By Lusaka Times Reporter
Zambia’s new media online publication Lusaka Times received 1.14 million (1 142 059 ) hits for the month of June. This represents the highest record of visit hits since the web site launch in January 2007.
Lusaka Times is an online newspaper that aims to provide Zambian news for free as it breaks on a consistent basis, and give its readers the opportunity to comment on the issues raised in the content.
Lusaka Times Online board member Timothy Kasonde Kasolo said the 1.14 million hit mark represents a great achievement for the team adding that the group is committed to adding more value to the experience our readers have every time they visit the site.
“We are happy that we have reached the 1 million hits mark in just a short period of time. We have been in existent for less than one and a half years. We thank our readers who have made this possible and we don’t take their contribution for granted. We continue to do everything in our capacity to improve on quality and timely delivery of Zambian content to their browsers,” Kasolo explained.
He added that Lusaka Times Online has taken advantage of the innovation of using the available and appropriate technology in order to add value to the development of new media technology in Zambia.
“Our site runs purely on modern technology based on web 2.0. The 1 million hit mark symbolizes that Lusaka Times Online readers both in Zambia and in the Diaspora want to be informed on what is happening in their own country in a timely manner and that they have an opinion on the issues in Zambia,” Kasolo explained.
He further explained that Lusaka Times Online is still working on some more innovations to bring to the site in the next six month so that the site becomes a primary source of information on business, politics, sports, economy, lifestyle and many more categories. The aim is to provide the best and consistent online content on Zambia.
“When it comes to innovation we are there, we want the site to be the primary source of information on Zambian content. Currently there are still a number of challenges that we face in terms of the quality of content, learning new bad words for our comment filter system on a daily basis and ability to produce good quality football league tables on the fly,” Kasolo added. “These are the issues we are working on in the next six months and with high traffic we might have to improve our comments flood control system to avoid the ‘slow down you are posting too fast error’“
One million hits is no easy feat, congratulations! You give us a platform to express our views on various topics. The one thing that I feel you need to improve on is the editing of articles, too many typos.
Congrats on your achievement(s). Continue providing us with the news about Zambia. I personally like it as it has helped me to access sound news from home without panicking.
What has taken you so long to come out of the woodwork to identify yourselves. You are very USER UNFRIENDLY, you might target that as your first priority rather than just harping on about how many hits you’ve had. If anything, the hits you boast about are more of insults than quality postings.
You ought to allow a user interface that allows for now bloggs to be initiated by readers, whilst you oversee that contributors don’t abuse the site.
Work on such simple issues before you start popping your champagne, you are better advised, that in the face of so many short comings, carry out your celebrations under the cover of your blankets!!
that is good keep it up will support u all the way
Bauze number 3 presisly the reason you like this website is for you to write the rubbish that you do. I Congratulate the team on reaching this milestone. it really give us the readers a very interactive view in accessing news on Zambia. WELLDONE!!
Pointer, positive criticisms are what drive development, if you think my comments are rubbish, so be it, enjoy wallowing in the muck that you believe is the best!!!
“learning new bad words for our comment filter system on a daily basis”
I just had to laugh at that.
Well done Lusaka Times.
You achieved your goal in a short period of time. Now only the sky is the limit.
LUSAKA TIMES
Now just to add on.
Make your hits public so that companies can know about the many hits you are getting and can offer to advertise on your page (e.g CELTEL, MTN, CR CARRIERS, ETC).
Just putting my 2 cents on that.
They put a man on the moon, i think LT can produce a league table. Jokes aside. Congratulations LT, well done, i’m not surprised. Continue to improve and refine the quality and clarity in writing and articles please.
Kasolo,can you also explain who is behind this Luaska Times enterprise…. The article identifies you (Kasolo) as a “boardmember” which revels that there is indeed a “board”. if you want this forum to become our “primary” source of info it is only fair that there is full disclosure of those who are in charge of contributing, distributing, and maintaining this site. there should be transparency in all of this.
Well done and congrants on your achievements.But please you can still improve on this by promptly getting latest news items.Some of the blogers here are matrial for your saurce of information.Some ideas discussed have really been of high level technically and of good quality.We will support you all the way. It has helped to bring us together to an invisible round table
1 million hits is not bad for a recent website, well done. however, I wonder how you make money with this business model. Surely you’re not making that much money with PPC campaigns because the commission paid is too low. Change or refine your business model, expand on your target audience and those 1 million plus hits will mean something, otherwise for now, they are just numbers. Anyway, its better than nothing.
1 million hits … the more reason your staff should take a crash course in basic grammar. Good job.
You guys keep me informed about what is happening back home. Your news is quite informative at a quick glance. Keep it up Congrats on achieving the million milestone
Congrats Lusaka Times. What you have done is no mean achievement.
Keep up the spirit, even better.
damm yall done went platinum huh..thats wassup..now stop blocking our comments let this be a free site to express how we feel.. u doing a good job tho…..
number i beg to differ.CR shouldnt advertise here because the number of accidents will go up if they have too many castomers
number 8 i beg to differ.CR shouldnt advertise here because the number of accidents will go up if they have too many castomers
Well Done! You provide a great service. I enjoy the comments more than the news. The banter is lively and the discussions get quite passionate. To me this reflects a healthy society, a healthy democracy, and a healthy newspaper.Keep it up.
well don lusakatimes we will support you.
to have access to some zambian news paper you need to subcribe and pay, some news paper in the country which are free doesnt have updated inforation and their site is poor,but Lusaka Time you have offered us latest news and our comments can be posted and read by our collegues.this is a great work.i work somewhere very far in the bus and this is the only site where i get latest about whats happening in the country.continue to give us the best.
to have access to some zambian news paper you need to subcribe and pay, some news paper in the country which are free doesnt have updated inforation and their site is poor,but Lusaka Time you have offered us latest news and our comments can be posted and read by our collegues.this is a great work.i work somewhere very far in the bush and this is the only site where i get latest about whats happening in the country.continue to give us the best.
to add on what #10 said,as we can praise this work you have done Lusaka Time,may i ask you Mr.Kasolo to give the the historic background of lusaka time.i say this coz when i am introducing friends to this site they ask questions like is lusaka times owned by zambians or it is somewhere in the west now publishing zambian news,who are are the owner?where is it located?how would one give some news or interesting story to the editor?you have just mentioned about someone who is a board member,to me it sounds like LT is a very organised firm.Now tell more about lusaka times….
As a journalist, I want Lusaka Times to attribute the source of their news, they get news from papers and agencies without saying it, its just a matter of time before someone sues Lusaka Times.
LT is not obliged to disclose the pipo running it. Its mission statement is inform, educate and give you chance to express yourself,PERIOD. Am I sure next year this time you will reach 3m or more! CONGRATS! KEEP IT UP!
Congrats guys, your site has helped me with a lot of info. and interaction with a lot of Zambians and have certainly lent a lot with the comments that are posted…Keep it up!
I like the reader comments more than the stories,
Let Lusaka times allow us to be adding topics that we can be talking on… Somestimes it takes long for them to add news… They can be moderating the topics… This can be lovely…
#24,i am sure lusaka time doesnt practice plagerism…i have seen them indicating quoting ZANIS/times of zambia as the source.if they did that the law would have visited them along time.
Congrats and well done for that bench mark.Can you please update your site much more quicker as readers will tend to discuss a new topic,say the Presidents’ hospitalisation,before you have actually posted them.KOZO
LT ni shushushu!! osa mmvelela! Board member wa kuti?? nichamene alibe ma adverts!!
#8. Kukonda ndalama, who needs the CELTEL, MTN, CR CARRIERS, bla bla bla ads? Do you know why Hi5 is cracking down? do you know why facebook is cracking down too?
Imwe bantu simuona ma adverts a ba single girls and cars for sale???
Congrats LT. Now please spare a little cash to get a qualified editor or Proof-reader to properly review the articles before they are published. Some mistakes in your articles at times are just too much to forgive.
Well done anyway!
#33. the point is we don’t need more of this stuff to disturb bloggers! 🙂
#34. now this is constructive criticism, not these crazy chaps vomiting crap anywhere in the name of freedom of speech. thanks Paul M. keep the spirit. 🙂
LT, thumbs up for the big achievement. You are on your toes to keep us updated. # 24 Shidada read the article upto the end and you will see that the LT credits the source. if its there story they do not credit. 1 million is damn a good number. keep us informed reading the article and comments makes me feel closer to mother Zambia. With or without the background keep us informed and hope you wont be charging us (subscribe) like one paper that does not even update the news on time.
PANTS UP BA LT
Well done LT 1 million hits is no mean achievement!
Your competitors must be having sleepless nights!
#34, #36, You guys take your education too seriously. What does it matter if they get the spelling or grammar wrong? The main thing is, we all know what they are saying.
Come on Ba EX-ZAMBIAN #39…journalism requires one to use proper standard English…and LT should pull up their socks in that area.Too many mispelt words and wrong gramma…Besides that congrats LT!!!!
Congrtas LT. Credit must also be given to the bloggers as well. Their comments are informative and entertaining, and usually fill in the missing bits in the stories on the site.
Some bloggers even command a following…one gets dissapointed when they don’t comment on a top story…Bloggers like Pragmatist, Muntuza, Senior citizen, Chapi, Ex-Zambian, Mwiinga, Prof. fimo fimo, bauze, crazy-zambian, and of course ANONYMOUS, to name but a few, whether spoiling for a fight or not, always make visiting this site worth while.
Congrats!!! it shows big achievement.
Congrats LT. Please find ways of sharing/submitting our comments to relevant autorities especially on topics touching on political and economic governance…….
congrats LT. I used to be a regular blogger last year.Its nice to see your consistency.It shows you are not one of those fly by night businesses.Keep it up.You guys are geniuses, I’m sure your competitors have a run for their money.I miss my friends pa LT bushe epo baba? Original pundit(my best friend),gluco,easy E(you were one funny dude),Bornrich(philosopher),easy (irritated me!)bauze- doc is that you?
Congrats for the good work you are doing. Please take note of the following observation.
— Please provide a better HTML Editor in which people can easy type and do some simple things like making text bold, italic etc. Not every one knows html codes.
— There is too much scrolling.
— Provide ways in which users can get responses and interaction to some of the suggestions and comments they make about the website.
thank you.
Congratulations. You are the best news outlet to hit the web from Zambia. I am sure The Post cannot justify their exorbitant charges because of you! Keep it up LT. We highly appreciate your work.
Ya. We should we pay to read the Post? When we read better publications in SA, Europe and USA for free online.
Congrats!!!!! on your achivement, What i like about LT is the banter you Zambians have with each other on issues you have in your country.It also keeps me informed on things happening in Zambia.Keep up the good work!!!!!!!!! All the best!!
CONGRATULATIONS. BUT KEEP IMPROVING
Whoa! this is good am not proud to be part of thie success, let us get this site to another level, stop this “free” webhosting, those adverts do not make sense to me at all. CONGRATS LT NOW U SEE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO FILTER AND EDIT THE STORIES.
congrats LT. Been with you on and off since May last year as Nkandu Kataya JHB and now as [stretch.dj]. You’re doing a fantastic job, leaving times.co.zm and daily-mail.co.zm in the dust. Giving postzambia.com a run for its money I reckon. And the great things is it’s FREE!! Who knows, maybe a print version in the works? In this 21st century, movies are made from video games [Tomb Raider]Perhaps Lusaka Times newspaper will become a spinoff of the world-famous online publication???
Well done ba LT. I’m also one of your faithful bloggers and my day is really not complete without a glance at this site. The contributions are even becoming better and more progressive with time. It is nice to see us grow together, keep it up!
Compliments and best regards to the site team. Well done for keeping it real for your clients (us)and providing the invaluable information and such low costs. Bravo & keep it up to all my fellow bloggers for supporting our own.
Impressive results keep up the good work.
Inonge, yes indeed, thought you had disappeared from LT radar!
I believe you are somewhere in diaspora… wonder where..!
Well done LT, bloggers also need to change with the BAD language as LT is celebrating the milestone.
most of those hits are me. i sleep LT, wake up LT, While eating LT. So don’t be excited.
hey bauze nice to “see” you. I am in the diaspora…somewhere.Been away from LT for a long while but nice to see its grown. though I miss the days I monopolised the lifestyle section.I think LT should sell us veterans shares!
kabiyeni uku ba mabala, atese- mule tu bepa kwati tuli fi puba!!! ala, ukutumpa kweka kweaka!!!
:((
We love the game, every comment counts.
LT Thanks. you keep us informed …
Twasanta bingi!
Sancho mwane!
Twapopwela!
Litumezi haulu!
Zikomo kwa mbiri!
Twalumba kapati!
Twatotela mukwai!
etc!
One plea, ba Editor please, employ some one to keep an eye on spellings and prepositions. Do not forget to honour your source of information too.
Thanks LT. May God bless the brains behind LT.
Keep it up LT, you are a darling to the diaspora.
Congrats,but improve on the website,sometimes it takes too long to open the site.
Welldone L.T.. a milestone indeed.. keep it up!!!!>:d<>:d<
Now what do you mean by hit target
Ok, nw i know after reading your first paragraph,now improve on tyhe speed
Well done LT, just take care of having good english on the site. You really bring the diaspora together.
+++ to your interactive features, we can really express ourselves here, unlike post online. More power to you!!!
Congrats Lt. continue your good works.
Indeed guys you are blogging!!!!!
please someone to teach times of zambia daily mail on web designing. it doesn’t look good at all no wonder pipo don’t visit your web page or buy your paper do somethinhg guys. this is no UNIP time it is …………………….don’t kubeba!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FP mu,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Unfortunately we cannot learn all that we want but this could help me to make my knowledge puzzle which actually is never ending story.