At the heart of The New Times is a passion for a healthy exchange of ideas and the linking of like-minded thinkers. I have developed an online forum, or bulletin board, for you to share thoughts about important issues as well as provide an opportunity for you to connect with others for your highest purpose. I have developed a searchable database of advertisers and other resources. Most of our advertisers offer more products and services than they advertise in our print edition. Type in a keyword for what you're looking for, and you'll be pleasantly surprised by the custom list of resources that returns. You'll also find a wealth of current and past articles, archived and waiting for you to reopen their pages. All articles and reviews on our site are searchable, so it's easy to look for topics of particular interest by keyword. If you would like to learn more about advertising (with us or anyone else), we offer tips and information on how to attract what you want, how to choose among ad formats, and how to design your ad. Our advertising rates and information on discounts are posted there, too. Our guidelines for freelance submissions are posted as well. The classifieds and upcoming events listings from the current print edition are online and sometimes contain up-to-the-minute changes that became known after the paper was in print. We've carefully chosen links to and written short descriptions of selected sites. These are just a few of the other resources that we, as a nexus for our community, are pleased to offer. I'm usually not one to toot my own horn, but we have received lots of inspiring comments, such as this one: "Seattle's favorite newspaper for authentic living is blooming online. This Web site is a beautiful gem filled with wisdom from the top writers in Seattle. Check out their database of healers in the Northwest." Readers from all over the world have been dropping in, ranging from places like Australia, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom, Sweden, and South Africa to less the well-known (at least to me) Mauritius, Kyrgyzstan, and Brunei Darussalam. Not only does our Web site offer an opportunity for readers around the world a chance to experience our work, but at least one blind reader is able to share in these pages thanks to a computer-generated voice. I hope you, too, will find our site enlightening, uplifting, and useful. While I'm thinking about computers and remembering our hacking incident last spring, I want to take another opportunity to let you know about your vulnerability to hacking. On page 10 of this issue, Ron Hays offers insight and suggestions in this regard. My work in print and on the Web is dedicated to you, my dedicated readers. Thank you for your support. |
I've been working on a major upgrade of The New Times' Web site for about a year. Thank you for visiting us today; I hope that your experience here rewards you!