Mirror.co.uk joins competitors with homepage redesign

Not wanting to be left out following a new look for The Sun’s homepage last Friday, a Telegraph.co.uk redesign and the last stage of the Guardian’s site revamp, Mirror.co.uk began its relaunch on Monday.

Starting with changes to the homepage, the rest of the site will follow suit and new features will be introduced in the coming weeks, an announcement on the site said.

On the homepage a most read/most emailed/highest rated articles box has been added and the left-hand navigation bar done away with. Links to Mirror.co.uk subscription services are neatly lined up across the top of the homepage.

Elsewhere the site’s video player has been upgraded (though the ’see more videos’ tab opens up another window still), more picture galleries added and the blogs section overhauled with some new additions.

So how does this first stage of redevelopment compare with its competitor’s new looks?

It’s certainly colourful with the addition of multicoloured section headings and if you navigate better with images than this is for you – though personally I find the block of images that dominate the ‘above the fold’ area a tad too busy.

More embedded video, which seems to be happening across the article pages, is a plus, as is the vastly improved ‘below the fold’ on the homepage, which has been tidied up no end.

Tags: Mirror.co.uk

Sun’s Page 3 widget breaks download records

A Page 3 girl widget for RSS feeds, launched by The Sun on Friday, has beaten previous download figures for Sun apps after only three days, the newspaper has said.

The Keeley Hazell application (see below) was built using Adobe Air - a new piece of technology, which allows one widget to be built that will be compatible with both PC and MAC systems.

Further editorial developments are planned for the site over the next few weeks to build on changes to the site navigation and page design introduced last week.

The homepage is longer and features a panel on the right-hand side showcasing breaking news, ‘most read’ and ‘most discussed’ articles.

In addition, users are now taken directly to the article after clicking on a homepage headline, rather than visiting the section homepage.

The changes to the homepage have received criticism from media commentator Roy Greenslade, who asked if the revamp was a reaction to the Daily Mail’s recent relaunch.

However, Danny Rogers, The Sun’s editorial manager (online), said the new features were the result of long-running development.

“It has nothing to do with the Daily Mail. This has been going on for the last six months,” he told Journalism.co.uk, adding that the changes were aimed at displaying content in a more accessible and user-friendly way.

Tags: Adobe, Danny Rogers, Roy Greenslade, The Sun

International Blogging and New Media Association names new president

The International Blogging and New Media Association (IBNMA) has relaunched under the leadership of new president Paul Chaney.

“The IBNMA strives to serve the interests of the blogging and new media communities as a global non-profit association. The Association’s mission is four-fold: to provide research, information, education and advocacy to bloggers, podcasters, social media consultants and others engaged in the industry in any way,” the IBNMA says in its mission statement.

Chaney, a business blogger and co-founder of blog software company Blogging Systems, will head up the board of the organisation, which was founded in November last year.

Tags: Blogging Systems, International Blogging and New Media Association, Paul Chaney

Harpers relaunches as TalkingDrinks.co.uk

The website for the wine and spirits industry Harpers.co.uk is relaunching with a new name and expanded coverage of the industry.

The Nexus Business Media title will be called TalkingDrinks.com from July 24 and will include a range of new interactive features, such as blogs and forums, a press release from the publisher said.

Breaking news will continue to lead the site, but the new features will build an online community for the industry, David Shrimpton, Nexus Business Media digital managing editor, said.

Future plans for the site will bring more photo and video content and a personalised MyTalkingDrinks section.

“We don’t do magazines online. We make great magazines, and great online business experiences,” Neil Thackray, Nexus’ chief executive, added.

Tags: David Shrimpton, Harpers.co.uk, Neil Thackray, Nexus, online business experiences, online community

LOUD3R adds to network, sees 200,000 unique users

Niche online publisher LOUD3R is to launch a series of new sites, as part of its plans to create 10 new websites a month on its network.

The new additions include: PREGG3R, for pregnancy; SHUTT3R, for photography; and SUMM3R, for the Olympics.

The semantic engine automatically aggregates and filters multimedia content from a ’source list’ of websites selected by editors. A glossary of terms is created to teach the engine how to identify that content.

The existing network of 25 sites recorded 200,000 unique users over 30 days, according to a press release from the publisher.

Tags: LOUD3R, online publisher

Behind the scenes: Telegraph.co.uk’s redesign

Journalism.co.uk was given a sneak preview today of Telegraph.co.uk’s redesign plans. It’s a work in progress, but the revamped news, sport, and travel sections, as well as a new homepage, are set for launch in the next week.

Below are some preview images of the new site:

Homepage

Note the new horizontal navigation bar, the addition of a lifestyle tab and the replacement of a Telegraph TV box with embedded video players across the site.

More prominence has been given to comment content. In addition the bottom half and footer of the page will not be used as ‘a dumping ground’, but instead will be a flexible space featuring varied multimedia material. Eventually this space could carry personalised content based on the individual user.

Article page

The design team behind the new site told me they wanted greater consistency between articles and sections to improve navigation across the site.

Individual RSS feeds have also been added for sections and specific topics e.g. at the bottom of this article there’s a feed specifically for Champions League football.

A list of links to articles and other content of relevance has been added on the right hand side of the page - part of a design aimed at seeing every article page as a potential homepage from a user’s point of view, Ed Roussel, digital editor of Telegraph.co.uk, said

First impressions?

Tags: Ed Roussel, Journalism.co.uk, Telegraph.co.uk

HTFP: Northcliffe launches next phase of thisis sites

The publisher has rolled out a further 46 of its new look thisis sites. The overhaul of the 131 sites is scheduled for completion in September. Full story...

Tags: Northcliffe

ITN On creates ‘made-for-mobile’ games programme

ITN On, the multimedia arm of ITN, has launched its first programme made especially for mobile.

Gamerzine TV - produced in partnership with digital publisher Cranberry Publishing - will be a 90-second mobile show featuring gaming news, reviews and tips. A three minute version for online outlets will also be produced, a press release from the company said.

The programme will be available on ITN’s YouTube channel, Joost, Blinkx and through network provider Orange’s new mobile service Zap!

Steve Hewlett to front Radio 4 media show

BBC Radio 4 will broadcast a new weekly programme on the media industry from October.

Presented by former TV executive Steve Hewlett, The Media Show will also be available as a podcast and will run for a year.

It will focus on changes affecting all aspects of the industry: print, online, television, radio and telecommunications, a release from the BBC said.

FT launches first in series of niche online news services

The Financial Times (FT) has launched the first in a series of online financial news services for Europe.

Ignites Europe - aimed at workers in the European cross-border fund industry - has been launched by online news organisation Money-Media, which was bought by the FT in January.

The service is an email newsletter featuring 10-12 stories and mixing both original and aggregated content.

The paid-for newsletter expands the title outside of the USA, where it has been published for 10 years.

Tags: Europe, Money-Media, niche online news services, online financial news services, online news organisation, The Financial Times, United States