WAITSBURG - In an­other step to reach its readers in cyberspace and to become the Touchet Valley's pre­dominant news source, the Times has launched its own website: http://www.waitsburg­times. com. Earlier this year, the Times established its first online presence with a Facebook page which now has nearly 750 fans. On www.facebook.com/waitsburgtimes, fans get updates, discussions and photos from the Times. They can also share comments, but there is no full access to the newspaper's content. The new website, www.waitsburgtimes.com, gives the newspaper, which has been a weekly publication since its inception in 1878, a chance to offer its content online and brings its readers some of their most important news on a daily, even hourly basis. "When we purchased the Times in November, our vi­sion was to take advantage of new technologies and new ways to serve readers and advertisers," said Imbert Matthee, the newspaper's publisher. "Our disadvantage as a weekly has been the timeli­ness

of our news," he said. "Often, readers do not see our coverage until a number of days after the news happens. As our skills in managing the website improve, readers will see more and more news more quickly. The site will be a great resource for the Touchet Valley." The Times has partnered with Our-Hometown Inc. of Clifton Springs, New York, to put the content of its printed edition online every Wednesday. The newspa­per's staff will update the site throughout the week.

The website offers breaking news, local news and briefs, sports, opinion, obituaries and classified. Legal notices can only be found in the print edition. Current subscribers can access the Times' online content for an ad­ditional $10 per year. The online subscription is only available for subscribers of the printed edition. A new print/online package is available to readers in Walla Walla and Colum­bia counties for $43, any­where else in Washington state for $47 and for $50 anywhere else in the coun­try. The package offers readers the timeliness and convenience of online access while also giving them the full display and portability of the printed edition.

The website, which has been up and running since Aug. 1 to test the new concept, will undergo lay­out, display and content improvements on a con­tinuing basis. Over time, the site will also establish links with other sites of prospective interest to readers.

Advertisers will see their ads displayed on the site for free for several weeks, then the Times will approach them with a new and reasonable intro­ductory rate structure to continue their presence on www.waitsburgtimes.com as hits to the website grow. Anyone can access the website and see excerpts of the news on the home page. Only online sub­scribers will be able to go beyond the so-called "pay wall" to get to the Times' full content. Matthee said the Times will also consider mak­ing its pages printable to subscribers if there's a big enough interest. Oth­erwise,

the frontpage will appear merely as an icon on the home page and be refreshed every once in a while. He asked readers to bare in mind that the newspaper's staff is still small, and content up­grades will be spread out over time. The website has been in the making since early this year. It's the lat­est in a string of improve­ments to the newspaper, which now has more col­or,

a simplified layout and more comprehensive coverage of news in the Touchet Valley. It recently increased its weekly print run to 1,600 from 1,400 because its subscriptions and single-copy sales have grown steadily.