I decided that a change was needed at NorthumberlandView.ca. All of the content is the same, just the look is new. I was never really happy with the way the site looked after I switched to the new theme (I think it was the green). I like the new one a whole lot better. This is the fourth incarnation of the site (or regeneration if you’d prefer, if we were going by Doctor Who, this would be the Tom Baker version, the one with the scarf. Or if you would prefer going by James Bond [I wouldn't] this would be the Timothy Dalton version).

It’s a cleaner look, (as my sister put it, “less bitmappy”) and I’ve added the bar at the top of the page which gives a few shortcuts to important information about NorthumberlandView.ca (About Us, Contact Us and most importantly, how to Advertise with NorthumberlandView.ca). You can also make NorthumberlandView.ca your home page with the click of a mouse.

I’ve checked and re-checked the layout in the most popular browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome and Safari) and it’s nice and consistent. There are other browsers out there and I hope that if there are any problems, you’ll let me know.

Another neat little change is the fact that the Leaderboard ad ($100 a month) now appears at the end of the article, rather than at the bottom of the page, which makes it a lot more visible (and desirable, think of how much more room you can have with a Leaderboard ad, 728×90 pixels over 468×60 pixels with the Banner ad [also $100 a month]).

I’m working with the guys over at Zikula to figure out how to import articles from my current (incredibly outdated, yet awesome) news module to one that will allow me to update the rest of the site. I have also reinstalled the software that I use for my banner ads so the statistics are working again (and I’m apparently no longer risking suspension by my web host for hogging all the resources).

NorthumberlandView.ca is always looking for Advertisers and you can check out our Advertising Rate Card by visiting http://www.northumberlandview.ca/Advertising_Rate_Card.pdf. I’ll be updating the Rate Card in the next few days as well, with explanations of some of the specials that are running as well as introducing the “Full View” which consists of one of each ad for $300 a month (you get a Button, Banner, Skyskraper and Leaderboard, usual price $375 a month).

I’m also always on the lookout for new content and features. I’m keeping an eye on the Zikula extension database to see if anything could be of interest. I recently removed the Classifieds and the Discussion Forum from NorthumberlandView.ca, simply because they weren’t being used. I might bring them back at some point.