Today marks the launch of the Gold Standard.
In addition to the obvious change of the name, the paper's flag (the banner with the name of the publication) has been redesigned to utilize the branding fonts and colors approved by the Army and seen on signage throughout the installation.
The flag now includes a QR code that permits smart phone users to scan the code which will take them to the online digital version of the Gold Standard, for those who prefer to read the paper on the go.
Also, readers should notice that the Around Knox feature has been moved from page 3 to the front page, the index now crawls along the very bottom of the front page in a smaller type, and a 7-day weather forecast can be found on page 3. Other features will be scattered throughout the paper, sometimes anchored to one page, others floating as space dictates. A spotlight feature will allow publicity for those achievements that don't warrant a news story, but still deserve recognition -- such as promotions, retirements, or graduation of service members.
The Forum page now features a monthly "Peeps (people) on the Street" column where readers answer questions and share their opinions on issues of the day. In honor of Black History Month, today's column asked 'Which African-American woman has influenced your life the most?' See page 5 for the interesting answers provided by people encountered by the staff.
The Leisure section has been re-named "Off Duty" to more accurately reflect that section's goal of helping readers find interesting things to do in the Bluegrass with their off duty time. Included there will be the Pet of the Week to alert those looking for a four-legged companion to the animals that are available at the Fort Knox Stray Animal facility.
"That Guy" cartoons will appear throughout the paper on a weekly basis, and readers should notice more graphics, charts, and condensed items boxed for informational purposes.
In addition, Flickr links are being added to those stories that generated more photos than could be printed in the paper, allowing readers to connect to those sites and view all the photos that were taken. Further, readers will be able to download photos from the Flickr site.
Some changes should be nearly perfect today, while others may evolve as readership and leadership provide input to styles, applicability and popularity. While the goal may be for certain features to appear weekly, actual input may prove that a monthly appearance would be more realistic and vice versa.
In all, the changes are intended to make reading easier while providing more avenues for readership participation.
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