Inside Salon
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Salon Gets a Makeover
Salon has always believed in not just truth, but beauty. Our original design back in 1995 – a clean, art deco look created by Salon’s first art director, Mignon Khargie – immediately set Salon apart. Now Salon is once again separating itself from the cookie-cutter digital clutter that defines too much of the Web with a bold and striking new design.
We asked designer Kelly Frankeny to create a news tabloid as imagined by Coco Chanel. Frankeny — a globetrotting designer who is often dropping into beleaguered democracies in Africa and Latin America to work her wonders for embattled newspapers – responded to our challenge with a sophisticated and dynamic design. A brilliant and sassy blond Texan, she has created a new Salon as big as her personality. And yes, while invoking the brassy urgency of a news tabloid, the new design also conveys the elegance of the House of Chanel. Both Frankeny and the new Salon know how to use red lipstick and a simple black dress for maximum effect.
To fuel Salon’s explosive growth – Salon’s audience has soared to 7.7 million monthly unique visitors, up 30 percent over 2011 – our redesign provides more intuitive navigation and deeper social integration to optimize the site for Salon’s vibrant community.
We also aimed to pop out our robust sites – Politics, Arts and Life – so they loom as special destinations for our readers. And stay tuned for an entirely new dimension – Salon Studio, which will debut next month. You can check out the Salon Studio coming attractions – including original video series, music shows and art galleries – by clicking on the video trailer on the Salon Studio home page.
We hope you enjoy our new look, and agree that it matches the power of our journalism. We want to hear from you. Please jump into Comments and tell us what you like and what needs more work. Salon, as always, is a work in progress.
David Talbot, CEO
Kerry Lauerman, Editor-in-Chief
Occupy heats up
Watch the video of Natasha Lennard’s interactive Q&A on the future of Occupy VIDEO
(Credit: Michael Coniaris) As winter thaws, the hot spots of the Occupy movement are seeing the first ripples of resurgence. From New York to Oakland, Calif., crowds are returning to the streets, but will the plan for a May 1 General Strike spark an American Spring or will the movement splinter and fade into Tea Party-like irrelevance? Watch the Salon webcast with Occupy correspondent Natasha Lennard to hear her thoughts on these issues:
To participate in upcoming Salon webcasts with staff and friends, join the Salon Core community.
Stop killing black kids
Watch the video of Quincy McCoy's interactive Q&A on the epidemic of violence against young black men VIDEO
Salon has covered the Trayvon Martin killing relentlessly, but none of our coverage has struck a nerve like the article “Is My Son the Next Trayvon?” by the chief operating officer of Salon Studio, Quincy McCoy. As a black man who escaped the rough neighborhoods of his youth to provide a better life for his child, Quincy’s article conveyed the constant anxiety suffered by all black parents — regardless of class.
Quincy recently hosted an online conversation on the epidemic of violence against young black men. Here is the full video of that discussion:
To participate in Salon’s webcasts with staff and friends, join the Salon Core community.
Confronting cancer webcast
Full videos posted for Salon Core conversation on "coming out of the sickness closet" VIDEO
My oncologist says that whoever came up with the phrase “the gift of cancer” has the worst taste in gifts she’s ever heard of. But though it’s not exactly a set of car keys under the seat, cancer has, for the past year and a half, been the gift I’ve been given. And from an initial malignant diagnosis of melanoma through surgery through a Stage 4 rediagnosis through a last-ditch, Phase 1 clinical trial to a recovery that has stunned the research community, I’ve shared this adventure with the readers of Salon. And along the way, you’ve given so much in return. You’ve told me your own experiences with illness, with the healthcare system, with grief and frustration, and with the ways a shattering experience — either your own or that of someone you love — can turn life around. Sometimes even for the better. So it was a unique privilege to get to talk to a few of you recently for a Salon webcast, and answer your questions on life here in Cancer Town. For those of you who couldn’t make it live, videos of the full webcast are posted below.
Mary Elizabeth Williams is a staff writer for Salon and the author of "Gimme Shelter: My Three Years Searching for the American Dream." Follow her on Twitter: @embeedub. More Mary Elizabeth Williams.
Salon sale extended
Update: Salon Core membership is booming, so $15 discount continues
Last week, I wrote about how we were dropping the price of a Salon Core membership to $29.95 — the lowest price ever — to make supporting Salon more affordable. That offer led to a boom in new members, so we’re extending what was originally intended to be a one-week sale.
Salon Core is a crucial pillar of our business model, but it’s also at the heart of our philosophy. We’re proud that Salon has survived for 17 years (which equals an eon in “Web years”) through the support of readers like you who value our journalistic mission and outspoken writers. We know that times are tough, but your funding supports our ability to challenge the forces that have made life so difficult for working people, so consider your Salon Core membership an investment.
Plus, you get some great benefits upon registration, which makes this sale price an even better deal. For the price of a couple of movie tickets you can support independent journalism, get access to our webcasts and events, and pick up a bunch of goodies and benefits. Please consider joining Salon Core today.
Dear readers: Can we talk?
Join me for a webcast on sickness, health and living in the space between
I want to talk to you, Salon Core members, and, importantly, would-be Salon Core members. I mean, I really want to talk to you.
For a long time now, as I’ve been chronicling my experience with Stage 4 cancer and life in a Phase 1 clinical trial, you’ve been right there with me. You’ve been there from my harrowing initial diagnosis to my recent, thrilling remission. And along the way, as I’ve written about the trauma of surgery and the reasons people hide their illnesses, you’ve emailed and tweeted and told me your own amazing stories. I am so honored to be part of this conversation, and so grateful for your participation in it.
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Mary Elizabeth Williams is a staff writer for Salon and the author of "Gimme Shelter: My Three Years Searching for the American Dream." Follow her on Twitter: @embeedub. More Mary Elizabeth Williams.
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