By Andrew Fairbairn — July 3, 2011 | ONLINE ONLY

They say a web developer’s work is never done, and this is especially the case with news websites such as Nouse. The Guardian, for example, update their website’s content management system every two weeks with various updates and changes.

One of the best ways to deal with updates is to use an iteration technique, whereby changes are made incrementally. This follows a pattern of several small updates rather than just a few large ones. Several iterations might be made before something is fully featured, with different additions along the way.

A good example of iterative development on Nouse.co.uk could be seen over the Roses weekend, where features on the liveblog and on the homepage were enhanced as we went along. For instance, on the homepage first of all the latest score was added, then the style of its presentation was improved, then it was made to automatically update, and then more changes were made as news developed to better represent the latest information.

Several more changes have been gradually made to the website over the past term and a bit, so here are some of the recent updates that you may or may not have spotted…

Paper archive viewer

We – finally – have a nicer way to view our online PDF archive of past paper editions, stretching back as far as 2006. (Of course, if you want any edition before that then every edition since the paper was founded in 1964 is available at the Borthwick Institute in the University library.)

The new viewer allows you to easily flick through the pages – which are now grouped by section and supplement – and zoom in on any you’d like to read. For those traditionalists, links to the PDFs versions of each page are also still available. This viewer was made especially for Nouse and is powered by JavaScript, meaning that it should be available across all modern devices (including the iPad and iPhone) unlike other commercial Flash based solutions that are available.

Improved search

It is widely known that the search function of our content management system WordPress does not perform well. Last year we experimented with using Google to power searches made on the site and, after experiments with a few other alternatives, I’m pleased to say that Google is once again the search provider – and this time the results are actually integrated into the site. In many cases it should mean much more useful and relevant search results. Try it out now to get a blast from the past!

Travel mini-site

Designed to complement the Travel supplement in our June 1 paper edition, the Travel mini-site features all the content that was printed and more! Take a look if you’re stuck for ideas this summer, whether you want to travel far and wide or stay a bit closer to home. Thanks to Camilla and the many contributors who made this possible.

Print and email buttons

Our existing print and email buttons disappeared with the site redesign earlier this year, but have now made a comeback next to the other social sharing options at the top of each article. Credits go to Jonathan Frost for designing the icons to fit in alongside the existing buttons.

Along with these additions there is also now a special print stylesheet, meaning that if you go to print an article then bits such as the sidebar, footer and menu bar are hidden and the main text is expanded to fit the whole page. This should make it a bit nicer on your eyes (and your printer) if you find the need to print something from the site. Click print preview in your browser if you want to see how it looks.

Mobile

Anyone who has download the new YUSU app will have noticed the seamless integration with Nouse’s own mobile site.

But fear not if you are not the owner of an iPhone! The Nouse mobile site works on almost any mobile device, regardless of manufacturer or size. Simply type m.nouse.co.uk into the browser of your phone, tablet or gaming device to receive the content of Nouse tailored to suit the smaller form factor. Perfect for on the go news and comment!

Muse homepage randomiser

The featured Muse article on the homepage is now randomly selected from across the different sections, meaning you should often see something new at the top of the Muse column. This article is selected using a randomising algorithm which takes the most recent article from each Muse section then uses the dates to weight which article should be chosen, so older articles are less likely to be “randomly” displayed than newer ones.

Miscellaneous

Various other behind-the-scenes tweaks have been made to hopefully make you experience on Nouse.co.uk a little smoother. It’s also worth mentioning that links to all of our past mini-sites can be found by following the link in the footer, including links to our recent mini-sites such as Roses, Fantasy Football and College Cup.

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And so the time approaches for the position of technical director to also iterate onwards – let me take this opportunity to say my thank yous and goodbyes…

To everyone who has contributed: there’s too many of you to name, but please all know that your dedication, efforts and writings (or photos!) are phenomenal and you are the people really responsible for keeping this website vibrant and at such a high standard. I never fail to be amazed by the talent on show – whether at this newspaper, other campus media, or the university as a whole – and it’s been a privilege to be a part.

For you commenting haters who have sprung up lately, call this spiel “smug” if you wish but please learn to be more constructive with your criticism. While I may not agree with everything written in the comments I’d still like to thank everyone who has taken the time to contribute to them and bring a bit of discussion and debate to the site. It brings the place alive.

Thank you to Ali for taking me under his wing and putting faith in me to carry on from the great job he did, and to Chris for originally putting in place the systems we use and rely on. When I look at what we’ve achieved this year I didn’t think it was possible to push the site so much further but I am proud and somewhat astonished. I’m sure Andy will continue to do a great job next year.

Special thanks must go to Hannah, Camilla, Mia, Jonathan, Henry and Jake who each contribute in their own special but vital ways and have made this year incredible for me. I fail for words to give you the acclaim you deserve and express my gratitude, or for a way to better say goodbye.

So thank you Nouse. It’s been a blast, and you were great.