This morning while I was poking around on the ER website, I finally found something publisher Wolf Rosenburg had told me was coming a few weeks ago ( I have coffee with him about once a week ).
The ER “E-Edition” is online! Yay!
This is the newspaper in familiar form, looking just like it does when you unwrap it in the morning, except that it is not printed on “dead tree” format. Now don’t get me wrong, I like the traditional newspaper, but I also cringe sometimes when I have to recycle as much as 50-60 pounds of newsprint a month.
The new E-Edition solves this dilemma in a well formatted online version that’s more comfortable to browse than the chicoer.com website.
I had suggested something similar about a year ago to Wolf and to editor David Little, even offering to work up a demonstration, but I suspect they knew that the technology was already being put into place to make this possible. It’s being done by a company called Technavia which operates Newsmemory.com out of Burnsville, Minnesota. The ER subscribes to the service, and uploads hi-res Adobe PDF files of each typeset page of the newspaper, direct from their computer typesetting system.
It’s very cool, and free for now, but is expected to have a nominal subscription fee in the future. I’d subscribe, because I find I get much of my news online, except KPAY Newstalk1290 of course. Radio is still the best free news out there. If I felt like having the old familiar paper copy in my hands (like the Sunday edition) I’ll go buy one at the vending machine. There’s an easy to navigate archive, and you can click on any story or photo on the “printed” page to get the details.
Less trees used, less paper processing and waste-water, less energy used in transport, less energy used in printing, less energy used in printing, less energy used in transport of printed papers, less paper waste, less recycling issues.
In the new world of sustainability, the ER “E-Edition” is a win-win-win. I can get behind this idea because it just makes so much sense and is very easy to use. Try it out. Just go to www.chicoer.com and click on “E-Edition” right under the American Flag logo under “Enterprise Record” to sign up.
Or here is a direct link. They also have a mobile edition for PDA’s and IPhones.
Anthony,
That’s funny. I just found the e-edition last night. I had heard several commercials on the radio and finally decided to give it look. It’s a great idea. It is a unique interface that attempts to blend the hardcopy paper with electronic media.
Unfortunately, I’ve never been much of a newspaper reader. I’ve become accustomed to Drudge Report style of news interfaces, including the ER’s existing interface. We’ll have to see if people that like the print paper feel more comfortable with the e-edition than the interface with fewer bells-and-whistles. I’m going to give the e-edition a shot and see if I like it.
I heard you were on the local tube a couple of days ago. How did that work out?
Lon
It’s good to hear that people like you are appreciating getting “all the paper without all the paper”. At NewspaperDirect, we’ve been promoting a more sustainable reading experience for years and have over 550 full content digital editions for readers to enjoy. So far, our readers have saved over 14,000 trees.
If you want to give it a try, go to: http://www.pressdisplay.com and register with the offer code: Digital
….and enjoy a full month of unlimited access for free.
Cheers
Gayle