Extreme makeover: ZDNet Asia edition

It was on Jun. 9, 2005, that the ZDNet Asia site made its debut, offering a comprehensive online resource for Asia's business technology decision-makers and IT professionals.

Two and a half years later, our tagline Where Technology Means Business remains the same, but the platform on which we fulfill that mission has been enhanced to allow the news site to stay ahead in an evolving Web 2.0 landscape.

Today, after months of intense evaluation and tests, we're happy to launch a completely new look and revamp for ZDNet Asia.

The site's primary goal is still about producing quality original content from Asia, including India, Malaysia and the Philippines, as well as relevant global news from the United States and Europe.

What has changed is the way information on the site is presented, accessed and searched. Now set on a widescreen format, the revamped ZDNet Asia features an innovative use of tags and commonly used keywords, so readers can now easily search for content that are relevant to their line of work or focus area.

We've further integrated content under a common channel to provide specific user groups easier access and a collective view of relevant data at one glance. Job seekers, for example, can check out the improved Jobs channel for a listing of available tech jobs in Asia, searchable by job type and country, as well as various career resources and IT employment advice. Also, IT professionals can visit the TechGuides channel for advice and tips to better manage their networks and implement new technology.

Perhaps the most significant new component is Community, a platform featuring social networking functions and user-generated content that can be experienced only by ZDNet Asia members. After logging in, registered users will be able to tag articles and build a library of favorite content for future reference. You can also shortlist jobs, add other ZDNet Asia members as contacts, as well as set up alerts so you can be notified when stories with the selected keywords are published on the site.

In addition, members can now start personal blogs on ZDNet Asia and exchange comments and insights with your peers. We'll be introducing discussion forums in the near future to allow members to pose questions and participate in dialogs on the site. So continue to watch this space.

If you're not already a registered member, sign up now to enjoy these new Community tools.

There are several other new features on the revamped ZDNet Asia site, so do check them out. But, as this is the beta launch, we ask for your patience as there will still be minor bugs on the site that require tweaking. If you find something amiss or would like to give us feedback on the new site, please e-mail me.

It took a lot of sweat, blood and tears to make this revamp work...and at times, make that plenty of times, there were also some cursing and swearing. But the end-result was well worth the labor, and a product that the entire ZDNet Asia team is extremely proud of.

In sum, key new features on the revamped ZDNet Asia site include:

• Cleaner, fresher design. Now published on a widescreen format, the site has a cleaner design and fresher layout, with more "breathing space" and easier navigation.
• Tags, keywords, alerts. Readers can search keywords tagged to each article to access relevant content. With a new "tag cloud" tool, they can also view a collection of words displayed in varying font shades and sizes to reflect the frequency of use.
• Software/hardware reviews. Check out reviews of software and hardware products, including product specifications and editors' ratings.
• Community. Sign up for ZDNet Asia membership and start your own blog. Members can also build a library of favorite articles for future reference, create tags and alerts to receive notifications of relevant content, as well as network with peers.
• One-stop shop. Job seekers and IT professionals can visit Tech Jobs and TechGuides for a one-stop shop offering integrated content and resources related to career development and technology guides.

We continue to seek out new ideas and ways to further enhance the site, and as always, we welcome all feedback and suggestions. So please send me your thoughts. Finally, the ZDNet Asia team thanks all readers for your loyal support!