As it has become commonplace to access news and other content from around the world, it's important for news websites to remember that readers need a sense of place, and of "what." I read
this item from the
Athens Banner-Herald thinking it was a news story -- especially since it says "story" last updated on X date. It wasn't; it turned out to be a letter to the editor. But it wasn't labeled editorial, or letters to the editor, or anything of the like -- a failing on the part of the site.
Of course, in this case, I happened to know that Athens is in Georgia (the U.S. one, not the former Soviet republic), rather than in Greece. But often I stumble at websites that don't make their location clear -- like "Serving the Valley for 82 years," not even explaining which valley. I struggled once with a site referring to Dallas -- the North Carolina one, not the Texas one.
Newspaper websites -- in fact all websites -- should identify the community they're referring to. Sometimes it's geographic, like Dallas, North Carolina, or Athens, Georgia. Other times it's interest-based, like "The largest site for knitting" or "For independent film buffs." Whatever it is, help first-timers (and even returning veterans) understand where they are when they're on your site.
And if your site represents a newspaper or a television station, please tell users something about that companion entity: Address, location, channel, circulation, history, management, whatever. That's one more way to contribute to a sense of place on your site.
