So, this is what I've been slaving away at for the past few months. I hope you like it.
From my point of view it has been a steep learning curve but a very rewarding experience.
After feeling that we were shortchanging our readers with what we offered on our old spaldingtoday site, I'm delighted with some of the new features and the extra content we are able to provide with the new-look site.
I hope you've already had a chance to look around and are getting to grips with the much cleaner, fresher layout and easier to use navigation.
If not, please spend a few minites to see what we have added to make your visit to spaldingtoday more interesting.
One of the main things you will notice is the increased ability to interact with the site.
We are hoping to see lots of comments on stories about issues that affect us all.
We also want you to send in your own content as we move towards featuring more video and audio clips.
I've already had e-mails from someone in the West Indies and someone in Canada who rely on spaldingtoday to keep in touch with what's happening in their former home town.
The feedback so far has been very positive - but I would love to hear what you think?
Tell me what you like about the new site and what you think could be done better.
Now we've started the ball rolling it will be my job to constantly improve the site and make it even more user-friendly, so keep those opinions rolling in.
In the meantime, rest assured I will be constantly busy behind the scenes keeping spaldingtoday up to date with all the latest news and looking at new ideas to enhance your experience.
'Til next time

It's here at last - after months of blood, sweat and tears the new SpaldingToday website is launched.
From Monday, April 2, when you go to www.spaldingtoday.co.uk you will immediately see the huge difference to the site.
It has a cleaner, fresher and easier to read layout and includes loads more content.
You will now be able to read more of your favourite sections from the Lincolnshire Free Press and Spalding Guardian, including Tuesday Talk, Growers and Nostalgia.
There will also be a number of new website sections including Community News, which will include many of the picture stories and more local-level news from the newspapers, and  The Big Issue, which will be a series of articles about one issue which has really got people talking.
Visitors will also be able to interact more with the website.
You can now leave a comment to share your views on many of the news, sport and feature stories and there are many more ways you can get in touch to tell us your opinion.
You can even see other readers' letters and add your own comment.
And there's even a way you can make SpaldingToday your own by creating your own "homepage" where you can choose what content you want to see.
You can also get RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds of your favourite content straight to your computer's desktop.
Please take a look around and let me know what you think.
I'd love to see your comments - e-mail me at tracey.crampton@jpress.co.uk

Sorry for the short break in blogging service, but things have been a bit manic trying to get the new website ready for launch.

In the meantime, I am aware that I have been neglecting the existing site a little on the new content side of things, but be assured the new site will more than make up for it.

Watch this space for more news about the launch of the new site.

I have also been busy doing other stuff which is aimed at making it even easier for SpaldingToday users and readers of the Lincolnshire Free Press and Spalding Guardian to get in  touch with us to tell us your news and views.

We have now set up a text messaging and picture messaging service so you can send us stuff straight from your mobile.

This means is you see something big happening while you're out and about you can snap away with your mobile's camera and send it straight to our newdesk. You never know, your story and pictures could well make it into the newspaper and onto the website.

You can also use text messaging to tell us what you think to stories which appear on SpaldingToday and in the newspapers.

Look out for the information on how to contact us from your mobile on the website (very soon) and in the newspapers.

That's all for now, but please bear with me while I'm busying myself behind the scenes. I'll let you know how it's going whenever I can.

It's not exactly website news as such this morning but today the Spalding Guardian has launched a new weekly competition and you can find out all about it online.

Under the What's New heading in the right hand menu you will find a Face in the Crowd link.

Click the link and you will be able to find out all you need to know to be in with a chance of winning a free game of 10-pin bowling at AlleyCatz, a free drink in Bounce and free VIP entry to Loaded for yourself and a friend.

We are running the competition in conjuction with West End Leisure, which owns Alleycatz, Bounce and Loaded, and all you need to do to be with a chance of winning is seek out the photographer in the three venues over the weekend and then cross your fingers that you are chosen as our Face in the Crowd.

You will not be able to enter the competition online - you will need to cut out the picture which will appear in the Spalding Guardian on Thursday - but you will be able to see if you are a winner by checking out the Face in the Crowd picture on the website.

Good luck to you all!

 
 

It's been an exciting week on the SpaldingToday front, and things have really started moving fast - even faster than I can keep up with.

Work has been ongoing for a while now to create a new template for the SpaldingToday site and this week I got my first glimpse at it.

The new site will be much cleaner looking and easier to use, as well as being far more interactive. For instance, you will soon be able to add your comments to news, sport and feature stories on the website.

The template is now in the beta testing stage and I am trying to get to grips with all the exciting things I can do with it to ensure the best possible website for you.

It will be a little while yet before it's ready to be revealed to the world (wide web) but I can promise you that it's well worth waiting for.

In the meantime I have been busy trying to tidy up the left hand navigation on the site and update some of the content which has been a little ignored previously.

For example, you can now read about Spalding's 49th flower parade, which is coming up in May, by clicking on the homepage link, and you can find out more about The Lincolnshire Free Press and Spalding Guardian's Valentine's message offer by clicking on the promotion link under the new What's In the Paper This Week heading.

I would love to hear your suggestions about how I can improve the SpaldingToday experience now.

If there's something you think should be included now, or on the new site when it is launched, contact me now by e-mailing tracey.crampton@jpress.co.uk

I look forward to hearing from you.

Things are already starting to gather pace at SpaldingToday HQ as I busy myself trying to make the site more interactive and give everyone the chance to join in the debate on issues that affect us all.

One of the big issues which seems to have local people divided since we carried the story in yesterday's Lincolnshire Free Press is about plans to scrap the blue and green recycling boxes and replace them with clear plastic bags.

Within a couple of hours of the paper hitting the streets the newsroom started receiving calls and e-mails from people who had something to say on the issue - and opinion does seem very mixed.

Some people feel it will make it much simpler because you will no longer need to separate your general recycling from your glass - everything can just go in one plastic sack and, as they say, job's a good 'un.

On the other hand, some people are concerned about the flimsier nature of plastic bags and are worried they won't be able to withstand being filled with all manner of bottles, sharp edged tins and unwieldy cardboard.

Whatever your opinion, if you have a quick look at SpaldingToday's homepage you will see we have given you the chance to let us know what you think.

Under the What's New heading in the right-hand menu (Yes, that's new as well) there's an invitation to click through to a brief background of the issue and then e-mail us, or you can call our reporter Kate Barney, with your comments.

Also, in the centre of the homepage, underneath the news, sport and leisure headlines you will find a reader's vote, where we are asking you to decide whether plastic bags should replace the recycling boxes.

Please let us know what you think.

We will be following the story up with your reactions in next week's paper - and on SpaldingToday of course.

 

Look forward to hearing from you.

 

Read about South Holland's plans to axe the twin recycling box scheme in favour of plastic bags here.

 

Or, return to the homepage to have your say.

This is my first blog as SpaldingToday web editor and I hope to use this column as a means of keeping you informed of what's happening on your website.

This is an exciting time for SpaldingToday as we have lots of plans to really turn the website into your one-stop-shop for everything you need to know about what's happening in Spalding and surrounding area, as well as make the site itself far more interactive, so you can get involved in a real online community.

In the coming weeks and months we will be asking you to take part in online votes, send in your own news and pictures as well as giving you the opportunity to let us know how you want the site to develop.

I also hope to clean up how the site looks to make it easier to find what you are looking for.

I'm really looking forward to creating something for the people of South Lincolnshire and hope to get lots of you, the visitors to SpaldingToday, involved.

My first challenge is to encourage other people to start a blog.

It couldn't be easier. Click on the BlogsToday link on the homepage and create an account. You will then be asked to log in and give your first article a title.

Then you're off - start sharing your interests, views and thoughts on whatever topic with other people.

I look forward to seeing you here.

Tracey