When I checked my Google Reader this afternoon, I wondered why I got no updates from ABS-CBNNews.com. Not even one. Then I remembered the announcement yesterday about the news site’s “migration” to a new format and look.
Take a look at the new ABS-CBNNews.com site here.
Seeing the new frontpage is a pleasant surprise. Compared to the old one, the new frontpage looks better, gives the reader’s eyes plenty of breathing space and omits the whole gamut of elements that used to clutter it. However, the new site should have a big BETA attached to it because not all links are working. Actually, plenty of links aren’t working.
Another upside to the “migration” is the prominent place given to videos, which should have been the case since years back. ABS-CBN’s main strength is its TV news, so it is expected that the network’s main newscasts will have choice portions posted online. Perhaps these video excerpts may be the main or the second main offering.
Since the changes appear to be ongoing, I will not pass my personal judgment at the moment. I just wish to say that the cosmetic changes are very much welcome and should help arm ABS-CBNNews.com in the competition against the beautifully-executed and highly-usable GMANews.tv of rival GMA Network. Much needs to be done though, and I hope ABS-CBNNews.com and its Newsbreak partners would hire consultants and ask online subscribers and friends on the next bigger steps.
One thing that is oddly left out as of the moment is an online version of Citizen Patrol. Citizen journalism (or some version of it) is part of in ABS-CBN’s major newscast and had been given an edgier version in the last two elections (Boto Mo, i-Patrol Mo). ABS-CBNNews.com should have an online version of these citizen journalism projects as this may spell the big difference between ABS-CBNNews.com and rivals Inquirer.net and GMANews.tv.
The challenge is to design a most appropriate and user-friendly website from which to offer the rich content produced by its online news staff, the humongous ABS-CBN integrated news team and Newsbreak.