Refreshing.

The Boulder County Business Report’s website has been — how shall I put this? — not up to par for quite some time. Oh, we thought it was pretty cool when the current version first launched more than five years ago. (Yes, I know that’s a lifetime for any website design, but, like most companies, we’ve had a lot going on in recent years.)

The old design was clean, and readers could navigate where they wanted pretty easily. But, truth be told, the design was dated immediately upon its launch: Lack of design flexibility, little interactivity with readers, cumbersome methods of updating the site, to name just a few issues.

Now, however, a visit to bcbr.com will reveal many changes, we hope for the better.

• Presentation of breaking business news is far more flexible, allowing our editors to adequately relate the significance of news items.

• Multimedia will be greatly expanded, with video, slideshows and podcasts. We will offer video in a variety of formats, including interviews with key business newsmakers, features on business topics and more. Organizations such as chambers of commerce or other nonprofits are encouraged to provide us with multiple photographs of their events, from which we will create slideshows.

• Coming weeks will see addition of new content areas, including blogs and columns. Have an idea for a column or blog? Drop me a line, and we’ll consider it.

• Easier searching of our story archives is another important enhancement. More than 22,000 articles currently are on the website, dating back to 1999. In coming months, we will add additional archives, with hopes of eventually creating a digital library of every Business Report article of the past 30 years.

• Microsites will allow us to amplify coverage of certain sectors. One good example is distinctivehomesbv.com, providing a one-stop site for all content from our Distinctive Homes of the Boulder Valley section. Additional microsites will be unveiled in coming months.

• Digital editions provide another means for readers to follow our print edition, with an edgy PageTurnPro software that recreates our publications, exactly as they appeared in print.

• Our Calendar makes it easy for readers to submit their own events for publication on our website, highlights of which will appear in our print edition. Calendars can be categorized by industry.

• The BizWest Media Digital Network brings in news from our sister publications, the Northern Colorado Business Report and the Wyoming Business Report, as well as the Colorado Springs Business Journal and ColoradoBiz.

• We also have implemented standard advertising sizes, making it easier for advertisers to market through our website without having to design new creative. (And we have much more advertising inventory, including expandable banners and video opportunities).

These are just a few of the changes that you’ll see upon visiting the new website. More changes will be made in the months ahead. (And, yes, we will spend the next couple of weeks fixing glitches on the site. If you encounter one, please let me know.)

Christopher Wood can be reached at 303-440-4950 or via email at cwood@bcbr.com.