Do you like the new site?

Generally, I like the site but it wil take getting used to. It looks very busy which makes scanning for useful information rather difficult. I actually found the "NEW SITE FAQ" link more useful because it presented a list of the news headlines that can be scrolled though quickly. Also the transitions between slides on the top left corner can be more gradual and slower. Powerpoint slides can transition from top to bottom, left to right, etc. I am sure you get the idea.

Obituaries don't seem to work with IE6. IE7 and Firefox is ok... IE6 gives the following error when trying to load the page: Internet Explorer cannot open the Internet site: http://miva.burlingtonfreepress.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?obit.mva Operation aborted.

I can't access obituaries with internet explorer-any suggestions?

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/bfpnews/apcompletecall.shtml What happened to this site?

I like it, there's a lot going on but it's very clean. I think more folks will like it after a little time to get used to it. Now if we can stay away from those nasty pop-up ads that grab half the viewing screen, we'll have made real progress.

Still some bugs, link buttons that don't work. And how about adding today's forecast to the weather page - you've got current conditions and tomorrow's forecast but don't tell us what to expect today.

Thank you so much for these suggestions. We're working to fix all broken links, and browser issues.

I enjoyed reading the comments on the same page as the article, now how to I access the comments?

The comments are now posted below the story, as opposed to next to the story on the previous site. We had received complaints from readers that they wanted the option to read, or not read the comments. Placing them at the bottom seemed to accommodate this request. Thank you for your feedback.

No! It is aweful. It is NOT a matter of getting used to. It is confusing. I want to read the news and have a list of what I want to read first. READ. Not watch, listen, etc. READ! It sucks!!!! Seriously. You need to go back to the old format. Hope you didn't pay a lot of $$$$$ for this new site. I'm about to bookmark the Times Argus instead of the BFP! Sorry! Other than that you guys are great!

It is not a matter of getting used to. I can assure you. The high margin value in your poll indicates that. Although you will think that it is a matter of getting used to. And for some it may be. But an apple to apple comparison will show the new site SUCKS! for so many reasons. The format is AWEFUL. You're going to lose advertisers b/c less people are going to visit your site. Unless you make major improvements. But that's not our job to help you do. You should have spent the resources and done your homework so that I can EASILY navigate/read the NEWS after a long day of work!

It just ain't the same! As the old saying goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Enough said!

What a cluster-F.... what a mess. I visit the site to get a very quick hold on the local news. This layout is such a mess. Way too much in one space with very few VISUAL clues to help navigate. www.WCAX.com will fill the void from now on: oraganized and easy for the eyes to sort out... bravo WCAX... Think this new format was from outsourced labor as all of the other aspects of BFP have become?

Way too much going on visually, and it is not in an easy to scan format. Can not access the obits (I know you're working on it). I probably won't be a regular site visitor if it stays as it is - sorry. Why the changes???

I'm a Greenbay Packer fan and they just changed to the exact format - both are Ganett papers. And both are very distracting. This is a big step towards confusion.

"I'm a Greenbay Packer fan and they just changed to the exact format - both are Ganett papers." Apparently Ganett truly is becoming more standardized. It must make it easier to Administrate from India, and by easier I mean less expensive.

I can't get into the obituaries this morning. I also check the weather each day, and I can find current conditions but not what kind of weather to expect later today.

Unable to view the obituaries and oter sites

I can't open the obituaries.

I can't stand this new site. It is way too busy and trying to find new articles etc is a pain. The old site was way better. It is also annoying since I have house for sale listing. Personally I have all but given up using the site and I am sure a lot of classified people will too. Makes me want to pull the ad.

1. The site is very busy, but I believe good graphics work can improve it to a point where it will be easy to navigate. 2. Problem with the obituaries. 3. Wait until you get a lot of comments before making any changes and then leave it for at least 6 months. 4. Progress is never easy and you will hear primarily from people who have negatiove thoughts, so be patient.

It loads much slower than the old web site. Yesterday I waited about 40 seconds for the main page to load. Once it was loaded it was very confusing. Everything has moved and their is a lot more content on the main page. I used to work as a web site developer and as a systems administrator for a web hosting company. The new site should be faster and less confusing but it is not. As a developer I know that it can take a while to work out the bugs. Users also hate too much change at one time. You may see a drop in usage for a while and then it will pick back up once users get used to the new format and the bugs are worked out.

The old site was terrible. The new site is not as clean as I think it could be, but it's a big improvement over the previous version. I would agree that it's too busy. There are some "best practices" with news sites that could greatly improve things...but first impression is good job!

I can't access half the information that I could on the old site. I hate it! I used to visit this site on a daily basis but I won't be back. Please go back to the old web page.

AWESOME!! This site is great, finally in this century too. All you complainers, just buy the print b/c it sounds like thats what you want anyways!

I think the new website is way better than the old boring one!

Terrible layout -- impossible to navigate. The categories on the homepage don't seem to make any sense. Looks like just another bad templated newspaper site -- a trend for newspapers trying to find relevancy in media about which they know little or nothing. Give us news, not networking tools and advertising gimmicks.

Great improvements! It is very user friendly; to read the news I click "news", obits I click "obituaries," media news I can click on a video, photo gallery, or audio slideshow. It is a fresh, clean look and allows people to access exactly what they want. Thanks for all you've put into the new site.

Obituaries s don't work.

Obituaries don't work.

I do not like the new web site.....Cannot get to the OB Hope this will be corrected soon. Jean

What's up with everyone being so concerned about not being able to read the obituaries?

your site has several problems. the biggest being you can't get to anything. the obituaries page won't open.

What a horrible SNAFU!!!!! How can anyone think that this format is better??!!! It's way too busy, confusing, looks like a big jumbled up mish-mash, and several of the topics are not accessible, i.e. obituaries, etc. My poor Dad must be turning in his grave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like several other readers, I can't access the obituaries, or customer service. Were it not for this comment box I would not have had any way to call this to your attention. As for the format, it doesn't do all that much for me. I thought it was alright before.

for those of us who spend a lot of time out of town, being able to access the hometown Obits, Births, etc. is extremely useful, I hope you get the problem fixed soon ... I, for one, will get used to the new formats and navigations but also had no issues with the prior BFP site ... it does appear as though Gannett is looking to adopt a common look and feel for all of it's news sites, not a bad thing at all, as I also tend to check out the local "paper" wherever I am visiting

In typical Free Press fashion, you have dumbed down your product. Your paper, your web site gets worse and worse. It's really no wonder why circulation is down and continues in that direction. Face it, no one is reading your paper anymore.

One more thing, perhaps someone should mention something to the advertising department. Your rates are absurd. Craigslist.org is free. Why would anyone pay the rates the freeps is charging when so few people are looking at the paper? I used to be a loyal reader but your paper has become a joke. The real reason you are soliciting readers to submit pictures and stories is, you can't and won't pay for an adequate staff to cover this area. What a shame.

My biggest problem is that I cannot access the Obituaries. I changed the Security Setting as your message at the top of the website suggested and that didn't do anything at all. Also, the overall website is not anywhere near as good as the old one. LIKED THE SYSTEM YOU HAD BEFORE.

I can't find anything anymore and links still don't work right. Especially looking for salary links for UVM, Vt State Colleges, Burlington City Employees, etc. Not too happy with the new site.

I can not check Obits. I live in Alabama and it is my way of checking the status of people from Vermont that I once knew.

I can't login to the site to post a comment anymore. just because you changed the effing site didn't mean you had to change how you login!!!!

ugh

Your corporate owners have struck again. First they cut back on staff. Then they cut back on the paper's size. Then they cut back on staff. Again and again. Then they cut back on pages. All the while, the Web site was a confusing hodgepodge. And why did we stop reading the newspaper? Now you've tried again -- with the Gannett cookie cutter approach (like they really have any answers) -- and what you've come up with is lame. Do you honestly want us to contribute news that you're too cheap to gather yourselves? Have you forgotten your mission? (Ah, yes.) And do we really want to read two of the same press releases from Merchants Bank? Is that news? Is that "your news?" Are you kidding? I had stopped reading your newspaper. Now I'm gone from here.

OK. So I wandered around this totally confused site and happened upon this gem: The editor of your newspaper, the EDITOR, posting a friggin' press release from the Red Cross. Is this news? Is this a newspaper site? C U

Why suddenly we cannot open the Obituaries!!!

A note to our readers Since launching our new site on Wednesday, the Free Press has learned of some issues accessing our site, particularly our obituaries and our staff blogs. We have learned that the issue is with an older version of Internet Explorer and we are working to try to resolve the issue. In the meantime, you can access that content by downloading the most recent version of Internet Explorer or using Mozilla Firefox. To do that, Google "Internet Explorer Download" or "Firefox download." We apologize the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

Actually, Becky, I don't think that's it at all. I don't even use IE and I have all sorts of "access" issues as you say. And my old login doesn't work and, frankly, it's just not worth it. I realize it's not you, so don't take it personally, but this site really is silly. The old site was hard enough to deal with but at least you could find the news. And you could read some Associated PRess news too. And this whole Gannett thing of "your" news and blogs blogs blogs, I mean if I want that, I'm certainly not going to this Web site. I think you guys have been missing the boat for some time now. It's distressing. And this is just another chapter... I'm headed to Seven Days or WCAX or the Herald. Much easier. All I want is news and you have less and less of it and now it's just too much to try to deal with. get rid of the blogs. get rid of all the "your" press releases. give us new. spend some money

Please don't make the headlines of your stories move - the less movement the better - please read usability reports.

I live out of state and want to be able to access things like obits quickly--too busy and obits don't work.

Looks great. All of the anti-Gannett and anti change posts are likely your competitors (hmm, like slams of your circ, outsourcing accusations that aren't true etc really have anything to do with this poll?). The paper has really changed for the better in the last few months and the site looks good.

Endless excuses; sounds like our government with all of the BS being spewed. The BFP was mediocre at best before, and now it just sucks completely. I hope the BFP gets it's head out of it's *** and actually does something about this mess they've created. It's no great loss for me personally since I didn't put much stock into what was published by BFP anyway; I just checked the obits, and I can get that info somewhere else. BTW - I am not a "competitor", merely a citizen who would like a local news publisher to do what is best for the people who read what they print. Don't forget BFP; if we don't buy your paper, and don't access your website, then we will not be exposed to the businesses who pay you big bucks to reach us. The trickle down effect will eventually reach you; then what will you do????

Way too busy. I can't find the "on the Farm" classifieds, I see everything but that.

I'd like to see news when I come to the website, not Entertainment. The opportunity to toggle between Entertainment and Sports -- ick and double ick. Did Seven Days buy the Freep when I wasn't looking? My primary use for the BFP is to access your Business news, which appears to be a category that has disappeared from the website. So far, the only way I have discovered to find it is to utilize your search feature.

For all the nay sayers, do you go to other websites for news??? This is a huge improvement and I'm sorry but if you can't find the story links, then you probably have issues booting up in the morning too.

Again, too busy. I hate the constant slide transitions. Just pick one and go with it. If you at least changed the slide torture show to a static display with perhaps some index buttons to change slides AT MY DISCRETION ONLY, I think I could at least tolerate the other crap. I first saw the slide show format on aol, and it was annoying enough to me never to go back again. Less "flash", more news please.

Born and raised in vt, but now live in TN. I use this site to keep up with what's happening at home , but your new site is to busy and hard to find things. Hopefully I'll get used to it but you could have done a better job.

Interesting news from Gannett, profits are up, USA Today circulation is tops in the country...revenue is up...does that help the dailies like the Freeps?....nope..The mother ship wants papers like the Freeps to do more with less and guess who gets screwed....the readers. There are probably 7 (if that) reporters who are charged with covering the greater Burlington area. There is a dinosaur of an editor (shall remain nameless) who has his own agenda of what to cover, so forget objectivity....the reporters run around with their heads cut off just trying to meet deadlines and come up with white-bread stories that fit the cookie-cutter-don't jump to the inside of the paper rule. Readers......advertisers....take it elsewhere....especially advertisers....you are getting screwed on your ad rates. There isnt the circulation to support what you are paying to advertise. Freeps employees.......Godspeed

I love reading all of these comments that people don't care about the free press and yet they post comments. They wish they did not care but they do. They do read the free press and they like it. For some reason they also like to be angry. Must be a vermont thing. No one likes change but they complain you are not doing enough for them. So the free press changes and they complain more. I appluad the effort and look forward to more positive change.

Competitors? Certainly you jest. We just want to read the dang Web site having already given up on the newspaper. Don't care? Of course we care. We really wish we had a decent paper and thorough source of news up here. And how can anyone say this is better or the paper is better. It's not. Less local news. Less state news. Less national news. And who the heck cares to read a bunch of blogs from citizens who may or may not know what they're talking about? All mixed in with the seven reporters who do. Shame on you. You bleed us dry and give us nothing in return. To vpr.net I go...

Actually, Joe, you sound as though you work for the Free Press if you ask me. We complain because as citizens we feel we have the right to a decent source of news. We WISH the free press was the answer but it sure isn't. And what they did to the site proves it...First they trashed the paper and then they trashed the Web site...which wasn't that great anyway. But really, Joe, do you think we actually believe you?

WHAT A MESS

WHAT A MESS

Am sorry but I just don't like your new format. I now live in Va and look to the Free press to keep me in touch with Burlington. This new site is unwieldy, hard to zero in on solid information. Please return to the former; that was sooooooooooo easy. Lynne S

The old site had a very good front page to get at the key items readers were interested in; up to the minute news, town issues, etc. The new layout is order of magnitude backwards.

Poor Becky Holt...go easy on her, she's been at the Freeps a long time, she's got to tow the party line or she'll get a pink slip. Yes I do know a thing or two about the Free Press and it's no secret to the readers that the paper is sinking just like papers around the country are sinking. This great internet has decimated paper journalism, but the Freeps has always been destined to fail because Gannett views it as a "starter" paper for employees. Fast track they call it. Bring in editors from around the country that have no knowledge of the area, give them 2 years to get some experience and off they go to another Gannett paper. In the meantime, reporters who want to build a life here really get screwed. Hiring freezes, no more parking reimbursement, salary caps, meager raises, crazy long hours, etc.... and who suffers?...guess?.....readers and advertisers....

It's QUITE annoying to be limited to 100 chars. while trying to explain ones self in the blog section of the articles. It's even more annoying to have to break up the text of a long explination--- because there is a time limit imposed on the amount of posts in a defined period of time. One can't even edit their post afterward to fix their errors. What kind of nonsense is that? I thought I'd try the new site, but now I'm more upset than ever and will be certain to attend other media outlets. Fini!

The most impressive use of advertising is in the comment section. The adds cover the area you enter your text. If that isn't forcing it down ones throat, I don't know what is?

It's busy busy busy with multimedia glitz and ads, but where's the news?

Site is way too busy. You shouldn't need a FAQ section in order to navigate a newspaper site or any website for that matter. Appreciate the attention to the site, however it is too much...

Years ago I gave up the paper, now I have a good reason to give up the web site as well. What a horrible job.

Don't love it but understand the need for change. I would like to be able to access the Obits as I live out of state.

Do you honestly think we want to come to your site to blog? Do you really believe we want to come to read what ill-informed strangers have to blog? Do you think we're sick of reading about Michael Heyman? What's with THAT? You've taken the news out of the site; you've made it harder to use -- even after you get used to it -- and it's like everything else Gannett has touched -- "We know better." Guess what, you don't. And we can see clearly through your efforts to keep on cutting and fill the gaps with "your news" as in, "you make it up because we're too cheap to do it ourselves."