Welcome to the new Richland Source. What you are encountering today is our latest effort to deliver the the best local news in Richland and Crawford counties.
Late last year, when we surveyed our readership, improving our mobile experience was something many of you asked for. That makes a ton of sense, as mobile readers now routinely comprise greater than 60 percent of our audience.
The May launch of our free app for Android and Apple devices was the first step toward a total rework of how we deliver the news to readers. Hundreds of you have already downloaded the app to rave reviews.
Today’s FLEX update (that’s our fancy techno name for it) is the next step. FLEX is a ground-up reworking of how Richland Source operates on all desktop and mobile browsers.
In industry terms, what we have done is move to something called “responsive” site architecture. “Responsive” sites are designed to do one thing: create a clean, simple, and fast user experience across all platforms.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what you can expect.
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Speed: FLEX is designed to load to your desktop computer, laptop, tablet or phone as fast as your internet connection will allow.
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Responsiveness: FLEX sizes itself to fit whatever device you are using. This creates an experience that is very consistent across platforms.
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Streamlined design: Readers want to find content quickly and easily. The new layout is very clean and simple, so the featured content is easy to find and browse.
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Social: FLEX is optimized for sharing, commenting, and liking all kinds of content no matter what platform you are using to access Richland Source.
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Interactivity: It is now easy to access and post events to our Local Events calendar, participate in online group discussions, and follow the news as it happens. For example, our weekly Friday Night Football scoreboard will be viewable on all platforms this season
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Integration for advertisers: Marketing investments will be radically simplified, value will rise, and advertisement will flow seamlessly between all platforms, regardless of user traffic patterns.
We are excited about this change. It is a big step forward for Richland Source and our customers. As with any big change though, there will undoubtedly be some unexpected “Whoops!” moments that show up in the next few days. If you experience one of these or have a suggestion or two, please let us know.
Twitter: @richlandsource
Facebook: RichlandSource
E-mail: Send comments or suggestions via e-mail to David Yoder, our Platform and Technology Manager.
