The launch of a new portal site, ireland.com - by The Irish Times on the Web marks the next major phase of development for Ireland's most popular Internet site, according to Mr Seamus Conaty, managing director of Itronics, the electronic publishing division of The Irish Times.
Mr Conaty was speaking at the launch in Dublin last night of the new site which will significantly extend the range of online services provided by The Irish Times electronic division. These include free e-mail and coverage of breaking news. It aims to serve both Irish Internet users and users generally interested in Ireland. Portal sites are so named because they offer a variety of services via one address.
"Since the creation of our website in 1994, The Irish Times on the Web has evolved into the logical starting point for all things Irish on the Internet. The ireland.com portal site will maintain the highest standards of information and offer quality services in keeping with the Irish Times brand," Mr Conaty said.
The new site features a comprehensive Dublin city guide, including searchable lifestyle listings, from accommodation to dining out to entertainment. A free personalised e-mail service will give users the contact address, @ireland.com, and additional features including technology, business and sport sites.
These will be incorporated on the ireland.com platform along with existing Irish Times sites, including the daily online edition of The Irish Times, Sports Extra, Irish Ancestors, The Path to Peace, Eurotimes, Recruitment, Dyoublong and An Teanga Bheo.
The Irish Times on the Web, which was set up in autumn 1994, now registers about 6.5 million page impressions each month, making it the most visited Irish website. From a core workforce of six in 1995, there are now 35 people employed in editorial, technical and commercial activities.
"The launch of ireland.com is part of a coherent progression in the development of The Irish Times' electronic publications," said Mr Seamus Martin, editor of electronic editions. "This progression will continue throughout the year with the enhancement of the existing sections of the site and the introduction of new ones."
There are plans under way to provide an agriculture section, camera views of the Dublin traffic flow, and a personalised television guide.
According to Ms Maeve Donovan, general sales and marketing director of The Irish Times, the development represents a shift by the organisation from being a traditional newspaper to an information and communications company.
Referring to the online readership, she said: "We are not only leading in Ireland but also in terms of the UK market where our online auditors, abc// electronic, have placed us in their top 20 ahead of such luminaries as the Times, Sporting Life, the Beeb (a BBC service), and Top Jobs on the Net amongst others."
The ireland.com portal, which will rely on advertising for revenue, aims to offer advertisers a more targeted market. PriceWaterhouse recently calculated that online advertising topped $1.3 billion for the first nine months of 1998.
The attendance included the editor of The Irish Times, Mr Conor Brady, and the chief executive and group managing director, Mr Louis O'Neill. Representatives from the advertising, media and Internet sectors also attended.
Access to ireland.com requires no subscription or registration. The address is: www.ireland.com
