The site will also work to improve its interactivity and multimedia features, and also to boost advertising opportunities, Kinsley said. Kinsley said Slate readers want more interactivity via e-mail and bulletin boards, and multimedia where it is appropriate, particularly for coverage of film and the arts. The redesign will feature all of those things. In fact, Kinsley thinks stories will likely have feedback bulletin boards below each story. Kinsley also said that Slate will expand its content offerings, though he declined to be specific.
Analysts believe a redesign centered on good content that saves readers time is a smart approach.
Free is key Kinsley and Moore believe the portal power gives them leverage over their competitors, including Salon, New Republic and the New Yorker. Since it stopped charging a subscription price on Feb. 12, Media Metrix data shows that Slate's audience has grown some 75 percent. According to Media Metrix, Slate and its rival Salon are in a virtual horse race, with Slate's February unique visitors at 411,000, or .7 percent of the total Web audience, and Salon's at 459,000, or .8 percent of the Web audience. That's a significant change from January, in which Slate scored 222,000, or a .4 reach, and Salon claimed 549,000, or a .9 reach. Salon vehemently disputes the Media Metrix numbers.