CCN MEDIA RELEASE
Cairns' first newspaper website launched.
CAIRNS, Cairns Community Newspapers (CCN) today announced the launch of their much anticipated website cairnsnewspapers.com.au. changing the way Cairns locals and visitors source and retrieve news and information. The website is set to provide quality content for the community, while engaging and helping the newspaper publisher interact even more with their readers and advertisers. CCN is now able to offer smart online advertising opportunities for local businesses, gearing Cairns towards being a more competitive player in the online arena and the international market.
"Cyclone Larry highlighted the need for a news site such as Cairnsnewspapers.com.au. A news and information site dedicated to providing visitors with a highly informative, interactive experience." Managing Director of Cairns Community Newspapers Corina Angel-Dzubiel said.
Angel-Dzubiel continued, "Business leaders have talked about the need for such a resource in Cairns for the last decade, people providing community services too and the public who in increasing numbers are looking for up to date news, products and services online. But designing, developing and publishing the countless items for a comprehensive online news site with community notice boards, blogs, classifieds etc, is a daunting task. It has taken a lot of sleepless nights, the Internet and a lot of work to bring Cairnsnewspapers.com.au into existence and get it operating smoothly."
Angel-Dzubiel received praise when she announced the free online community noticeboard to nonprofit organisation leaders. The nonprofit representatives immediately recognised the value of knowing what other events are planned weeks, months or even a year or more in advance (to avoid scheduling conflicts), and of being able to list their own events well ahead of time.
The site offers local and international news headlines, the content of the Northern News, Cairns Bulletin and Southern Herald -- as well as an assortment of information-rich databases that are updated daily. It also includes essential services information links, community resources and weather. The site's content varies from real estate to employment, automotive, business and finance, technology and computers, health and wellbeing, lifestyle to travel guides, as well as providing an online shopping experience.
"The site will get spikes of extra visitors during major news events like 'Larry', community events, festivals and sporting events, fulfilling its initial goal of providing timely information to residents and businesses. Local Cairns residents now have their own online news site, a portal to all kinds of useful information at the click of a button. Our goal is to create a place that helps to link people and resources together, with the hope of building a stronger and healthier community, using the technical tools of the Internet." Cairns Community Newspaper's Corina Angel-Dzubiel said of the launch of cairnsnewspapers.com.au
The news site "takes our concept of what a community newspaper is all about and extends it to the World Wide Web," she said. She sees cairnsnewspapers.com.au conceptually "as the local online guide -- the Web site people go to for information about almost anything in the Cairns area, without hesitation."It's the authoritative guide to the area, whether it's about what to do or where to go next weekend, what happened this morning, what's for sale in the classifieds or the background and discussions of current community issues." she said.
Lilian Thien has been involved since the early days of the Web site, when her company was called Thien Dimentions. She is an integral part of the team that is CCNet.net.au, the web design arm of CCN. Webmaster Lillian Thien helped create cairnsnewspapers.com.au and is involved in all aspects of the site's development and expansion plans into the web design market.
Michael Angel-Dzubiel is in charge of the site's day to date operations in addition to editing special sections and writing for Cairns Community Newspapers. Prior to helping launch the web site, he has been in charge of graphic design, photography and accounts for CCN. Mr Angel-Dzubiel, handles all web postings each day and sends e-bulletins when events warrant, working with wife Corina, who is also the editor of CCN.
Priorities for 2006 include further revising the functionality and content of Cairnsnewspapers.com.au and increasing the use of users to the site, among other efforts to further enhance the site's usefulness to people of all ages, Angel-Dzubiel said.
About CCN:
Cairns Community Newspapers (CCN) is a Cairns-based, independent newspaper publishing company that reaches a critical community audience including the news media, community organisations, schools government decision-makers, businesses and the general public with their up-to-date, full-text news developments. Established in 1995, CCN has 3 suburban newspapers in circulation in Cairns. The Cairns Bulletin, Cairns Northern News and The Southern Herald. CCN is considered a mainstay among the locals, businesses and individuals who seek breaking news and local information about the Cairns region. For more information about CCN, please visit their Web site: www.cairnsnewspapers.com.au.
Contact Information:
Joy Wilson Senior Journalist,
CCN PR Dept
+61-07-4057 5521
joy@communitynewspapers.com.au
|