Looks like the Record Courier is readying a redesign of their website. I wonder if this means the Nevada Appeal will be overhauled too? They’re both owned by the same company, and they both run the same underlying software. They’re basically identical sites right now, actually, along with the Tahoe Daily Tribune, Tahoe Bonanza, Sierra Sun, and Lahontan Valley News. The Tribune has also announced a redesign, so it looks like it’s system wide.
It’s about time… Those sites have always seemed like a bit of a mess to me. At one point, they required registration to read the articles. Very annoying, but common enough. But the check was just done in Javascript! So you could turn off Javascript (or grab the URL with Lynx) and read the articles without registering. Strong security there.
I actually think the Seattle Times has a pretty good site. Yes, they have a MUCH bigger staff to deal with it than the R-C does, but I think there are still some lessons that can be learned and ideas that could be brought over.