Mornings on the YDR website — rescued Chihuahuas, Chick-fil-A and Heather Warner
If you take a look at the ydr.com home page each morning, you might think it’s a random assortment of news, sports and entertainment, put together as things filter in throughout the day. But you would be wrong.
Instead, it’s a carefully crafted offering of stories designed to catch your attention and keep you informed. If we’re successful, you’ll read the stories, comment and share them with your friends.
A lot goes into story selection and headline choices. For example, you can find news of a chicken dinner in Red Lion on our website. But that’s not of broad interest to all of York County, so you probably won’t find it at the top of the home page. You’re more likely to see stories of high impact or high interest, or something quirky.
For example: “York County jobless rate jumps for June,” “Chick-fil-A restaurants crowded during controversial ‘Day of Appreciation’” or “13-year-old tattooed with 6-inch dragon.”
As for headlines, it’s important to convey the news accurately and succinctly. Better to say “Rescued Chihuahuas in York County adopted” than “Five of 200 Chihuahuas rescued from Columbia County home were adopted this week from York County SPCA.”
Over the years, we’ve noticed headlines with certain words seem to garner more interest, such as “motorcycle,” “naked,” “Amish,” “snow,” “I-83” and “Lady Gaga.”
There’s a lot you can learn from our “most viewed” list. York County likes Heather Warner, for example. The story of her leaving Fox 43 stayed in the No. 1 spot for a couple of days recently.
You also can’t beat something by Frank Bodani on Penn State.
And for those who say there is too much bad news, take a look at that list now and then. More often than not, the majority of “most viewed” stories will be about crime or other “negative” news.
Be assured, however, that we love the good news, too, and cover it every day. How can you resist a story about Smarty Jones enjoying the good life in racing retirement?
Our website is continually evolving, as we work to bring you the latest news, sports, entertainment and much more. We’d like your feedback. Comment here or email me directly: smartin@ydr.com.