Thread: Why is The Namibian's web site so outdated and slow?

Does anybody share your views? For sure I do! I sometimes just wish The Namibian and The Shebeen would come together and do some cooperation or something. YOu know like local is lekker. That would be perfect, for me at least:My favourite Namibian newspaper and community in one place. Seems to me The Namibian web site has stood still since their webmaster Staby left some time ago. I remember he won a couple of awards for the site back then and then left and that was that. I don't think your comments are unfair since the site is now really outdated and even the community is just totaly unmanaged and out of control.

Well Amen 2 the complaints!!LOL!! The slow I experienced. The daily headlines however do get updated and some opinion pieces, but the Forum died a slow and painfull death, partly because of inadequacies in it's setup & functionalities and on the other hand because of the 'TYPE' that frequented it. Here at Shebeen, we tackle issues, not persons....

I for one would not want the same style merged over to the respectible and efficient Shebeen realm. Let Gwen handle her own issues that side...maybe copy this kind of discussion pertaining complaints for the online presence to her as the editor in chief, am sure she can take care of it.

Else Shebeen, keep up the superb job in creating a balanced platform for all Namibians to air their views on and learn from each other in the process...LOL!!! I Lurv Shebeen!!!

I agree Juikk - I want our Shebeen to remain independent. It would be nice to read all the Namibian's articles over here (as well as from other Namibian news sources) but I think our Shebeen needs to go its own way. Nice idea, Dude, but I don't agree. The Namibian will sooner or later have to do something, and I'm sure they will. They seem to not care much about their online strategy at the moment, or simply don't have anyone to execute it. In the meantime, Shebeen is my place for everything their outdated web site does not offer. Keep it up, Shebeen. I'm just wondering whether our Shebeen is "sticky" enough. Either people are so hooked to Facebook, MySpace and other networknig sites and they don't come here or they are just shy. A few thoughts to ponder.

Hmm aba da sticky issue, have got a profile on facebook maself and it serves an entirely different purpose......

Considerin yo statement however, I wonder wot exactly Shebeen does to pull more traffic to it?

Hi Juikk - out of interest: What do you use Facebook for, as opposed to Shebeen? I've been noticing Shebeen trying to get peeps to come over from Facebook, but judging by the number of users it is not too successful. It is interesting, though, how many friends Shebeen has on Facebook. Impressive. What do you think our Shebeen should/must do to attract more users/traffic? What can it do?

I think its futile to try and compete with Facebook. It's in a different league and does not have a community feel to it. It's based on the premise that people will always only prefer individual interests and pursuits. That's why I like Shebeen: It's got a community feel to it, although it needs more development. Differentiation is the right way, I think. But it's got to be more substantial than it is currently the case in terms of local Namibian content. I'm sure Shebeen is aware of that.

Well, comrade, facebook is more an extended photo album where one can have lose talk and touch base with friends worldwide in a quick manner befitting the fast paced life we have to keep up wit... sort of an inexpensive way of having a virtual drink with acquintances and buddies.....

Shebeen on the other hand has substance, topics of essence, the intellectual type, the motivated type, the activist type wud refer to facebook and share ideas, thoughts and views, which i think is more value adding than facebook offerings.
No topic of consequence ever get tackled on Facebook, but it serves a purpose to entertain....

In a Nutshell it is all about the respective sites serving different purposes.....

We can still brainstorm about the why's of not pulling similar traffic to the Shebeen though and I got a pretty good assumption, but that is jux a personal opinion about what people prefer to get involved with.....hope d@ helps

You've put it well Juikk, and that's essentially how I also use the two web sites. They serve different purposes, and I don't think Shebeen should even try to emulate Facebook. But Juikk, I'm really interrested to hear from you hoe yout hink Shebeen can attract more Namibians. Send me a PM if you have a minute.

I don't know for how long it has been online, I only noticed today, but The Namibian's online presence has been revamped!

The new design is not exactly breathtaking, but it does look okay, and yes, I finally understand how to navigate the site. The response time is much better now as well.

It is a step in the right direction, but there is clearly room for improvement. What do you guys think?

Yeah, I think they switched over to the new site this morning. It's been under development for quite a while under community.namibian.com.na. The new look & feel is definitely a step forward and in the right direction. I don't like the bold and strong category markers. That could be toned down a bit. Also, thare are too many horizontal lines in the header zone, which distracts my eyes from the navigation bar, which in itself is easy to use and effective. A simple and clear Home button would also help. The header logo could serve for that purpose. I'd expect the forums to also grow with time, but certainly prefer our Shebeen's tools and feature set in this regard. Altogether I'd give it 6/10.

Congratulations to The Namibian!! May the site go from strength to strength.