Daily Pilot will be spinning solo web in cyberspace

TONY DODERO

This is going to be a milestone week for the Daily Pilot.

On Tuesday, for the first time in our existence, we are going to

set forth alone into that realm called the World Wide Web with our

new website, Dailypilot.com.

Now, some of you who read this column on the World Wide Web or,

more specifically, our webpage --

http://ukobiw.net/news/local/pilot/ -- might be wondering what

on earth I’m talking about.

Let me explain.

For about eight years now, the good folks at latimes.com have been

giving the Daily Pilot and our sister papers what amounts to a

section page on that goliath of a website.

It’s not easy to find us there.

First, readers must click on the latimes.com site. Then they must

go to the California section and then to a section called Community

Papers. From there, readers can click on our site and get what looks

like a section of latimes.com.

Beginning Tuesday, Dailypilot.com will fly on its own.

After a fair bit of hand holding from some dedicated professionals

at latimes.com and the Los Angeles Times Library, and some quality

design work from Hop Studios and the Web hosting of Nando Media,

we’ll be cyberspace soloists soon.

It’s been a lengthy effort, but here’s what lies in the future.

Starting Monday, we will employ a new Web editor named Paul

Anderson ([email protected]), who will help compile the

online editions of the Daily Pilot and our sister papers.

Anderson is a veteran journalist who has been part of the team at

our parent company, Times Community News, for quite some time. E-mail

your web ideas to him.

With Anderson’s help, we will become faster, stronger, better than

we were before. We will become more interactive, and readers will be

able to get breaking news more immediately by clicking onto

Dailypilot.com throughout the day.

Things like archives, photo galleries, online photo purchases,

blogs, video streams and more are not far in the offing.

Local advertisers can now purchase Web advertising on the

Dailypilot.com site. All of our special sections, both editorial and

advertising, such as the Daily Pilot 103 Most Influential or Toshiba

editions, will be available online.

None of that was really possible before.

I was telling my staff the other day, how fun it would be to

provide readers with a video shot of The Wedge breaking at 20 feet

this summer or maybe video of the latest thrill ride at the Orange

County Fair or video of the Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race.

The possibilities are endless.

So, please join us in cyberspace starting Tuesday at

Dailypilot.com.

And, as always, tell me what you think.

*

February seems to be a good time to give birth to new ventures or

even new people around here.

For example, it was four years ago this week that we gave birth to

this very Sunday Edition. It continues to go strong, and we’re

thankful for all the reader support that makes it happen.

And I always know when the anniversary of the Sunday Edition rolls

around because it was restarted two days after my second daughter

Kristen was born. Ironically, Sports Editor Rich Dunn’s first-born

son Richard Nolan was born the exact same day as Kristen, on

Groundhog Day.

Here’s wishing a happy birthday to those two cute kids.

Oh yeah, and happy birthday to you, Sunday Edition.

TELL IT TO THE EDITOR

TONY DODERO is the editor. He welcomes your comments on news

coverage, photography or other newspaper-related issues. If you have

a message or a letter to the editor, call his direct line at (714)

966-4608 or the Readers Hotline (714) 966-4664, send it by e-mail to

[email protected] or [email protected], or send it by mail

to 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626.