CNNs new site

So CNN decided to design a new web layout, cool I guess. I mean CNN.com was never a site that I went to for the homepage. In fact, usually when I was on CNN.com it would be because someone sent me a link, or I stumbled upon it, or digg.com shoved it in my face. CNN has always been about reporting the news, and it will continue to be that way. But hey I guess there are a couple good things about the new setup.

As the article says there is more of a focus on pictures and video. This is something CNN should have done a long time ago. Visual media attracts the users eyes and keeps them interested. If there isn't anything interesting to look at than people get bored on and move on to a new site. That being said those pretty pictures need to be supported with some great writing. Clicking on many of the pictures/articles it is easy to tell that CNN still has what it takes to keep me reading, but the videos are another story. Now don't get me wrong, CNN knows how to put a package together and each clip has fairly high production value. They provide plenty of great information and are interesting to watch. I only wish there was then a corresponding article that might fill the story in a bit more, or give a different point of view. I might be in the minority here, but I like to have an article accompany a video for a few reasons: 1. I can read a bit of the article to figure out if the video is worth watching 2. If the video has some boring parts I can get a head start on the reading, and 3. I have more information to go through if my interest is still peaked once the video is completed.

Now as for the homepage itself, I like it. There are less ads, which for me is huge, and the "Editor's Choice" block fits perfectly on the bottom of the screen. It shows me some fascinating pictures linking to articles I might not have found otherwise. And if that wasn't enough all the boxes that appear when you scroll down provide a plethora of new links. As I said before, I never really used to homepage of CNN in the past, but maybe now I might start.