The New York Times reports that newspaper websites "are not holding on to ad dollars, even while overall internet advertising is creeping back." The reasons why are complicated, but a number of industry folks tell the Times that more ads are going to ad networks, niche sites and low-cost alternatives to newspaper websites.

Continue ReadingNewspapers May Miss Out on Online Advertising’s Growth

The Weekly has completely redesigned its website and launched a corresponding mobile application. Among the cool new features on the site are a local business guide, a local song of the day on the site jukebox and feeds from local blogs and local, state and national news sources. "[The site] will be a boon to our community, expanding our content and how our readers can obtain and interface with it," Weekly CEO Bradley Zeve says. "It offers more in every way -- more accessibility and more content." The site and the mobile app were both designed in-house by longtime Weekly staffer Kevin Smith, who says he's happy to roll out the project to the public. "Plus," he adds, "maybe now I can have time to read my kids a good-night story."

Continue ReadingMonterey County Weekly Redesigns Website, Launches Mobile App

Last month, Robert Newman Design took a trip back through the Village Voice's cover archive to highlight some great design work; now he's trained his spotlight on Athens, Ga., alt-weekly Flagpole in a new collection posted to his Facebook page. "The Flagpole cover is a visual hybrid somewhere between the New Yorker and Seattle's The Stranger," Newman writes. "Flagpole's choice of illustrations (and the occasional photo) embrace a wide array of styles, but they are all cool."

Continue ReadingRobert Newman Highlights Some ‘Mind-Blowing’ Flagpole Covers

A New York judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit against the social networking giant, ruling that the site isn't responsible for false posts by users. In her ruling, Judge Debra James said that "Facebook is entitled to the liability shield conferred by the Communications Decency Act," which protects websites from defamation suits based on user-generated content.

Continue ReadingJudge Tosses Defamation Suit Against Facebook

The Phoenix was surprised to learn -- via a press release -- that the liner notes to Juliana Hatfield's new album Peace and Love were written by "Boston Phoenix music editor James Parker." Problem is, while Parker does contribute to the alt-weekly, he "spends most of his hours these days toiling for the Atlantic Monthly" and definitely is not the paper's music editor, Carly Carioli notes. "I was wondering why my chair felt a little tight," music editor Michael Brodeur says when asked about Parker's sudden promotion.

Continue ReadingJuliana Hatfield Appoints New Boston Phoenix Music Editor

As part of the Editorial Committee's long-range plans to make affordable online training available to its members, AAN is collaborating with Poynter's News University to provide members a discounted rate for an upcoming seminar on navigating online comments to foster community and civic dialogue. The webinar, which is scheduled for Nov. 5 at 2 pm Eastern Time, will be just $9.95 for the first 25 AAN registrants. (Get the discount code here.)

Continue ReadingAAN Partners with Poynter’s NewsU for Discounted Editorial Webinar