FIVE YEARS ON

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In the spring of 1999, Helsingin Sanomat decided to raise its international profile somewhat by introducing a slim online version in English, featuring a selection of the "non-wire service" news items carried in the print paper.
      The idea was to present this "temporary" service during Finland’s six-month term as EU President in the latter half of 1999. The Presidency is long gone, but we are still here.
     
Although some readers have asked  us why we do not regularly cover hurricanes in Florida, elections in Uttar Pradesh, or the English Premiership football results, in fact it was never the intention. The stories were - and are - supposed to be "Finnish with an international dimension", or international items that have some direct bearing on Finnish life.
      A few purely local pieces also get in as a service to residents in the Helsinki region, but readership surveys have indicated - perhaps surprisingly - that they (the locals) are in the minority. A large number of our readers are actually outside Finland.
      Anyway, a dummy edition of the IntEd was produced in June 1999 in order to see if it could technically be done, and since nothing much happens in Finland - EU or no EU - in July and August, the actual service began in September. Some weekly stories hidden away in our somewhat primitive archives are taken from the first days of that month, but regular daily operations five days a week began on September 14th, 1999.
     
To cut a long story short, this means we are celebrating our 5th birthday or anniversary this week. I very much doubt whether the event will be marked with roasted oxen, samba dancers, and a giant fireworks display over Töölönlahti, but it is perhaps a moment to take stock and consider where we have come from, and more importantly, where we might be going.
     
Hence we would like to hear from YOU.
      Please let us know what you enjoy about the service, what irritates you violently, what you miss, what changes we could make, and generally anything you wish to get off your chest. Now’s your chance to scream about the yellow background, to dig up that ghastly translation error from way back when, question our sanity in running stories about condom taxis, wonder why we do not provide detailed instructions on where to buy peanut butter, marmite, or mango chutney in Helsinki, and so on.
      Mails from "Disappointed of Espoo" asking for the complete print newspaper, plus advertisements, plus a comprehensive What’s On in Helsinki guide, all delivered in English by the time you are sitting down to breakfast, will be met with good-natured laughter, since this is clearly not on the horizon, but we are more than open to reasonable suggestions.
     
I’m not sure how many times I’ve promised this one, but there are rumours going around that the Archives might get a keyword-search function at long last.
      As far as we are concerned, that is the #1 item on our wish-list: five years’ worth of daily articles is a lot to wade through when we are looking for internal links. Five years at roughly seven stories a day, five days a week, plus five years of weeklies - it all adds up. In fact it adds up to something like 10,000 articles. Rather more than we originally envisaged.
      No promises this time, but something may happen to the Archives a bit closer to the municipal elections.
     
Let’s be hearing from you! You will find a "mail to" link if you click on the About section linked below.
      It might be a good idea to put "Feedback September 2004" in the subject-line of your mail. That way we can separate it from all the exciting Nigerian offers to get rich.
     
     
      WLM for IntEd


See also:
  About International Edition

Helsingin Sanomat