The minimum standard online media for July 2009

It is interesting to turn back and see how the websites of online media have changed, which they did or had to do with the development. It becomes clear the evolution of certain products, dead-end branches, the difference in the development of the same chips in different regions and the like. But it is no less interesting to observe in parallel how this happens in the west.
What is now taken for the necessary minimum for the media site in the States? Mark Potts has published material that raises the question of the usefulness and convenience of such sites. So, what is included in the gentleman's set (please keep in mind that Mark means the website of the newspaper under the online media):

1. The plot. So that the user can easily, without the help of site search, get a complete picture of the event unfolding in time.
2. Dossier. So that the user could get an exhaustive selection of materials about any person or phenomenon.
3. Geographical localization. So that the user can get a selection of publications and information about a particular place or territory.
4. Quick access to reports and tops. So that if the user came to the secondary page, he could quickly go to the news summary for the day, the top of the most popular news, etc.
5. Rating restaurants. So that the user can easily find the address of the nearest restaurant, read his ratings and reviews.
6. Rating of theater and cinema. So that the user can easily find the address of the nearest theater or cinema. Preferably with reviews from other users.
7. Something for the family. So that the user can find out how to spend time with his family on weekends.
8. Geographical reference. So that the user can understand the location of any object or event mentioned in the publication right here on the site. Without leaving the site!
9. Search by key. So that the user could quickly find through the site search what was written in the daily newspaper.
10. Subscribe to sms. So that the user can receive SMS alerts. And so that they are meaningful . Do not forget about the mobile version of the site. It must be adequate.
11. Archive of publications. So that the user can easily search and navigate in it.
12. Sending by e-mail, print version, separate URL. So that the user can easily send the article by e-mail, print it in a convenient form, send a link to a specific publication.
13. Contacts with the editors. So that the user can easily contact the editorial office, a specific journalist.
14. List of current advertising. So that the user can easily find the advertisement or ad he needs. What he saw a second ago, and knows that it is really there, but can not find it.
15. The mechanism for advertising. So that the user can easily place on the site your ad or advertisement.
16. Subscription. So that the user can subscribe to an offline subscription to your publication.
17. Search by site services. So that the user can easily find everything described above using the site search.

Not bad, is it? Even if you throw out the specifics of the States, there is something to think about.

But a fresh offer from Europe. Roland Legrand from Mediafin, a Belgian publishing company, offers several ways to look at newspaper sites differently.
')

1. Microsites. If there is a possibility, separate sites or even headings should be made into separate websites that will better serve the reader than a unified design of the publication.
2. Flow. The content of these subsites will be more like Twitter or Facebook news, rather than a selection of newspaper articles from the next issue. Content should give rise to a sense of flow. To do this, you can use services such as Publish2 .
3. WIKI. For reference information to publications and the formation of a knowledge base on individual topics, use the wiki.
4. Interactive with readers. For the provision of reader activity and their involvement in the process of creating content, forums alone are not enough. It is proposed to use services like Metaplace .
5. Give more power to readers. Let them have maximum opportunities on the site to determine how they will use the content.