Dear readers:

It is our great pleasure to deliver news and information about New Westminster to you every Wednesday and Saturday. We are honoured that you choose to make our newspaper part of your busy lives.

But for those of you who look for news on the go, who want to connect to New Westminster from afar, or who want to be as up-to-date as possible on the latest happenings, our website has become an important information source. And as the online world evolves, we have evolved with it. We are now active in the "social media" realm, and you may follow The Record on Twitter and follow our individual reporters, editor, arts editor and sports editor on Twitter as well. Our blogs have become the place to tap into online conversations about hot topics in the city or to check out news that didn't fit into our print editions. We have been very pleased to receive so many favourable comments about our blogs. We're glad that you are enjoying them and, in some cases, joining the online conversations.

We're also pleased that some of you have already been using our "more ways to connect" portal on our home page. We are receiving more reader-submitted tips, photos and letters via our website, and we thank you for your contributions.

One of our online goals is to become more connected with our readers and community - and your contributions are a vital part of that process.

That's why I am delighted to tell you about the latest changes and innovations to our website.

After months of behind-the-scenes design and development and a soft-launch period during which we did some fine-tuning, we are pleased to formally unveil our re-designed website and the many new features it offers, including:

u Improved navigation

u Wider, easier-to-read format

u Larger, brighter photos

u Two years of searchable content

u An interactive community events section that allows non-profit and community organizations to submit upcoming events

u An improved video player

u A reader-friendly portal for readers to self-submit photos, news tips and letters

u Searchable movie and TV listings (you'll find these under Entertainment)

u Sudoku, crosswords, lottery results, comics and other fun content (you'll find these in Diversions, in the Quick Links bar under Home)

u More local content uploaded as it

happens

u Easy navigation to stories from neighbouring communities

u Improved weather information

u Updated traffic cams

u A digital version of our full-print newspaper, including advertisements

You can also sign up for breaking news alerts so we can let you know right away when news is happening in New Westminster.

Our June 16 print edition will include more detailed information. Please watch for this special information feature, along with an exciting contest for a chance to win a trip. We also invite your questions and comments. Please e-mail them to

lmpwebfeedback@canwest.com.

We look forward to continuing to provide you with stories and photos from your community - online all the time.

Sincerely,

Brad Alden, publisher, The Record