Recent visitors to The Northside Chronicle’s website, thenorthsidechronicle.com, may have noticed a few changes to its layout. Well, maybe more than a few.

The Chronicle launched the new version of its website in mid-January, and we think it is quite the step up. We’re still working out all the kinks and bugs caused by the transfer, but I am very happy with how improved the website looks from the change.

The block format of our new homepage provides easy readability and a nice way to scroll down through recently published articles. We have more graphics and photos featured on the page, making our stories and services pop out and catch the eye even more.

Beyond a visual improvement, the new iteration of our website also comes with several features which should be exciting for our readers. For one, you can now get weather information through us, thanks to a widget featured near the top of the screen.

Also at the top of the screen, on our new banner, are Classifieds and Marketplace tabs. The former is exactly as it sounds, a place to view classifieds submitted to us such as job postings, real estate offers or even pets that are available.

The Marketplace tab, meanwhile, is a place to learn all about local businesses on the Northside, as well as help wanted offers and information about area churches. Think of it as an introduction to the neighborhood, or a way for longtime locals to discover Northside features they never heard of before.

Scrolling a little further down, there are now three buttons on the homepage to allow you, our readers, an easier way to interact with and communicate with The Chronicle. Each of these buttons will take you to an easy to fill out submission form.

The Events button, as the name implies, allows users to submit information about events being held on the Northside, which will be published on our website for free. Beneath that is a Letters to the Editor button, allowing users to send in their thoughts and feelings to show up in the paper.

Finally, we have a button to allow readers to submit news tips to us. Is there something pressing going on in your neighborhood? Or maybe something good you’d like to see highlighted in the paper? Submitting a news tip is the best way to bring attention to such things and helps give you a role in shaping The Chronicle’s content.

Beneath the three buttons is our newest feature, polls! We’ll be running regular polls on our website, the results of which we plan to publish in our print edition.

Poll questions will range from serious to funny, and participants remain completely anonymous. We’ll also be announcing each new poll on our social media accounts.

With all these updates, I believe The Chronicle’s website is the best it has ever been. So why not pay us a visit at thenorthsidechronicle. com and check out all the changes?