City Newspaper Case Study

Overview
City Newspaper is greater Rochester's largest alt-weekly and it is the premier source for news and entertainment. The paper publishes every Wednesday and is available free at more than 800 spots around Rochester and Monroe County, reaching about 100,000 readers. City contacted Seen Creative in need new web site that would better highlight their content and encourage community interactivity.

Challenges
The previous website was lacking both visually and technically. We set out to create a better sense of community on the web site and encourage interactivity with the various types of content:

• Showcase the various types of editorial content (articles, blogs, etc)
• Encourage interactivity with the content through comments and reviews
• Provide a better sense of community by highlighting local talent (artists, venues, etc)
• Create a comprehensive Restaurant Directory and allow user ratings
• Compile local events into one easy-to-use calendar and allow event submissions
• Simplify the site-wide navigation and information structure
• Ensure that the site was widely compatible and standards compliant
• Build an easy-to-use content management system

Solution
To address the list of challenges, we first built a framework and content management system that would allow easy publishing of a variety of content. This framework focuses on interactivity, allowing all types of content to have comments and reviews. Some specific features that have been very successful are the Artist Profile section, where local artists can signup and add their songs, photos, videos, and add upcoming shows; the Dining Guide, where local restaurants are catalogued allowing users to give their rating; the Events section, where local events are compiled into a single, searchable calendar; and the Blogs, where users can comment on various topics. The entire site was tied together with a simple, usable design that reflected the existing City Newspaper brand.

Services Provided

• Consulting
• Web Design and Development
• Custom Content Management Software
• Database Architecture

Process
Duration: 5 months
Deliverables: Web Site Files and Assets, Content Management Software