The response so far to our new Web site, www.clantonadvertiser.com, has been overwhelming. And positive, if you can believe that. In this business, you come to expect people that are quick to point out your mistakes, but slow to recognize a job well done (I guess that goes for just about any profession, though, right?).

That has not been the case for the 447 (at last count) people that have voted on our online poll that was posted as the site went live at 10 p.m. Saturday. Asked if they like the new look of our Web site, 352 have responded in the positive and 95 in the negative. Those numbers by themselves are remarkable. Before our new site’s launch, 250 or so votes in a Sunday poll would have been about average.

It’s encouraging that so many like the new site. Beside the votes, 10 readers have written positive comments. An example, from user Malissia: “I wondered for a moment if I had clicked on the wrong link. The new site is superb. I live in Charlotte, N.C., and have been using the site for several years now. Great improvement!”

A lot of people have put in a lot of hard work to give you, and us, a site we can be proud of, so it’s nice when people notice. Now, we just need to get more you of posting comments. More than eighty people have registered on the site, compared to the almost 500 that have voted in the poll (probably more than that have looked at the site without voting).

Registration is free and easy. All you have to do is enter a valid e-mail address, click on a link that is then sent to your e-mail, and create a user name and password. Then you can post comments on stories, polls or whatever else. Registration will also carry other perks – such as e-mailed news or weather alerts and reminders about events in our calendar – as the site progresses.

And it is still a work in progress. I hope this is the main cause for the “no” votes on our poll question. Some links don’t work exactly as they should, and some don’t work at all. Please bear with us as we try to fix the bugs and complete other tasks, such as moving our searchable archives.

With more work and a little patience, we’ll all have a better site for local news.