Let's look at two examples of relaunches: j-dom 3.0 and HotWired 4.0. Both are regularly updated web sites. Both relaunched within week of each other but we did it very differently.

Here at j-dom we focussed very much on not only improving the design by making it easier for you, our wonderful readers, to get around and find everything that was going on each week but more importantly we've refocused the angle of our content slightly. Some of the changes are still rolling into view, like our new Summer Society section, others are already here, like our Guest column.

j-dom's relaunch has had a dramatic effect on our readership, more and more lovely people are coming to appreciate our humble offerings every week. We've classed it as a success.

Now let's take a look at HotWired. They did a massive redesign upheaving everything and changing it. No problems there but they really haven't changed their content that much, they've just made it harder to get to. Without any doubt I can safely say the HotWired has become much less user friendly. Add to that the fact that they're now toying with style sheets among other gizmos and you get to the point where supposedly avant garde design with gimmicks precludes what people are actually wanting to come and see. There a couple of notable exceptions, Suck and Wired News, which aren't actually but of HotWired itself but a part of the Wired Digital family and so aren't chained to following HotWired's design conventions.

I asked David Weir, Vice-President of Content at HotWired, what he had to say about accusations that HotWired 4.0 hadn't been the success they'd planned for due to the excessive techno jazz and a lack of content I've mentioned.

"On the contrary, it's a smashing success. Please tell me another major website (top 25) that realized a doubling of its daily traffic by a relaunch of this type? Our success, though, is best measured in creative terms. We go first. Other follow. We'll continue with the iterative process that is inherent to web development to refine and improve Hotwired. The users will determine our success in that effort over the long-term. And since the new Hotwired really celebrates interactivity, the users will *create* that success along with us."

A doubling of daily traffic might be a little of an exaggeration but what amuses is his assumption that HotWired IS the leader of the pack. If HotWired 4.0 is a celebration of all that is interactive I think I'll go and watch some TV.

© 1997 j-dom media. contact us.

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by Jason P. Kitcat [e-mail him]