Note: This column represents the opinions
of the writer and as such, is not purported as fact
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Is it just me or has the facelift given to
The NZ Herald website
a few months back has actually made it worse rather than better?
Prior to the update, the Herald's site was nicely functional, albeit not a
beauty queen. Now however, I find it far less pleasant to use and a lot more
"bitsy" in its presentation.
I've waited a couple of months in the hope I'd warm to the changes but no luck
I'm afraid.
Even without the ads (sorry NZ Herald, you just pushed the balance too far so I don't
see *any* ads on your webpages now :-), the new site is just not nice.
If sites like the NZ Herald (and TVNZ) must insist on stuffing around with
"look how pretty we can make it" changes then why don't they just allow
users to select their own skins from a range of predefined options?
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The web is a wonderfully flexible medium for delivering content so why not
take advantage of that flexibility to give users a fully customisable experience?
Given that the front page of the NZ Herald's online edition is filled with so
much stuff that I doubt anyone is interested in the whole lot, why not allow
users to decide for themselves what gets displayed, what font size/style is
used and how it's laid out?
In my case, I don't use the Herald for anything other than local news (general
and technology).
Let's face it, there are far better sources for international stories but the
Herald does a great job of covering things-kiwi.
I don't want/need my screen filled with international, business, sports,
property, employment or motoring headlines when I go to the NZ Herald site so
stop annoying me with them.
Sure, I could bookmark the national news page
but even this is loaded with dross such as a column of small images pointing
to equally uninteresting (to me) things such as Health & Fitness,
War, Food & Wine, etc.
Sorry NZ Herald, your site wasn't broken in the first place so why did you
have to go fix it?
What's worse -- it seems that sizzle is replacing substance, at least in the
Technology section of the NZ Herald online.
Where are all those reat local IT stories that I used to link to with
great regularity?
Now this section is filled mainly with overseas stories that are better
covered elsewhere on the web and local stuff seems more lightweight and
bordering on advertorial in some cases. What's wrong? Is good local
IT reporting no longer fashionable?
Thank goodness the folks at IDG are back from their extended Christmas
break or I'd be really stuffed for local links in the mornings.
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