Web Edition: AMNews anywhere, anytime

Recent improvements in the electronic versions of AMNews provide readers with convenient and comprehensive access to our current content -- and more.

Editorial. July 31, 2000.

In this space we typically comment on important developments in the news. This week is a departure. We want to note some developments at American Medical News that make how we deliver the news much more convenient and useful to our readers.

Starting with the first issue of the year, our Web Edition -- recently renamed amednews.com for ease of recall -- began presenting the full text of each weekly issue of AMNews. All the news and feature articles, columns, letters to the editor -- even content not available in the print edition, such as charts and online polls -- are available in this crisply designed, easy-to-navigate, fast-loading site. Many of the articles include links to useful online resources mentioned in the articles.

Readers can find out what's on the site without even visiting it. Our weekly e-mail alert service provides those who sign up for it an overview of what articles are in the latest issue. For readers who are inspired to share their views with us, our new, convenient, online form -- appearing in current news stories and columns -- provides an easy way to e-mail a letter to the editor and make your opinion known to us and to your colleagues.

We know that what's important to many site visitors is not what's new but what's old -- the ability to find an article that appeared weeks, months or even years ago. In April, we added a simple-to-use search function that provides instant access to previous AMNews coverage archived on the site. Once articles are posted to the site, they are never removed. All material from this year is available online, as are numerous selected articles from previous years. We will shortly be adding complete back issues from recent years.

One other especially noteworthy development is also among the most recent changes at AMNews. Last month, we unveiled our mobile edition for Palm Pilot and other handheld devices, including wireless Internet phones. The mobile version includes all the news and feature stories from the current issue. It is a valuable resource for the doctor who wants to get information on the go.

These improvements are a natural extension of a philosophy that governs the editorial decisions we make at this newspaper -- to serve our audience in the most useful and meaningful ways possible, guided by what we know of our readers' needs. Many of these new improvements were in response to reader requests. We are eager to hear your comments and suggestions. Please send us your thoughts via the "Technical Comments" mailbox on the Web site.

There is no question that physicians are increasingly taking advantage of the convenience and efficiencies of the Web and wireless devices to keep up in a busy professional life. We intend to be a part of that. We will continue to update our readers on other improvements in both the print and electronic editions of AMNews. Just watch this space -- be it on the printed page, a desktop or laptop computer, or handheld device.