The Fort Frances Times celebrated the creation of its new Web site with a launch party and open house Tuesday night.
Originally created in 1995, the online edition was in need of some major changes, Web Development Manager Lincoln Dunn said.
“We had the chance to look at some Web sites of other newspapers and news organizations,” he noted. “The difference between their Web sites and ours, at the time, was that their Web sites were always changing and never remained static.
“They managed to have their Web sites evolve and adapt to the needs and wants of their customers. We thought that it was time ours did the same.”
While there was much discussion about what changes needed to be made, the final decision was to overhaul the existing site and replace it with something completely new.
“Basically, it was like having a broken down car,” Dunn explained. “We could have replaced the motor but we decided to just go with a new car altogether.
“With new software, we would not have had the chance to customize the site the way we wanted to,” he noted. “Replacing the entire Web site with a new one ensured that it would have features that we all wanted.”
Among the changes that have been made, visitors now will be able to access past stories that will be archived on the new site.
“With the old Web site, we used to get a lot of feedback from people telling us that they would like to be able to read a story that had appeared in the paper the previous week,” Dunn said.
“At the time, we did not have the ability to archive stories and then retrieve them. But with this new site, people will be able to read a story that was in the paper a month ago or look at a picture that was in the paper two nights ago.
“It is really a far more superior news site.”
The new site also will give people the chance to participate in a weekly online poll on current news events, watch a downtown web cam, and receive daily headlines via e-mail.
“This whole process has been very challenging but rewarding also,” Dunn reflected. “There have certainly been some frustrations but in the process, we have learned a lot.
“We are all very proud of the site and are really looking forward to getting some feedback on it.”
“This new Web site is giving us a great deal of room to expand,” Dunn added. “We are now just in the process of archiving stories. We have about eight years of stories that we have to archive so it is going to take some time.”
With the launch party over and the Web site up and running, Dunn is hopeful people will take the time to check it out at www.fftimes.com and see the changes the have been made.
“This site is going to be very informative and is a big change from our original [one],” he said. “We are hopeful that people will really enjoy it and will be happy with what we have done.”
The Times’ Electronic Publishing Division, which is located on the second floor of the Northern Lights Credit Union building, also includes Katy Byman and Faye Keesic on staff.
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