Catholicism in the digital age

Rhode Island Catholic launches new Web site

The new Web site is designed to be as user friendly as it is informative. Readers are invited to explore the many features of the site. As the new Rhode Island Catholic continues its in-depth coverage of the Diocese of Providence, the Web site will continue to grow to compliment the print edition.

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The Rhode Island Catholic is proud to announce the launch of a new Web site: www.thericatholic.com.

The new site is a companion to the redesigned and renamed paper. Creative Circle Media Consulting, a Providence-based company, handled both redesigns. Creative Circle CEO Bill Ostendorf, who oversaw the changes, said he hopes the site will “make more of the content more accessible” to readers.

The site will feature all of the stories that appear in the print edition of the newspaper, after the paper is delivered to subscribers. In addition, all RI Catholic stories that have appeared in the paper since the redesign in May, and some stories from the former Providence Visitor, are archived and available on the site in a searchable format.

A complete archive of Bishop Thomas J. Tobin’s “Without a Doubt” columns is also available.

Many of the stories that run in the print edition of the paper have photos that accompany them, all of which will also appear on the Web site. Also, photos that could not be used in the print edition will appear on the Web site.

To make the most of this new technology the RI Catholic has partnered with MyCapture, an online photo publishing company, to offer readers the opportunity to purchase professional-quality copies of photos that have appeared in the paper and on the Web site.

The dynamic new RI Catholic site will adjust to best serve the breaking news in the diocese, whether it's the ordination of priests or information about diocesan schools, the site will be formatted to best suit the news of the day. “When you come to the site it's not going to look the same every day,” said Ostendorf.

The redesign has been in the works since the early spring, and the new Rhode Island Catholic print edition was unveiled at the end of May. “It marked a dramatic change in the publication,” said Ostendorf.

Creative Circle Media Consulting was started 25 years ago with the goal of “trying to help newspapers be better at what they do," he said. The company has worked with newspapers locally and internationally – including the Standard Times (New Bedford. Mass.), and the Valley Breeze – and many diocesan newspapers across the country. “We've been very active with the Catholic Press Association,” Ostendorf said.