Manchester Evening News has today unveiled its new website, which aims to be "less cluttered", and offers new features such as "mobile and tablet friendly" photo galleries and a "Your Area" section to surface content based on specific geographical areas.
In an announcement detailing the changes, the Trinity Mirror-owned news outlet said the design aims to place "greater emphasis on new and recently updated articles" with a clearer publication date or time stamp on each article, as well as new markers to highlight stories which are updated, exclusive or live.
The site has also introduced full-screen picture galleries, which it adds have been made "mobile and tablet friendly". Also on the mobile front, the news outlet's mobile website "has also been given a refresh because we know that’s how a lot of you want to get your news", the announcement adds.
Among the changes unveiled today include the move to require readers to sign in with their Facebook account to comment on articles, as was announced earlier this month. Trinity Mirror's digital publishing director David Higgerson discussed this in a post on his personal blog at the time.
MEN's website has also produced a guide for users detailing exactly how to use the commenting facility.
Below is a shot of the former Manchester Evening News website, taken in October last year after the site launched a new daily liveblog:
Speaking to Journalism.co.uk today, following the site relaunch, Higgerson said while the old website had "served MEN very well" it was "starting to show its age" in terms of design.
The new design aims to make it clear to readers how often the site is being updated, "and showcase a lot of content at the same time", he said.
He added that by focusing on local audiences, it is hoped that this will help "drive a bigger response rate for local advertisers".
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