The Spokane Spokesman-Review's Ken Sands wonders where the innovation is in newspaper designs, and points to the recent Register-Guard redesign as a case in point:
Registerguard.com, in Eugene, Ore., is attractive and easy to navigate. But there's hardly any web-original content, and the print content seems really old because the site isn't updated until noon Pacific time each day.
Note that Sands says his own paper's site is woefully overdue for a redesign, a process that's under way. He wishes there were some good sites out there because it's easier to steal someone else's ideas than come up with your own.
Our web staff has argued at length this week over what role the "repurposed print content" should play in our redesign. One argument is that the "shovelware" is yesterday's news and because it's the only part of our site that requires a subscripton, it should be segregated into a "premium" sidebar spot. Another argument is that the print content is the best journalism that's being provided by our news staff, so it should have the most prominent display. A third argument is that, in the future, what now is "repurposed print content" actually will appear first on the web, and we need to design for a true, 24/7 news and information site. [My own argument as well. -- L]
We agree that simplicity is good, and there might be too much information to organize easily on a newspaper web site, particularly one such as ours that specializes in breaking news, blogs, multimedia, and other web-original content. So maybe the site needs to be broken down into "site-lets," or section fronts that act as home pages for different types of content or different subjects. That would free up the actual home page to be a very simple, very dynamic package that aggregates and promotes only the best, most current stuff.
We're still pretty early in the process, so I can't guarantee that our redesigned site will represent a fundamental change. But one thing's for sure -- we're not looking at news sites for inspiration.
Thoughts? Who's doing it right in the state, or elsewhere? Don't let this devolve into an OregonLive snarkfest; we all know those guys are hamstrung.
I don't intend to sound too critical of the Register-Guard. They are making progress. And I know from experience with an isolated, family owned newspaper how difficult it can be to innovate in certain areas. You really can't afford to be a pioneer because missteps can be so costly. It's safer to let others lead the way, and then choose the most successful, proven strategies.
OregonLive and The Oregonian have a different problem. Corporate structure that was set early on has prevented much collaboration. They, too, are making progress. OregonLive seems to be concentrating its efforts on developing citizen media (a noble effort), while The Oregonian is starting to experiment with blogging by beat reporters. These two strategies are compatible, so there's reason for optimism. The design, though, is standard throughout the chain, so it won't likely change unless it changes across the board.
I grew up reading the Oregon Journal and The Sunday Oregonian (and occasionally delivering that behemoth by bicycle on freezing, rainy, dark winter mornings). I went to school in Eugene, and saw the Guard when it was one of the finest newspapers in the West. So I know a little bit about the history and the place these two news organizations hold in Oregon. And it amazes me that in such a literate, wired, progressive state, the web sites of the two dominant newspapers are so far behind the rest of the industry. But I really do have a sense of optimism. The people running those news organizations are first-rate journalists, and they'll figure this out. Eventually.