Welcome to a new Daily News
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/dn_wap.jpg” caption=”One of the new features of the Daily News is the ability to view it from a wireless handheld device. A version, designed exclusively for WAP enabled devices (such as cell phones or PDAs), includes the top three Daily News stories.”]Wireless technology and worldwide news syndication have revolutionized McMaster's Daily News Web site.
A brand new resource for McMaster's news and information launched today (Aug. 31) kicking off several state-of-the-art features. The new site now offers a version designed specifically for wireless handheld devices, an innovative feature that allows users with WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) enabled cell phones or PDAs to access the site without the use of a computer.
A wider audience will now have access to the site thanks to the utilization of several RSS feeds, which enable syndication of McMaster's stories to a wide variety of news sites around the world. This feature will improve public awareness of events at McMaster, enhance the University's connection to the community and bring to the Daily News Web site a technology already widely deployed at other post-secondary institutions.
Several other new features have been added to the site, including a media corner, a weather pop-up box, located on the left side of the page, a sports section and “printer friendly” and e-mail capabilities.
While many of the original Daily News features still exist on the site, they have been reorganized for easier site navigation. Some of the wording on the Daily News has been revised; for example, the 'Storymakers' section is now called 'McMaster in the News'.
The site also complies with accessibility guidelines by offering an “accessibility version” of the site, for those who use speech readers or who wish to view the text of the Daily News at a large font size. To view the accessibility version of the site, users can select an accessible version from a drop down list located on the left-hand navigation bar.
The site is best viewed using Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher or Netscape version 6 or higher. Please note the display may appear slightly different on each computer as there are a variety of settings in use.
The site was designed by the Office of Public Relations, and developed by Computing & Information Services, a major contributor in the initial development of the Daily News. The site was redesigned with help from campus and community feedback, through an online campus-wide survey and extensive consultation.
The site will continue to undergo transformations throughout the year and the Office of Public Relations is already thinking of new ways to further enhance the Daily News. To provide feedback or make news or events contributions e-mail daily@mcmaster.ca.
