AFTER DEADLINE

By Anne Harpham

Every day, almost all of the local stories, photos and graphics in the daily Honolulu Advertiser are posted on our online edition at honoluluadvertiser.com.

On average, 800,000 unique visitors click on the site each month to keep up with news of the Islands.

Starting Thursday, our regular Web readers will notice some changes on the site.

The paper edition of The Advertiser was redesigned last summer in conjunction with our switchover to new presses at our Kapolei production facility.

This summer, our Web site is getting its own redesign. The goal, says online content manager Chris Kanemura, is to bring out more of the depth of our content on the home page and to improve navigation on the site.

The changes are not dramatic — the occasional reader may not even notice them — but regular readers will. No content or features are being dropped as a result.

"The architecture and framework of the redesigned site won't be too different from what we have now," said Kanemura. "Our objective is to balance content and advertising and hopefully make the experience much better for our readers."

One noticeable change is in the width of the pages — they will expand. The pages also will have a sleeker look. And use of color will be streamlined.

The search function will be higher on the Web page so it is easier to find. Links to other news sections and customer service areas also will be higher on the page.

The redesigned home page also will more clearly identify special projects, such as our Dispatches from Iraq, and special features.

Honoluluadvertiser.com will mark its sixth birthday this fall. Its 10-person staff posts 60 to 100 local photos each day. Some of the stories include links to related stories, sound or audio clips, message boards and other interactive features. For example, last week's story on the Akaka bill included links to the text of the bill and to the special edition of the Focus section published on April 10 that was dedicated to developing a deeper understanding of the bill.

Honoluluadvertiser.com will continue to undergo two major updates each day. The online staff starts its day by posting an "early" edition featuring top stories from that morning's Advertiser. Most local news stories and photos from the paper are on our site by 7 a.m. New local stories, including business and sports, are posted by noon. Our print edition has a daily deadline each day. That's never the case online, and some major stories may be updated throughout the day.

The redesign also includes a new content management system that automates some of the production work within the newsroom. That, Kanemura said, will free up time for the online staff to work on more interactive and multimedia projects for the site.

"We'll be adding features as the dust settles from our initial construction and launch," promises Kanemura. Those new features will include more online-only content.

Look for these changes as the summer progresses.

Senior editor Anne Harpham is The Advertiser's reader representative. Reach her at aharpham@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8033.