Light’s new website designed ‘with La Jollans in mind’
By Light Staff
The La Jolla Light relaunched its website this week, continuing its commitment to provide the community with up-to-the-minute news and information. The site is enhanced to offer more interactive features, is easier to navigate and provides the same content found in the weekly print edition, plus more.“A lot of thought and expertise went into planning and redesigning the new lajollalight.com,” Light Publisher Phyllis Pfeiffer said. “We are very pleased with the outcome and think our readers will appreciate the changes we’ve made.”
Pfeiffer said the goal is to move onto a platform that will allow the Light to keep up with ever-changing technology.
“Moving forward, we want to be able to evolve our website to consistently meet La Jolla’s need for timely, relevant and local information. In just the first two weeks with the new platform, we’ve seen huge improvements in our readers’ abilities to find the information they’re looking for.”
The Light hired Calacles, a La Jolla-based online consulting firm,
www.calacles.com
, to develop, design and launch the site.“The staff at Calacles did a great job of working with us to design a site with La Jollans in mind,” said Halie Johnson, online content and engagement editor for the Light and its sister papers.
As the site evolves, Johnson said the Light plans to host community bloggers.
“If you have a good idea for a blog about life in La Jolla, I’d like to talk to you,” she said.
The site will also feature a video player, user-submitted photos and will host online contests.
“Our first contest is for the best holiday lights, so get your tinsel and ladder ready and be sure to snap some photos,” Johnson said.
Calacles specializes in effectively using social media and search engine optimization to help companies get their message out. The Light now has a contract with Calacles to extend that expertise to local La Jolla businesses by building their websites.
The new home page highlights the most current La Jolla news and feature stories, profiles about fascinating local people, the work done in our businesses, schools and research institutions, the activities of community groups and photo galleries filled with local faces.
“The Light has always worked hard to shine a spotlight on the people, places and events that make our community unique,” said Light Editor Kathy Day. “We now have a website that truly gives these stories the play they deserve.”
“Articles about health and science, local athletes, cultural institutions, the local housing market, restaurants and businesses are easy to find from the home page,” Day said.
The site also features classifieds, obituaries, a business directory, open house listings and plenty of helpful information for visitors.
“We work hard to give La Jollans plenty of options for local entertainment with our arts and entertainment calendar, which is very comprehensive on the web,” said Lifestyles Editor Susan DeMaggio. “Watch for our upcoming restaurant reviews and expanded coverage of La Jolla’s cultural institutions.”
Day said the Light also strives to provide a forum for community discussion.
“Residents can still use our site to voice their opinions by posting comments at the end of any story. They can contact us using our online submission form to send letters to the editor, news pitches and other announcements.”
Stories that were published before Aug. 1 are not available on the new site yet.
“We hope to have those stories archived in the next month,” Johnson said.
“We’d love to hear what you think,” Pfeiffer said.
Contact Halie Johnson at
halie@lajollalight.com
, Kathy Day atkday@lajollalight.com
or Susan DeMaggio atsusandemaggio@lajollalight.com
or call the office at (858) 459-4201.