Big Thinking for Small Papers: 5 Easy Ways to Improve your Website.

"New" doesn't mean "radical" but it does mean implementing innovative twists. Community newspapers can do this without hiring completely new staff or spending lots of money: chances are they already have resources they can tap into. At the American Press Institute's seminar "Internet Strategies for Community Markets," Jennifer Carroll, vice president of new media at Gannett, and Jan Schaffer, director of J-lab at the University of Maryland, presented strategies smaller newspapers can use to engage more readers and boost Web traffic. Among their top ideas:

1. Don't forget the base:

   Newspapers are still about news. Users expect their newspapers to provide breaking information. Luckily, newspapers are also best at this, says Jennifer Carroll. Southwest Florida's News-Press hired a team of traveling reporters just to break news online. Across the country, these mobile journalists ("mojos") gather information and post in real time. Timestamps are important because they show the reader that you are indeed updating the site as news occurs.

2. Present data interactively:

   Newspaper companies have extensive data readily available on things like crime statistics, property taxes, and death notices. Creating databases out of this information allows you to provide it in an interactive way to your readers. Minnesota Public Radio featured a "plan-your-own-budget" game by using data on the costs of government expenditures. The program also compared players' budgets with the government's. The average user of this game was under 35. Mash-ups, or the combination of one database with another, also provide useful information. Chicagocrime.org pairs local data on crime with Google Maps to track crime in a visual way.

3. Let everyone in:

   Both Schaffer and Carroll see lots of citizen participation in the future of news Web sites. Give readers a chance to participate by setting areas for users to post articles or blogs. Sites like coastsider.com and backfence.com let readers post and comment on news events. Providing outlets for local participation means readers will come to your site instead of starting their own.

4. Interactivity on a shoestring:

   Everyone loves high-tech interactive programs, but financing them can be difficult. Jan Schaffer points out that many Web sites are willing to share their code. Gothamgazette.com's Ground Zero Planner borrowed the program from another Web site. Another often overlooked resource is local community colleges. Schaffer says that many of these schools have great computer science programs with students who are looking for experience with Web design. Mymissourian.com, madisoncommons.org, and Hartsville Today all use student contributed web content.

5. Appeal to niches:

   As consumers segment themselves by the kind of information they take in, general-interest newspapers may seem less relevant. The newspaper's Web site, with its capacity for excess information storage, changes that. You can appeal to niche interests as well as the general public by creating interest-specific blogs, forums, or e-newsletters. The Washington Post's Lean Plate Club started as a column by Sally Squires but has now expanded to include an e-newsletter and a discussion forum for health-conscious readers. Wickedlocal.com features forums on a myriad of user-decided subjects, from local construction to global entertainment.