THE Oxford Mail’s website has been overhauled to give it a clean new look.

The update for our site – oxfordmail.co.uk – went live yesterday and our new homepage has been designed to make it simpler and easier to navigate, as well as offering new sections and more stories.

Pictures play a far greater part in the presentation on the home page, while we have also expanded the number of news and sports stories readers can see at a glance.

Entries for travel news – essential for commuters – and events are now listed side-by-side instead of obscuring each other as they did under the old design.

Oxford Mail assistant editor Jason Collie said the site is ‘deeper’ and less cluttered, with readers able to find more sections than before by scrolling down the page. That will work well particularly for people using tablets such as the iPad, he added.

We have also introduced a new section called What Is Trending in the UK, which displays the best stories from our sister papers across the country.

Mr Collie said: “The new lay-out has really freshened up and modernised the look of oxfordmail.co.uk and made it far more visually appealing.

“But at the end of the day, what is really important are the stories and other content.

“Readers can be reassured that whilst we have redesigned the appearance of the website, there will be no change in the best breaking and local news and sport being available online.

“One of the criticisms of the old design is that the page was very cluttered.

“What our designers have managed to do is increase what is on the homepage but clean up the layout and sweep away that perception of clutter.

“We have seen huge numbers of new readers coming to oxfordmail.co.uk over the past two years and we hope the site’s new layout will help continue that growth.”

It is the latest move in what has been an exciting 12 months for the Mail’s digital platforms.

WHAT ELSE WE OFFER

  • Follow us on Twitter. Our main Twitter account is @TheOxfordMail and we have a dedicated Oxford United account @OxfordMailOUFC. While that brings you all the latest U’s news during the week, you can also follow Oxford United matches ‘live’ with updates
  • We are also on Facebook: www.facebook.com/oxfordmail so give us a Like
  • You can also get news and sports alerts sent directly to your mobile. We’re the first British newspaper to use the messaging service WhatsApp. Simply text your name and NEWS, SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT depending on which service you want to 07767 417704, and save the number in your phone’s contacts and you’re good to go
  • Our features team and photographers are also on Twitter. Features staff Tim Hughes and Katherine MacAlister are on @OxMailTimHughes and @OxMailMacky, while our photographers Ed Nix, Richard Cave, Jon Lewis and Damian Halliwell are posting their images on their accounts @OxMailEdNix, @OxMailRichCave, @OxMailJonLews and @OxMailHalliwell
  • We are also covering the events of the First World War in ‘real time’ in our innovative Twitter account @OxfordMailWW1. We are tweeting both events from the front and also how the conflict is impacting back here on people in Oxfordshire as if it was 100 years ago
  • And you can read your paper on your iPad, Android tablet, Kindle Fire or iPhone or Android phone every morning with the Oxford Mail app. It is available by searching Oxford Mail at the App Store, Google Play or on Amazon.

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