At around 7pm EST (GMT-4:00), 12am Nigerian time (GMT+1) today, Sahara Reporters Media Group launched the new saharareporters.com--a move that predicates the news platform's complete rebranding for web and mobile.
The new site, which features a sleek minimalist logo and design, is visually engaging and unapologetically bold. A featured stories carousel showcases news, reports, and opinion across a breadth of new content categories: business, sports, entertainment, lifestyle, education, finance, technology, and more. Media like videos, photos, and documents (now downloadable) also have their own dedicated categories.
Below this, each story is now highlighted with a featured image, enriching the story it accompanies. An infinite scroll allows readers to effortlessly view all stories right from the homepage.
Mobile users will also enjoy the same benefits included in the update. The mobile site features responsive technology for every device, and is equally as content and feature rich as the website.
Outside the aesthetic advancements, the launch also features several new elements designed to enrich user experience. Unwaveringly committed to its mission of citizen journalism, the platform now allows you, the reader, to submit stories directly to the editorial team for review and possible inclusion. Published stories will be featured on the unique users Sahara Reporters profile page.
The site's comment platform is now powered by the social engagement element Disqus, providing a drastic modernization to the the way users interact with the site. Users will now get notifications via email for replies and likes on their unique comments.
Additionally, a brand new media kit and marketing plan streamline and modernize the advertising process, with prospective advertisers now able to contact the advertising team directly to set up web or mobile campaigns.
Sahara Reporters thanks their key partners in the redesign process, the Brooklyn, NY-based design and branding company H1 Studios, and Media Mechanics, a Nova Scotia, Canada firm that specializes in web development and strategy.
The update is another significant media highlight for Sahara Reporters, which reached 1 million Facebook likes in June, and 300K Twitter followers in July.
As Sahara Reporters continues to grow, the brand continues to promise its readers a premium experience, a wide reach of stimulating and relevant content, and as always, "Report Yourself".