As part of their plan to increase national recognition and prominence, The Feather staff is expanding its website. The new webpage will feature a more streamlined approach to article access and make the site easier to explore.

The staff wanted a cleaner appearance with better use of white space to make it easier to access articles. When looking at other online newspapers, most sites place an emphasis on clean design, navigation and interactivity as well as graphics and writing.

“We are changing the functionality and navigation to make it easier to navigate and cleaner,” David Martens, technology director, said. “We are still in the midst of setting it up. The students have been working for four weeks daily, so it has taken a lot of time.”

The revised webpage is designed to give The Feather a new appearance and to incite student interest in the online edition of The Feather. Additionally, the new layout is expected to improve potential in competitions, not only in the Valley but also nationwide.

“We are preparing for a competition that will give us recognition on a national level,” Martens said. “The great thing is that the students are doing all the work. Computer IV is doing all the design work, whereas other schools would use outside sources to create their webpage.”

Web design students are also energized about the opportunity to expand their skills.

“I enjoyed making the new webpage,” Doug DenHartog, ’05, said. “The database language we used was unique, so that was a challenge. The new webpage is a lot easier to manage, and I think people will definitely enjoy it.”

After three years of utilizing their current layout design, The Feather staff decided it was time to upgrade to a more modern look.

“Technology and web design are constantly changing,” Greg Stobbe, Feather adviser, said. “Our old front end served us well for three years, and students were the ones asking to have a hand in upgrading our site. Every educator hopes that students take that kind of responsibility in their class.”

Through this project, The Feather hopes to enhance their ability to provide students with educational links, archive information and study help. Stobbe expects the improvements to be implemented by the beginning of the second semester. The Feather’s URL address will not change and will continue to be www.thefeather.com.