Clog and podcasting, and earlier this month we launched the Editor’s Blog. The toughest task for our online team is tackling larger online projects while addressing daily demands. Improving our online capabilities and increasing user interactivity will be major areas of focus this upcoming year.

“It’s difficult to keep up with new media and new ideas, with the limited resources we have,” online manager Jeff Bowman said. “And we have to do things right—our work may still be around years from now, and millions of eyes around the world will see it.” Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 11%