Jan 02, 2003Jan. 6, 2003 - Several months ago, as RFID Journal's traffic began to ramp up, it became clear that we needed to upgrade the Web site. From the beginning, our focus was on high-quality content, not fancy graphics and gimmicks. While our designers came up with a look that is as elegant as that of any publication on the Web, we stayed true to our original intent.
The main goal in revamping the site was to ensure that access would not slow to a crawl during peak periods and to make it easier for you to find the content you are looking for. The latest articles will always be posted on the home page. At the same time, all articles are now organized in two ways -- by story type (News, Opinion, Feature and so on) and by topic (Retailing, Manufacturing, Payment Systems, etc.).
Navigating the Site
The global navigation bar down the left-hand side of the screen makes it easy to quickly sort stories. If you click on Opinion or Case Studies, you will get a list of all the Opinion articles or Case Studies we've published, starting with the most recent articles. We've also added a new pull-down menu that lets you sort stores by topic. If you are interested primarily in stories relating to retailing, select Retailing from the "Choose a Topic" menu, and click on the arrow. You get a contents page for all stories related to retailing. If you click on News or Features in the body of that page (not the global navigation bar), you will see a list of all the retailing news or feature stories that we've published. We believe this will help people find the stories that interest them most.
We organized the topics according to the major RFID application areas -- supply chain tracking, manufacturing, security, and so on. Additional categories cover IT/Infrastructure issues, integration of RFID with labels and packaging, and innovations in both the development of RFID systems and their use. (Under Site Help, you'll find a list of the types of stories you will find in each topic area.)
New Features
We've also added a number of new features to the site. In the right-hand column, you'll find an interactive poll that will help you take soundings on what others think about RFID. We've introduced bulletin boards where subscribers and non-subscribers alike can post messages about articles or questions about RFID. (Please, note that the boards will be monitored to ensure that message comply with our Terms of Use.) We hope that over time this will create a community where end-users of the technology can share ideas and ask for help with problems.
We've introduced a new Gold subscription category. For $249 a year, Gold Subscribers can post an unlimited number of help-wanted ads under Job Listings. This gives companies that need to hire staff to develop or deploy RFID technology a way to reach people with the skills they need. If you would like to upgrade to a Gold subscription, send e-mail to
admin@rfidjournal.com.
There are a number of other improvements and changes that are less visible. For instance, new subscribers will get instant access to the site, instead of having to wait for a user name and password to be e-mailed to them. The site should load faster, and we will be better able to track advertising impressions.
Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
We've also revised our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. The Privacy Policy has been amended to say that we may, on occasion, share our mailing lists with business partners who offer products or services that may be of interest to our readership. (If you do not want your physical address or e-mail address to be given out, please send e-mail to that effect to
admin@rfidjournal.com.) We've also amended the Terms of Use to cover use of the bulletin boards. Please read both the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
As with any Web site redesign, there is always the potential for minor problems. Subscribers should be able to log in with their existing password, but if you have any problems, please send e-mail to
support@rfidjournal.com. I hope you will be patient as we sort these issues out. I would also be grateful if you would send e-mail to Support when you find a broken link on the site or experience a problem. And send me a message if you have a comment about the new design, new features, or features you would like to see on the site.
Best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2003.
Mark Roberti is the Editor of RFID Journal. If you would like to comment on this article, send e-mail to
mroberti@rfidjournal.com.
