A newly designed Web edition of The Vicksburg Post is up and running, with more news, sports and other stories and photos, along with additional resources to serve as a guide for area residents.

The new site has the same Internet address, www.vicksburgpost.com, but almost everything else has changed.

“This is a complete makeover,” said Executive Editor Charlie Mitchell. “Everything we’ve had online before is still there, but the new design is more comprehensive by providing immediacy and depth to our coverage.”

While most newspapers have Web sites, Mitchell said, the Post’s is targeted to serve four specific purposes.

“First is to provide immediacy,” he said. “When there’s a school closing or emergency situation involving the weather or traffic, we will report what we know when we know it.”

A second aspect will be depth. “It’s hard to tell a complete story in a few paragraphs and there’s a growing distrust of all media reports,” Mitchell said. For that reason, when there’s a major indictment, a speech, new ordinance or law, local residents will be able to read the story in the paper and, if they want to know more details, go to the Web site and view actual documents.

A third aspect is to provide a 24-hour reference. “If a reader has seen something in an events calendar or somewhere else in a paper that has been discarded, the reader can go to the Web site where the details and contact information will still be available,” Mitchell said.

A fourth purpose is placing classified ads and managing subscriptions, such as suspending delivery during a vacation, plus viewing advertisements placed by local and national companies. While those offerings have been on the Post’s former Web site, the new design is tailored for ease and convenience.

Pat Cashman, editor and publisher, said the purpose of updating the 6-year-old Web site is to offer something subscribers often suggest: more. “This continues our commitment to be the best information source for this area,” Cashman said. “Whatever is happening will be covered by the Post.”

The site, in development for several months by Web editor Gary Haygood, will offer additional photos of major events and, for the first time, it will offer readers the opportunity to purchase high-quality prints. People will also be able to offer their comments on stories, suggest stories and even upload their own photos for others to see. The site will offer a searchable archives of all local stories.

Coming additions will be slide shows and photo essays, plus audio and video reporting.

“It’s impossible for one Web site to be all things to all people,” Mitchell said, “and that has not been our goal. We want to offer subscribers who have Internet access a useful supplemental tool for information relevant to the community we serve. There may be some bugs in the system, so we ask for patience. And people may have ideas, which are always welcome.”

The former Web site featured only the top local news and sports stories of the day and the new site includes most of the local information found in the print edition. School news, wedding, engagement and birth announcements, as well as crime reports, editorials and letters to the editor can now be read online.