I'm not sure when it happened (as I don't check it very often) but when I saw the new logo on the Star's web site, I briefly (while the rest of the page loaded) hoped they might have come to their senses and redesigned the site with better navigation, more news, etc.

...alas, it's now probably twice as bad as it was before. The main news stories are now crushed between competition links on the left and two(!) columns of flashing adverts on the right.

http://www.sheffieldtoday.net/

...what a mess, time to consider a new design agency perhaps? :P

(PS. Noticed some Google ads on their site, which makes me think they might be struggling to sell their space. Charging slightly more realistic prices might be a good start...)

I agree Geoff
it looks especially poor when you compare it with this one from Manchester.
http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/today/

and they seem to have the slowest servers known to mankind! Got bored before it loaded and gave up!

Yes, it's amazingly slow considering the amount of money and resources available to them via their parent company. I noticed the server had recently been upgraded from Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003. They should try moving to Linux ;)

As for where it's hosted, it seems to be a Johnston Press owned machine in a Pipex (ex FirstNet/GXN) data centre. It's probably a Pentium II with 64mb of RAM :P

I would invite them to answer the criticisms regarding their site's design and speed - but their previous record at responding to e-mails is awful and besides, them having such a bad site helps the likes of Sheffield Forum and other independent sites ;)

Ouch.....

Even worse is the fact that you get a 404 error if you click on the 'About Us' link.

It looks very much like a configured portal site rather than a 'bespoke' web site.

Not at all impressive.

Joe

I feel the news content has been sized down too? :(

I also read news from my local paper back in Corby and their site has had this similar format for a while now. I too preferred the old format

www.northantsnews.com

Who cares?

Is anyone so anally retentive to post comments on the Sheffield Star's website??

Geoff? surely this site is merely a clone of b2b or alike's free message board software?

Get a life

well, considering this site is the sheffield forum, and its a website, about sheffield
and the star is a sheffield newspaper, and its a website, about sheffield.. I see nothing wrong with taking an interest in it

Originally posted by thegayguide
Who cares?

Is anyone so anally retentive to post comments on the Sheffield Star's website??

Geoff? surely this site is merely a clone of b2b or alike's free message board software?

Get a life

Glad you're making an effort to make friends and infuence people....

Quite a few of us on here are Web Developers and, sad gits we may be, we find it interesting. Look at the quality of sites provided by local news papers in the US, for example, and you find a great deal more variation and emphasis on the news.

Not living in Sheffield anymore I rely on the Star's web site and the Sheffield Forum for news and gossip. I must say the Star web site is not very exciting. I can read the main parts in seconds. I logged on the other day and I must admit I didn't recognize it. Ahhh it's changed. I thought I'd been re-routed to another website by spyware!

I've noticed that you can only access info going back as far as 1995.
Considering how long the Telegraph and Star have been in circulation this could be viewed as pathetic!
As a regular subsciber to this organ and financial benefactor to the local Paperboy I am never to amazed at how apparently useless this paper is!
Needless to say I suppose it follows suit that their website will look like some heath-robinson affair contrived over a late evening of Kebabs and Smirnoff cocktails, Not that this makes them bad people!

Originally posted by thegayguide
Is anyone so anally retentive to post comments on the Sheffield Star's website??
Because it's one of the major sources of local news (in theory).

A good enough reason for you? :rolleyes:

Considering this is only your 5th post since March, can we assume you have some connection with the Star perhaps?

They have a dilemma don't they?
If the site is too good they won't sell any Stars to folks that have access to the web.
As we know they detest competition and have bought out almost every alternative paper in the city over the past thirty years -and at one time also tried to buy up all the news shops.
But to bring the picture right up to date.They cannot compete in the new electronic world especially against established and effective sites like Sheffield Forum.
I looked up the Sheffield Today site when I was abroad earlier this month and it was a day behind.Perhaps ought to be re-named Sheffield Yesterday.
And as someone said before their Archives are worthless.

It gets better.....

Just try this URL :

http://www.sheffieldnewspapers.co.uk/

I believe their firewall is set up a little agressively!

Joe :-)

Originally posted by JoePritchard
It gets better.....

Just try this URL :

http://www.sheffieldnewspapers.co.uk/

I believe their firewall is set up a little agressively!

Joe :-)

:lol:

And these people expect us to buy their newspapers?! BWAHA! Even I can set up a better web site and I'm not a proffessional! :lol:

i've only bought the star a couple of times, to see some articles about planning stuff for uni, and both times i was appalled at the level of writing within the article, misprints and spelling mistakes everywhere, bad layouts, sentances that don't make sense, VERY biased stories and a lack of worthy news. I know its a local newspaper, and probably a valid source of information for local people with the classifieds and announcements etc, but there really is nothing to the journalism. sorry if this offends anyone, just my opinion really!

I have no connection whatever with the Star, or its website, I just take exception to people making a cheap swipe at someone else's efforts, and blowing there own trumpet.

Get a life Geoff you sad git

Blowing my own trumpet?! I never said anything about Sheffield Forum's design - try reading it again. As for taking a cheap swipe at the Star - they have hundreds of thousands of pounds to spend on designers and infrastructure - I was merely pointing out how badly they seemed to have spent it. Are we not allow to give our opinions on our only major local news publication?!

I'm sure "thegayguide" must have some reason for his/her attitude - but I have no idea what it might be! :lol:

By the way, adding personal insults to each of your posts tends to devalue your argument and generally says more about you than me... ;)

He called you a sad git... BAN BAN!

Originally posted by thegayguide
I have no connection whatever with the Star, or its website, I just take exception to people making a cheap swipe at someone else's efforts, and blowing there own trumpet.

Get a life Geoff you sad git

You must be a troll, you've said **** all so far that's made any sense

£175 for a link to your business on the Stars' site.

Never again I can tell you.

I have to say with the resources they have the site is pants.

Originally posted by thegayguide


Get a life

Get a life your self, fella. Back up your point with evidence, or disappear! Especially before having a go...

Well, to be fair, Geoff is a sad git....

Stop getting off-topic Sidla... :P :P

Its quicker to wait for the paper to be printed and buy it then wait for the site to load up...

Originally posted by Sidla
Well, to be fair, Geoff is a sad git....

YER FIRED!

Sticking up for the boss RULES! :lol:

I noticed as well that the Star site had been redesigned, and it has become far slower than the previous incarnation.

Last week when I tried to get on I just got server error messages. (I like to have a look occassionally)

It is a pretty terrible site; in technical and content terms. (171 validation errors, and massively inefficient table based layout, if this was a bit more efficient it wouldn't put the server under so much strain).

This no doubt stems from the fact that most local papers are part of large media companies, who have been sold (or developed) expensive content management systems, which they are forced to use throughout the group

I believe part of the problem is probably that most local papers are NOT really there to provide news, but to sell advertising space - the news side of it is just to give people a reason to want to buy 32 pages of ads. This attitude is just transferred online, except with even less news in there - hence columns of banner ads for local businesses, but even less content to make it worthwhile people viewing them! I think for local news I would be onto BBC South Yorkshire!

The Star probably sell their website advertising on the same basis as print advertising, i.e. in a certain position for a certain amount of time, rather than the now more standard Google method, which at least tries to show adverts contextually, and pay for click throughs.

If I was advertising to a local audience, I'm sure I'd get much better value from Google. Or even from this site, which is free! :-)

Incidentally, one positive thing I noticed was they now provide an RSS news feed.