Channels and Features

Welcome to the next step in NowPublic's evolution: the newly-redesigned Channel pages.

Previously, these pages were just boring ol' columns of headlines. This is no longer the case: our main Channels are now like topic-specific front pages, showing off the newest and the best stories, photos and videos.

If you are passionate about a particular element of the news world, you can tune in more specifically than ever before, keeping your finger on the pulse of the news cycle and getting your info custom-delivered.

Of course, different topics attract different types of coverage. A hurricane is best described in pictures, whereas a tech review requires lots of words. Our channels can be configured to reflect this, and bring out the best of our content.

It's about more than just looking pretty, though: during breaking news, events unfold quickly, and we can be ready and waiting. When a hot-button issue gets discussed, the comments come in with alarming speed... NowPublic never sits still, and neither do our users. Since things move so fast in the online news world, staff editors can now manage these Channel pages more fully, from featuring original content to drawing readers' attention to a particular discussion. Also, we will soon be asking some of our guest editors to take charge of these channels from time to time, if they are so inclined.

Topic-based ticker-tape? We can do that.
Selected video? Yeah.
Channel-based polls? Yup.

In addition, we can now create event-specific Channel pages when the need arises - our Beijing Olympics page is a current example.

The new Channel pages are your homepage away from home.

But that's not all. We are also proud to introduce...

Scan

What's hot and what's not? Now you'll know, thanks to a new feature called Scan. Main Channel and selected Feature pages now have a Scan tab, which reveals a set of tools for monitoring and filtering the ongoing live chatter of the Internet. We can now contextualize and even geolocate microblog entries from places like Twitter, Pownce, and Identi.ca, separating out the newsworthy from the what-I-ate-for-breakfast posts: readers will be able to follow a story as it develops in real time, covered by the people closest to the action. Furthermore, these newly-contextualized snippets are then vetted by you, the user. Ever wish you could good-stuff something from another site? Now you can.

When a newsworthy event is mentioned on a microblogging site, it will appear in the Scanner. Should a topic be mentioned in a location-specific manner, a pin will appear on the map, so you can visualize the where and when like never before. When news breaks, you are taken to the scene of the event, and you will also see which NowPublic contributors are based nearby.

When events are unfolding quickly, keeping your ear to the ground has never been easier.