Stuff redesign: All the stuff you ever wanted

March 4, 2009

Stuff redesign: All the stuff you ever wanted

Fairfax Media has launched a major upgrade of Stuff.co.nz - New Zealand’s leading news, sport and entertainment website.

The upgrade to the design, functionality and underlying infrastructure of Stuff is the first since December, 2006, and builds on the long-established success of the site - voted New Zealand’s Site of the Year in the most recent NetGuide Awards.

In a typical month, Stuff is visited by 2.5 million1 total unique browsers. This upgrade will provide readers with more opportunity than ever before to participate in the site’s community by contributing photos, videos, news tips and enhanced commenting. The new site will also provide better, richer and faster access to breaking news and commentary from around New Zealand and internationally.

The new site will give readers a high degree of control over what content appears on their Stuff homepage - providing easy, personalised, access to news and information on everything from what’s going on in their local neighbourhood, through to coverage of their favourite sport or celebrity.

Fairfax Media’s Group Head of Digital, Stephen Smith, said Stuff is the first large media website in New Zealand to offer homepage personalisation to its readers.

“Fairfax Media has hundreds of journalists and photographers throughout the country, providing around-the-clock coverage on Stuff and local newspaper sites. But our readers also play a vital part in the success of the site and this upgrade puts the focus on them,” he said.

The upgrade also includes significant improvements to the websites for Fairfax’s stable of metropolitan and regional newspapers, including The Dominion Post, The Press and Waikato Times.

Additionally, a suite of new websites for the Auckland Suburban community newspapers has been launched, bringing comprehensive local news and advertising to individual suburbs.

Readers will also be able to search a comprehensive events calendar on Stuff and the newspaper sites for happenings around the country – or in their neighbourhood.

Fairfax Media announced in December that an upgrade to Stuff and the website was imminent and was inundated with feedback from loyal readers.

Comments included everything from detailed feature requests through to the strongly expressed view that Stuff is “the best news site, please keep it that way”.

“For thousands of New Zealanders, Stuff is their daily entry point to the internet and through this upgrade we hope to improve their ability to access the best in news, information and entertainment.”

The upgrade also includes significant enhancements to what goes on ‘under the hood’ of Stuff aimed at making the site more user friendly and providing faster page loads for readers.

Smith said the launch was only phase one of the project. A series of additional enhancements were planned for release over the coming months.

1Source: Nielsen Online July - December 2008

ENDS

© Scoop Media