New experience awaits YDR readers
Odds are, you are reading this article on a smartphone.
If not, probably a tablet or your desktop computer at work.
And some of you are holding a piece of paper with ink on it.
You might have found this article on the home page of YDR.com, or on our new mobile app. Perhaps you followed a link from Facebook. And maybe you are walking toward your house after having plucked the paper off the driveway and noticed the headline on the front page.
Every day, readers consume the work of the York Daily Record/Sunday News across many platforms, each with its own advantages and peculiar needs.
Next week, our media company launches new tools that will significantly improve your ability to read news across the spectrum of mobile, web, tablet and print.
Website: At YDR.com, you will notice faster updates, bolder use of photos, easier-to-follow navigation and article pages that are more attractive, inviting and useful. News alerts will help you know right away when something that matters to you has just happened. You will find it easy to share stories and photos with your friends, and to comment on any story. Click an arrow at the sides of any article and quickly slide into the next article posted. And you can tailor the basic design of the home page just by toggling a display button.
Mobile app:
If you launch your old standby YDR app today, you should be prompted to go to the app store and download a new version of the free YDR app. If you’ve never used our app, now is a great time to try it — just go to the app store and search for “York Daily Record.” This speedy presentation of all the day’s news is one of the fastest ways to keep up with local happenings. You should find that more articles are layered with photos, videos and links to related material. The YDR app will keep you up to date and entertained all day and all night.
Search and social: Many of our changes will improve your ability to find YDR content when using Google or other search engines. We will continue to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and many other social media sites to keep you apprised of the latest news and the stories that are trending locally.
Print:
The paper in your hands should still look and feel like the York Daily Record. But you will notice articles and photos that are more eye-catching and inviting. The typography is a bit easier to read. In fact, you might have already noticed the improved design of the obituaries, which first appeared in the paper last week. You will also see more outstanding articles and photos from our parent company, Gannett. We are part of the largest newspaper company in America, which publishes everything from the Arizona Republic to USA Today. This vast network will help fuel a morning paper that will be harder and harder to put down.
In the end, of course, design schemes and tech tools mean nothing if they don’t help you navigate your day, make better decisions and better understand your community. Every reporter, photographer, clerk and editor at YDR is committed to improving your local news experience. We understand that the York Daily Record is a critical public service designed to inform, entertain, document and reflect the everyday moments and once-in-a-lifetime events that shape York County. We are excited because these new tools will help us improve those efforts on your behalf.
So in the coming days, flip through your paper. Swipe your app. Scroll through the website. And tell us how we are doing. We hope you feel compelled to encourage your friends to try #AllNewYDR.