Welcome to Global Sisters Report's new website! This is our first major redesign since our start in April 2014, which means it was long overdue.
The new look may seem familiar to readers of National Catholic Reporter — and it should. We borrowed many of the same design features from NCR's revamped website, which launched in August 2017.
The goal was to make the Global Sisters Report homepage and website more vibrant and engaging. We wanted a dynamic website that provides a more creative way to present stories and columns and better displays photos, graphics and video. We drew on suggestions you provided in surveys, emails and exhibit-booth conversations at numerous conferences.
We now have the digital tools needed to include more slideshows and graphics and to better embed audio and video clips. The website layout responds to the device you're using, whether it's your smartphone or an extra-wide desktop monitor. And you'll find it easier to share stories via Facebook, Twitter or email.
To NCR and GSR staff, particularly our copy editors, the update is exciting because it will make us more efficient in bringing news, features and columns to our readers. It will save us time and energy building articles on the website and reminding readers of related stories and columns they may have missed. On story pages, you'll now see sidebars with links to similarly themed stories and the most recent content on Global Sisters Report.
We updated the names of a few of our channels: "Equality" is now "Social Justice"; "Trends" is now "Religious Life." We've also added channels for weekly Q&As, news, and stories on the arts and media. We'll be using photos of columnists on the homepage so you can get to know them better. (News to note: We have added 46 new columnists since January, bringing our total number of columnists to more than 180 — not including all of the wonderful panelists we've had for our monthly feature, The Life. This shows the value of Global Sisters Report as a forum for sisters, associates and oblates from across the world.)
In the coming months, we'll be working on an advanced location filter to categorize our trove of more than 5,000 stories so you can find more coverage from any area of the world. We will also be launching a community news platform so congregations and sister organizations can share announcements.
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Look soon for a new venture called GSR in the Classroom, which adapts Global Sisters Report articles and columns for use in middle and high school classes. Our lesson plans will focus on the work women religious do to address racism, face climate change, eradicate human trafficking and help migrant families adapt in all parts of the world.
We've kept a number of features that were part of Global Sisters Report from the beginning, including the "Say Thanks" button. It's a small token of appreciation for the sisters writing columns or featured in the articles — and, yes, the reporters, editors, photographers and copy editors also involved.
We are grateful to all our contributors and our wide range of readers. For questions or comments on the website, please email info@globalsistersreport.org. Thanks for your support as we churn up virtual dust to make improvements!
[Gail DeGeorge is editor of Global Sisters Report. Her email address is gdegeorge@ncronline.org. Follow her on Twitter: @GailDeGeorge.]
