If you haven’t noticed yet, The Cavalier Daily rolled out its new Web site this week. The new site will not only enable us to produce new forms of media, bringing us firmly into the digital age, it will also allow greater reader interaction with the newspaper and fellow readers.
For the next few days, we will still be working out the kinks. We ask for readers’ patience as we transition our information onto the site.
Even while we work to launch several new features, the new site already offers advantages over the old one. Links to related articles and articles by the same writer allow for easier navigation and quicker access to whatever a reader finds interesting. Sharing that interesting content will also be easier, thanks to links to Facebook, Digg and other social networking sites. The “Photo Archive” will soon provide visitors with photos they can’t find in our print edition.
Those photos are just the beginning. The Web site will evolve beyond simply an online copy of the print newspaper. Soon, the site will feature videos, podcasts, photo essays and other information our print edition cannot provide.
The Web site will also allow for instant feedback and discussion about its content. Visitors can register to comment on stories they find interesting or controversial. Staff members will be blogging their thoughts, and we look forward to seeing how this new site will facilitate more profound debate on University issues.
As always, any suggestions for how we can use this new resource to its fullest are welcome, and getting involved in this exciting project requires nothing but wandering into our office in the basement of Newcomb Hall.