Next Thursday, this will be the new face of Inlander.com. We think the site is more robust, more dynamic and will better serve you. We also find it a heck of a lot handsomer than the one you’re looking at right now.
But, more importantly, we want to know your impressions. What do you think of the look and feel, of the structure and the searchability? About the fact that you can find bars with shuffleboard in north Spokane?
Throughout the site, you'll see a number of links to our feedback form. Please take a
minute to send us your thoughts on the look, the navigation, the
searchability — whatever you can think of — so we can make the site work
even better for you. You can also just drop us a comment at the bottom of this page.
Our main goals for this re-design were to make Inlander.com more usable and to make it a better showcase for the content we produce on a daily basis.
Take our section pages. Before, you only had access to about 15 stories at a time. Now, the sky’s the limit. We’ll show you the last half-dozen CD reviews, and with a click of the mouse you’ll have access to every review we’ve written since Moby was cool.
Then there's our front page. We’ll still showcase a handful of stories there each day, but now you can also find links to all of our other content there, too — recent stories from each section, older stories of on-going importance, and our blog.
You read that right. The Inlander has finally embraced the so-called “web-log,” or whatever the youth today are calling it. Taking a tip from The Stranger’s Slog, we’ve created one, multi-topic uber-blog, where you’ll find Michael Bowen’s theater musings, Leah Sottile’s weekend music previews and reviews, breaking news, news wrap-ups, and (if you’re lucky) the occasional hilarious cat video.
And if you only want to read Daniel Walters’ television criticism, just click the little “TV” tag above the headline. Then it’s all TV, all the time.
But the best thing you can find from the front page? That yellow sticky note in the top right corner. Throughout the site, that sticky note is your portal to our new and way improved events system. That’s right: The best music and entertainment listings in the Inland Northwest are now searchable, sortable, shareable and Twitter-able.
Want to catch a Space Opera 77 show this weekend? We’ll tell you when and where (and we’ll explain exactly what the hell “Space Opera 77” is). But let’s say you want to grab a drink first. We’ll show you what’s nearby. And if, after the show, you’re overcome with an urge to play shuffleboard at a north-side bar, our Places system can show you where (and how to get there).
Of course, we’re continuing to tweak things. Certain areas of the site are still under minor construction. Which is where we need your input. What could we do better? What would help you more easily find what you’re looking for? Even after our official launch on March 18, we’ll be experimenting — with more multimedia and with mobile technology, especially.
The Inlander is now 16 years old, and like any 16-year-old, we’re eager to push our boundaries. We hope you’ll come steam up the windows of Grandpa’s car with us.
