Cowboy Caleb the liberal arts, grown-up stuff & random mischief

An Open Letter to The New Paper

Dear New Paper,

I enjoy reading your rag. It is full of well written articles about interesting things that would never have been reported in the Straits Times, unless they had space to spare due to slow ad sales.

Your recent article about illegal workers really blew my mind. I wonder how Melvin Singh managed to go totally gonzo on a bunch of people who had no reason to speak to him.

I also enjoy reading your sports columns. In fact, I religiously purchase a copy of your rag every Saturday just so I can be updated on football. All of your articles ooze attitude and uniqueness. I’m sure you are a bunch of pretty cool guys.

But your online Electric New Paper is a mess.

Firstly, it is ugly. Not pug-dog ugly, it is elephant-man ugly.

Secondly, it is user unfriendly. The navigation does not make sense. I can’t find DrMoney’s column easily anymore.

Thirdly, I know you can’t wait to hop into the blogosphere and tap into this growing segmant to grow your mindshare. But you don’t have a blog. I’m not sure what you have really. Tezza had a few words to say about your blog. Have you read them?

Obviously, I wouldn’t be complaining if I didn’t have suggestions. So why not consider the following?

1. Redesign your website. This time, pay somebody professional like Jim to get it done. Whomever did your last design has to go. Sorry but the truth bites. This page in particular has the worst flow I have ever seen. It’s 2005, not 1998.
2. Remove the required registration for posting comments. This is the main reason why the most number of comments you have ever had is 15. Do the math.
3. A blog without an RSS feed is like a boat without a sail. Without a feed, you will not even register on the blogosphere radar.
4. Getting Xiaxue on board was a good idea. But why are you editing her? Let her ramble on and on lah. It’s a blog. There are no word constrains. She’s more popular then anybody else and she didn’t have an editor to help her get there. Ergo, you need Xiaxue but she doesn’t need you.

Peace.

regards,
Cowboy Caleb

Singapore CEO blog

Over the weekend, I learnt that the CEO of NTUC Income Tan Kin Lian actually have blogs. While I won’t say he got “it” (putting his press statement online is hardly blogging), but it is definately a start.

heh..i’ll be ‘forwarding’ your ‘open letter’ to the pple at TNP eh! Have been telling them what a mess the Electric New Paper is and begging them to do something abt it but no one seems to be listening..

I don’t find anything wrong with NP. Don’t really read NP.