We’ve installed Disqus into our site to introduce discussion through a variety of platforms, encourage a consistent identity from those who comment and to better moderate the comments submitted. You can find it under each story and blog post, including this one.

My favorite feature of the new system is the ability to log in using your Facebook or Twitter account. By clicking Facebook Connect or the Twitter icon, you can link your account to your identity on the CM Life site, including your avatar (your profile picture). You also can use your Yahoo! account to log in.

This allows for you to put a face to your comments and for you to easily “build a profile,” so to speak, on the Web site. If you have Facebook or Twitter, all you have to do is log in (don’t worry — only your name and avatar are visible if you wish to keep your profile private).

Using a consistent identity also lets you view comments you’ve previously made. While those who wish to continue using a screen name can do so, we hope this encourages as many readers as possible to use an authentic or consistent identity when commenting. We’d rather see a healthy conversation on our site than a comments section littered with attacks from unknown sources.

Other things you can do with the Disqus system:

• Share your comment on Facebook or Twitter.
• Subscribe to the comments section of a post by e-mail or RSS.
• View others’ profile and comment history.
• Flag comments you might find offensive/distasteful/unrelated to discussion.

Don’t stop there

One goal for Central Michigan Life is to keep people talking about issues that matter most to them.

One thing our Web site can do that our print edition cannot is get readers involved in the conversation. One way to do that is through reader comments. We also offer Facebook and Twitter for you to connect to us. We know we aren’t the only eyes and ears of Central Michigan University and the Mount Pleasant community — we want you to be involved and for you to tell us what news matters to you.

Be sure to let us know how else we can improve your experience on cm-life.com and on our social media platforms!

The search for a new university president is under way, as are the searches for several other administrators. The CMU tailgating policy is causing controversy among students and university leaders. The planned medical school continues to make progress, setting a budget not to exceed $24 million.

There are a plethora of other topics and issues worth discussing as well. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Students, and even faculty and staff, need to get involved and make their voices heard.

Starting today, Central Michigan Life is giving you that forum. And all you have to do is get on your computer.

At 8:30 p.m. today on cm-life.com, we will host Student Government Association President Jason Nichol and Vice President Brittany Mouzourakis on live chat to discuss campus issues with anybody on or off campus willing to join us for about one hour.

It will be the first of several live chat discussions we hope to host on our Web site with students leaders and CMU administrators this semester. One goal is to give you the opportunity to talk with them about campus issues that concern you.

It is understandable if many students cannot attend Academic Senate or SGA meetings because of homework and other responsibilities, but almost every student has easy access to a computer. This way, you don’t have to leave your residence hall or apartment.

Want to talk tailgating policy, presidential search or even parking on campus? Just log on. Let’s talk about it.

No college campus is perfect. But having forums of discussion such as these that address issues at CMU could go a long way toward making it better. The administration’s job is to make sure students are happy and treated fairly.

I highly encourage you to join us tonight and in future discussions. Our goal is to keep you communicating.

This is something new we are trying. Powered by Publish2, a collaborative journalism platform, “What We’re Reading” takes some of our favorite links from around the Web and shares them with our readers.

These links could range from stories to blogs to videos to Flash presentations. They may relate to Central Michigan University or to other topics concerning our audience, such as social networking (Facebook, Twitter), money matters (tuition), the latest trends and more.

The goal is to give you recommended reads from around the Web and keep you engaged with what interests you. Linking is a powerful online tool, something we will continue to utilize throughout our stories as well as on “What We’re Reading.”

For right now, you will see my recommended reads. My hope is to get more of our editors involved in updating “What We’re Reading” and showing you what on the Web they think you should read.

So be sure to keep updated. And if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, let us know!

Passing are the days of reading the newspaper for today’s news. We are entering a world where we get our news on the Internet, in our e-mails and even on our phones.

In a nutshell, people want their information faster. On-the-go. In real time.

At Central Michigan Life, the award-winning student newspaper of Central Michigan University, we realize this. And we are making great strides to meet our readers’ demands.

Today, we officially launch the new cm-life.com, using the WordPress content management system and with the help of CoPress, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering student newspapers. It is the culmination of a summer-long process in building a site that would meet today’s needs.

We are in full control of the advertising and the many different sections and features we offer.

But what does this mean for you? A lot. Like many newsrooms around the country, ours is shifting its focus to the 24-hour online world.

On our previous site, we posted online editions Monday, Wednesday and Friday with a breaking news story or two in between, when they happened. Our new site will constantly update seven days per week with new stories, as they happen, on the home page, giving you plenty of reason to keep checking back.

We also provide functionality with every story we post. Find one you particularly liked? Hit the green “Tweet” button in the top left corner of it. Want to read more related stories? Scroll to the “Read more” section at the bottom of the story.

CM Life also continues to take advantage of social networking. Follow @CMLIFE on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates on the latest news that concerns you. Become a fan of us on Facebook, which you can do with one click of the button on the right sidebar of our site.

Engaging the user

Another thing we want to do on the Web is engage you, the reader.

You are the eyes and ears of Central Michigan. We want you to offer your voice on everything that matters to you, whether it is yet another tuition increase, the search for a new university president or the latest football game.

We want you to chat with us and let us know what is going on in the community. Leave comments on stories. Join us when we host periodical chats via CoverItLive. We are listening and willing to talk with anybody looking for civil conversation.

This is not to say we will abandon our print product. We will continue to put together a great newspaper for you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. If you are a student, you still need something to read in class, right?

But for a true 24-hour Central Michigan news source where you can read, engage and help cultivate conversation and ideas, from on- or off-campus, we have you covered.
Thank you for working with us, and we hope you enjoy our new site.