The Times considered

www.thetimes.co.za may be one of the newest players on the local scene, but they may well end up being the big online story of 2008. If anyone is ready to challenge News24 and IOL's domination, it is the times.

So, what are they doing right

The first and most obvious thing that makes the Times stand out is its ultra modern layout. It is the only of the local websites to keep up with international trends – compare for example to www.guardian.co.uk and www.timesonline.co.uk, both of which had redesigns last year.

Why exactly these three-column layouts are working so well is unclear. They do however manage to squeeze a lot in without letting things feel cluttered.

The site also does a good job of integrating podcasts and video. And, even though the quality of the video does some times disappoint, they are presenting it in a better way than any of their competitors.

In terms of the real meat of the site, the Times are also quite solid. They have the wires pretty well covered and they do get some exclusive content from the paper.

Still, more exclusive content would boost the site immensely. With all the news sites building their offerings around stories from the wires, it is the exclusives that make sites stand out.

In the Sunday Times and its daily version, thetimes.co.za has a very strong partner to leverage for this kind of content. If they can source enough exclusives through this channel, their offering will really make the likes of news24 pail in comparison.

Another obvious strength is the "Times" brand. It is quite impressive how the site reinforces the brand identity. The feeling is one of a pretty serious news website, but nevertheless an interesting one. This has a lot to do with the fact that they do not chase hits with trashy or tabloid style stories.

Indeed, with news24 seemingly adjusting their focus to a more tabloid-like/mass market audience more serious news readers will be left looking for their news elsewhere. As things are going, the Times are ideally placed to snap up some of those readers.

Another impressive thing about the Times is how they link to official documents – reports, court papers, and the like. The ability to link to content and to provide extensive background information for those who are interested is one of the most powerful things about online media. Really, it isn't that hard to do.

Even though some of their articles to elicit quite a number of comments, thetimes haven't quite nailed the community side of things. Something like the Guardian's "comment is free" section or mg.co.za's "thought leader" section may be the solution.

Either way, thetimes.co.za may well be the big growth story of 08. They already tick most of the boxes and if they can expand on that with more exclusive content and a stronger community element, the sky is the limit.