Big Plans for the Étudiant

There really hasn't been many a drastic change to this site since its early beginning in April 2006. Our recent mission has been two-fold:

1. Promotion - We've always had a steady amount of returning visitors (10-20 each day), but we could be doing much better in that category. Having "regulars" view our articles and comment on them is really our only measure of success. As I know from past experience, writing for a non-existent audience is wasteful. We also are distributing our articles to random news websites via ping.

2. Revamp - We've toyed around with changing the look of the site and those attempts failed as we are stuck now with what we started with. That said, the presentation of our content has undergone improvement: articles are easier to locate and the site is navigable. Another fun fact about me is that I'm never completely content. I always seem to have a desire to expand and to make things better. Call it the business side of me if you'd like. I haven't really talked it over with Ben, but basically the Étudiant will become a mega site filled with news, politics, music, sports, and more fun treats.

FAQ: Are we going to drop "Wakefield" from Wakefield Étudiant?
Most likely. Our content has diversified tremendously and I think it is only in our best interest to reach out to as many audiences as possible.

FAQ: Will you keep the blog format?
- Most likely not. Our most likely transition is into a website that has some blog functionality. One thing that is for certain -- the site will not be run on blogger.

FAQ: Is there a high probability that this might not turn out as you would like it to?
- Yes, there is a rather high chance that the new site could fail, but I would say there is an even greater chance that it won't. There is only so much we can do on an all-encompassing "Independent Journal" type of website.

FAQ: When will the new site be set for launch?
- We aren't really sure. It could take anywhere between a few weeks and a few months.

FAQ: What's it going to look like?!
- You are in luck as I have a sketch of what it could look like (with a few variations) below.