redorbit.com : Text of report in English by Thailand-based Burmese publication Irrawaddy website on 5 February.You’ve probably noticed The Irrawaddy’s new Web site design. It’s now easier than ever to locate the latest news, information and opinion, in addition to an expanded multi-media section with more photographs and video stories.
The managing editor of The Irrawaddy magazine, Kyaw Zwa Moe, said the goal of the redesign is to give more information to readers in an easy, accessible format that is user-friendly and interactive.
The new design also allows readers to write directly to the Web site by using the comment box located at the bottom of a story.
Six different designs of The Irrawaddy’s website since 2000. (irrawaddy.org, 6 Feb)
“The new Web site is part of our mission to provide information and in-depth analysis in a Web site that meets professional, international standards,” said Kyaw Zaw Moe. “This marks a significant evolution in our online history.
“The redesign is part of our preparation to play a more significant role in the world of news and opinion and to prepare for future events such as the September demonstrations.” The Irrawaddy Web site and other exiled media groups provided unprecedented information to the world during the 2007 pro-democracy uprising. Our reporters and stringers inside Burma sent exclusive news, photographs and video which were posted on the Web site on an hourly basis in some cases.
The Irrawaddy print magazine, which began publishing in 1993, celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. The Web site was launched in 2000 and has undergone six redesigns.
Since the launch of the new Web site, we have received complimentary comments.
Amphol Kongkeaw, our Thai Web master, who joined The Irrawaddy team a few months ago diligently helped in the redesign.
“The navigation through the site is easier and clearer,” he said. “The Web site is designed to be more resistant to virus infection as we try not to use the scripts which are vulnerable to Web site infections.”
Senior Web master Moe Kyaw, said, “We will always try to update the Web site to be more convenient and friendly for our readers. The new site can be loaded faster and is also more visible to search engines like Google. It’s designed to optimize search engine performance.”
The technical staff at The Irrawaddy is still perfecting the design which should be completed in a few more months.
In the near future, the redesign will include the Burmese- language version of the Web site, making it more accessible to Burmese readers.
The redesign has taken into account readers inside Burma who have complained that internet speed is very slow inside the country. We have optimized our design to download more efficiently.
The Web site received 12 to 15 millions hits per month before the 2007 crackdown. During the uprising and in the following months, we received about 39 million hits and up to 180,000 unique visitors a month.
