It’s a conversation going on in newsrooms around the world: To print or go online?
This semester, the Cardinal & Cream addressed the question by moving to an online format, with a semesterly magazine.
C&C readers Ward Howard, senior physics major, and Kenan Keller, senior history education major, both wrote to us with their thoughts, asking for data and offering concerns.
Back in the days of newspapers, we printed 2,000 copies of each issue. Usually 1,200-1,300 of those were picked up. Unfortunately we could not track data on how many stories were read or how many papers were picked up for reading (rather than for packing material or art projects).
If we look at website analytics, from Aug. 20 through Sept. 11 we had 3,583 unique users with 9,731 page views. If we look at the same number of days from the spring — prior to the transition — we had 2,234 unique users with 5,607 page views.
That’s a 60 percent bump in users and 73 percent bump in page views so far.
We’ve also had significant increases across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook which is the way most of our readers access the website.
Altogether, we are excited about the prospects offered by this transition. As a student-produced campus newspaper, we function as an educational tool, equipping our staff with skills to use in their future careers.
In the past, we spent most of our time focusing on layout for print. This time divided our focus from the quality of writing, photography and graphics. By removing the bi-weekly grind of a print publication, we can now focus on what matters most: content.
Through the magazine we can still get print experience, but the format allows for longer form work and more fine tuning, it also provides the campus something entirely new.
Our hope is that we will best serve the university by creating strong content and engaging with readers.
Ultimately, we’re grateful for readers like Howard and Keller, faithful readers who are willing to engage us in conversation that sharpens us into a more effective campus publication.
If you have a “Letter to the Editor” (that deals with C&C content) or a Perspective piece (dealing with a campus or national issue), please send it to cardinalandcream@uu.edu for consideration.
