More Community Websites Being Launched by Evening Times

Glasgow evening newspaper, the Evening Times, is today adding a further dozen community-based websites to the 12 it launched at the beginning of the month.

As part of a target 80 such websites by the end of the year, the paper launched, on the third of the month, sites serving Cardonald, Dennistoun, Easterhouse, Gorbals, Hillhead, Maryhill, Partick, Robroyston, Shawlands, Springburn, Tollcross and Whiteinch.

Now, this second dozen are for Anniesland, Baillieston, Bridgeton, Calton, Castlemilk, Drumchapel, Govan, Knightswood, Merchant City, Parkhead, Pollok and Yoker.

Says the paper: “Plans for the second dozen were accelerated after feedback from readers wanting to know when their area was going to be included.

“And among the latest 12 are areas where there are high hopes of involving our own community correspondents.

A number of improvements are also planned for the sites - again in response to users' feedback.”

Adds assistant editor, Graeme Smith: “The response to the first 12 sites has been phenomenal. Traffic has exceeded all our expectations and we've brought forward our roll-out of the next batch, in response.

“We're still compiling figures from the first fortnight but obviously we would not have accelerated the introduction of the second phase if we hadn't been greatly encouraged by the interest we've had so far."

All 24 community websites can be accessed via www.eveningtimes.co.uk

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comments

• "Would that it were, site defender, would that it were. Let's sit on this here rock and wait to see how long the new sites run before the word 'monetise' is applied to them... I agree that in the first instance the function could easily be to increase interest and therefore readership in the Times. In fact, I'd expect that's what the editorial people want it to be. But Upstairs won't sit around for long..."
  FutureHeid 22/03/2008
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• "One problem with FutureHeid's comment - if he'd bothered to look at the sites he might notice there are no ads. It's a community news project, NOT a commercial one."
  site defender 21/03/2008
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• "B-I-G mistake! Websites are what naturally happens after newspapers, and ultra-local is the only directions newspapers have left to go (and can do well there). To set up ultra-local websites before providing a similar service in the paper is a desperate attempt to sook up advertising revenue from the ultra-local rags already being published. It will fail - and it will take the Evening Times with it. (Whether that's Newsquest's plan is another matter!) Note Trinity Mirror's terrifyingly arrogant and misguided attempt to 'own' the internet in the 1990s with the IC Network - and how it's gradually rebadging these as local paper sites. Said it before, will say it again here... not a single company has gripped how a website must relate to its title, even though they're being given the information. The reason? They don't like who's telling them..."
  FutureHeid 19/03/2008
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• "Where exactly are these sections? A link would be useful. I've looked and failed to find them, which raises the serious question of how accessible they are!"
  M Green 19/03/2008
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• "Zzzzzzzzzzzzz's"
  comic4 19/03/2008
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