Since AAN unveiled the re-conceptualized AltWeeklies.com last month, the response from members and the public has been overwhelmingly positive. Web traffic has jumped significantly, and the rise in visitors has brought increased attention to some of the site’s new features, such as the blog directory and ‘Best of the City’ map and directory. AAN and Desertnet are continuing work on the site, and welcome feedback and suggestions.

As visitors explore the new site, be sure to check out the following features, and send us updated information as needed.

• Autoposter API: Instead of manually submitting stories to AltWeeklies.com, members now have the option to tweak their CMS so that their stories are automatically submitted to the site. Click here for the technical details on how to set it up.
• Blog Directory: It seems that nearly every week, a new blog is launched on one of our 132 member publications’ websites. In other cases, blogs are merged or renamed. The best way for members to ensure that their blogs are accurately represented is to check out the list and send us a note if we’re missing anything. In addition to appearing on the blog list, we track the latest blog posts on the feature “AltWeeklies Blogosphere” on our homepage. Be sure to add your blog to the AAN list so that your posts appear on the homepage. AAN hopes to add a feature soon that will allow members to directly add their blogs to the site.
• Best of the City: This feature existed on the previous version of AltWeeklies.com, but has been given added prominence in the form of a map on the bottom of the homepage. In the Best of the City directory, users can find links to the Best Of feature on each member site. The Best Of listed migrated from the old site, so please be sure to check out the directory and send us an updated link if necessary.
• Company Pages: Each AAN member publication has a designated company page with contact info, a staff list, and a cover photo. Since the new site allows for larger photos with higher resolution, members may want to update their images. Publications can send updated cover photos here. In addition, members should check to ensure that their staff roster is up to date. To add staff members, sign them up for an AAN account by clicking here. This will give them access to members-only portions of the site, including the resource library and the ability to comment on news articles.