News Online
For avid news readers, not much beats a classic broadsheet newspaper for quality content and writership. Although I use Google Reader to keep up with the best of the blogs, and sometimes skim Technorati and Digg for new reads, I keep coming back to the consistent content found on traditional newspapers–online. That isn’t to say that everything found at a ‘proper’ news site beats everything on a new media service or a blog. Indeed, many blogs have amazingly-tuned insights and offer the best rants on the planet. But, when you want general news, looking through the often opined views of one-man blogs can be a headache. Much blog content is very focused, and most Digg and Technorati articles lean towards the geeky. I landed some time ago at the Times Online and frequently browse its headlines.
The Times Online has some of my favourite columnists and consistently high-quality comment. Who can resist a rant or opinion from Jeremy Clarkson? Alongside, Lord Rees-Mogg and his ilk of commentators whose opinion I have come to respect (if not always with 100% agreement!) However, I do have a few problems with the Times Online. There is, actually, only one major complaint.
It is so slow!
It boasts its Windows links and utilizes "Live Search" instead of Google, and I wonder if this architecture is what makes it so mind-numbingly time-consuming. Its content is well-positioned and not as graphic heavy as many sites whose load-time is much faster (check out Top Gear for an example of a slow site which is faster!).
