The new BBC site really feels like something special
and it keeps me completely connected.
The BBC has long been a powerhouse presence
on the web. From insightful news reporting to streaming television and radio
show, its website is many people’s first port of call when they open up a
browser.
If you’re a regular
visitor to www.bbc.co.uk like me, you
may have noticed a significant
change to the way that it looks. The main index has been completely redesigned
in order to better support a new range of devices that people are now using on
a day to day basis, such as tablets and touchscreen PCs. Although the new
design looks busy and bright to begin, with, there’s absolutely nothing to be
scared of. The new layout is easy to use and, most importantly, it puts
everything you might be looking for right at your fingertips. We all hate
change, but I for one think this is a change by the BBC which is very much for
the better.
At a glance
Skill level: Anyone can do it
Time taken 10 mins
Suitablefor Windows 7, Windows Vista,
Windows XP
The
new BBC site really feels like something special.
It
keeps me completely connected.
Time
There’s a classis clock incorporated
into the main site, which is very handy if you have your Taskbar hidden and
can’t see the system clock.
Explore
Got a bot lost? The BBC includes its
own guide to the new website, which you can get to by clicking this link.
Learn
The new site includes at-a-glance
headlines of the latest stories, the latest sports happenings and much more.
Just click them to read the full thing.
Trim
Not interested in iPlayer? Or with
sports? Click these links to narrow down the items included on the main page.
Next
You can see a ghostly preview of the
articles on the next page here. They’ll slide into view when you click the
large arrows.
Best
tip
Hold your mouse over the main news
headline and a quick summary will pop up – much quicker!
Step-by-step Get to grips with the BBC
site
Location
aware
The
weather widget is a useful feature.
The weather widget at the top of the
page is a useful feature, but it would be more useful if it didn’t assume
everyone lived in London. But it’s easy to change – just hold the cursor over
the weather symbols and click on ‘London’. A floating search box will appear to
enable you to type in your location. Select the appropriate location from the
drop-down list, then click ‘Confirm’.
Widget is a term for a user interface
that enables you to interact with the app and the OS. Widgets display handy
information and invite you to act in a number of ways.
Personal
meteorology
Personal
meteorology
As we’ve just mentioned, the BBC
website now has a weather at-a-glance view at the top right of the screen, but
there’s much more information at hand. Click the weather symbol for the day
that you’re interested in to go through to an in-depth forecast for your area.
Even more detail is available by clicking ‘Humidity, visibility and pressure’
