You’re all invited to a kick-off party
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/04/2015 (3820 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
If we were a movie studio, we would be rolling out the red carpet for a celebrity-laden première complete with Klieg lights arcing across the night sky.
If we were a designer label, we would fly in some supermodels, dress up the catwalk and make sure the fashion glitterati had front-row seats and champagne. Lots and lots of champagne.
But since we are neither, the launch of our new digital experience for readers of winnipegfreepress.com will be somewhat more low key.
Sure, there will be a stage — at the Free Press News Café. And yes, the free drinks will be flowing, although the choice will be limited to coffee or decaf.
But more importantly, instead of celebrities or fashionistas, you will have a chance to be at the party we’re throwing to kick off a new era for this 143-year-old institution.
The reason we want you there is because you are at the centre of what we have spent more than a year building, in what will be a first for newspaper websites in North America.
In the past weeks, these columns have introduced you to the key features of the redesigned website that is now being rolled out to the launch pad, waiting to begin ignition sequence.
I’ve written about the personalization that will give you more of the stories you want. I introduced you to our menu that includes an à la carte option set at 27 cents per article that allows you to build your own Free Press bundle for no money down and no up-front commitment. Better still, that pay-per-read price comes with a money-back guarantee.
And along with our publisher, Bob Cox, we’ve explained the rationale to begin charging to read our journalism on desktops, smartphones and tablets.
But a fancy new website with technological bells and whistles is just a means to the same end that marks the start of each and every day for our newsroom. We want to tell you what’s new and what’s interesting. We need to help you understand why stuff happened in our city and province and what is going to happen next.
We have to ensure you see value in what you get from your Free Press.
So, we want you at the party to tell us what you think. We want you at the party so we can answer your questions. We want you at the party so you can take the first few clicks on the new website.
And if you can’t make it to the party, we want you to be able to participate by watching the livestream on our website.
We will post details soon on how you can get on the invite list. But the best way to get to the head of the line is to follow me on Twitter
@paulsamyn.
Paul Samyn is the Free Press editor
paul.samyn@freepress.mb.ca

Paul Samyn is the editor of the Free Press, a role which has him responsible for all this newsroom produces on all platforms.
A former Free Press paperboy, Paul joined the newsroom in 1988 as a cub reporter before moving up the ranks, including ten years as the Free Press bureau chief in Ottawa. He was named the 15th editor in Free Press history in the summer of 2012.
Paul is the chairman of the National Newspaper Awards, a member of the National NewsMedia Council and also serves on the J.W. Dafoe Foundation, named after the legendary Free Press editor. Read more about Paul.
Paul spearheads the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
History
Updated on Monday, April 27, 2015 4:42 PM CDT: Updates PDF embed