International Herald Tribune to launch site redesign

Posted by Mica Swyers on July 16, 2007 at 11:34 AM

Set to launch on July 17, the International Herald Tribune’s redesigned Web site will allow users to choose between five layout templates, focusing on greater interactivity and multimedia.

Rather than embedded video, the IHT site will use a Brightcove video player. This pop-up player is specifically designed for users with short attention spans, who prefer to play video while simultaneously clicking through the site. (Embedded video forces the reader to watch the video in entirety before visiting any other pages.)

“We though our resources were better spent on things that the reader wants to see, like photos on articles slideshows, and other multimedia,” said Steven Shattenberg, IHT’s director of digital operations. He explained that navigational changes will take advantage of CSS and Web 2.0 to create an orientation towards search engine optimization. In addition, there will be less emphasis on section front pages since according to Shattenberg, “most people don’t go to those pages anyway.”

The revamped IHT front page will also feature the same advertisement sizes as NYTimes.com with hopes of increasing cross-selling between the two titles.

Source: Press Gazette through European Journalism Centre