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| We’re leaping into the current century — again |
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| Written by James Leonard | Patterson Irrigator | |
| Wednesday, 27 August 2008 | |
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What’s new The Irrigator’s Web presence is getting a major boost today and will continue to in the weeks and months ahead. Here are some of the changes to look for at www.pattersonirrigator.com.
 James Leonard - Editor's Notes I was the Irrigator’s sports editor when those changes were made, and I remember some positive and a good amount of negative public reaction to them — even the color photography. I likened it to parents watching a child grow up — it’s nice to see them grow into themselves and become their own person, but it’s still a little sad to watch your baby change. Eventually, though, people either started to like the new Irrigator or simply realized there wasn’t much they could do about it. Either way, I don’t get a whole lot of complaints about it these days. Well, the Irrigator is embarking on its next transformation today. No, we’re not going to serve you the news by way of a 3-D hologram delivered on a microchip — not yet, anyway. (I know a certain publisher emeritus who was probably getting a little worried for a second there.) But we are pushing our own boundaries when it comes to technology. And we can’t wait for you to see it all. When you read this paper or visit www.pattersonirrigator.com today, you probably won’t notice much of a difference right away. We’re not overhauling the design of our Web site or our print edition, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t huge changes under the surface. The one I’m most excited about, personally, is video. That’s right, video. Moving pictures. We’ve recently purchased an inexpensive camcorder and started up a YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/pattersonirrigator). Starting today, we’re going to add video content to some of our articles and create stand-alone videos, all of which can be viewed at our site. We’ve got a few videos up already, so you can get an idea of what we have in mind. One marks the rebirth of our Street Beat feature — in which we ask people around town a different question each week — in video form. Another is a little highlight reel from Tuesday’s Patterson High football practice. In the coming weeks and months, you can expect to find interviews with local candidates for office, breaking news (such as fires, accidents, etc.) and plenty of sports, all in the “Video” section of our Web site and embedded in our articles. Our next bit of exciting news is that the Irrigator today is entering the blogosphere — and we’re diving in head-first. No fewer than five staff blogs are now accessible by going to our site and clicking on “Blogs.” They range from “PI Connect,” a blog devoted to Patterson news, to “Aperture Priority,” a blog focusing on photography and photojournalism by our own set of eyes, Elias Funez. For the hundreds of regular visitors to www.pattersonirrigator.com and all the new ones we hope to attract, these blogs will supplement your online experience by offering breaking news, quirky tidbits, in-depth analysis and more. Make them part of your daily browsing. You won’t be disappointed. Even our ever-popular Football Contest — in which readers try to guess the winners of college and pro football games — is making the transition to the Web. In just a couple of weeks, you’ll be able to go online, fill in your information and make your picks for each game in the contest. No more unnecessary trips to our office or wadded-up entries stuffed in envelopes — I guess you could say we’re going green on this one. But don’t worry. Those of you who aren’t quite ready to play the Football Contest online or just like to come down and see our smiling faces once a week will still be able to pick up a printed version of the Football Contest entry form at our front desk. The final aspect of this Web site revitalization is something we’ve already started and — judging by our increased traffic over the past few months — something many of you are already getting used to. We started posting breaking news on our site some time ago, and lately we’ve been working on perfecting how and when we do it. Our goal now is to provide you with fresh, new content at least every weekday — and some on weekends, especially during football season. Most stories will still get posted to the Web site the day they run in the paper, but some will now be available even earlier than that. In addition to the breaking news that we post as soon as it happens, we’ll post other stories of particular interest or timeliness throughout the week. This is a very exciting time for the staff of the Irrigator — a little scary, maybe, but mostly exciting — and we hope you’re getting excited along with us. Beyond anything else, these changes we’re making will allow us to provide the best possible news coverage for our readers. We want to be the only place you go when you need to know what’s going in Patterson, and we think we’re moving strongly in that direction. Join us for the ride. And please don’t hesitate to contact us with suggestions, concerns or new ideas. To contact Managing Editor James Leonard at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Our blogs The Irrigator launched five staff blogs today. Here’s a rundown.
Members of the Patterson community with their own blogs can have them listed on the Irrigator Web site at no charge. To have your blog listed on our site, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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Hey, it's so great to see all this new content. Congratulations you guys! I definitely look fo rward to checking out the blog posts.
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