he Green Sheet has been committed to providing information to the financial services industry since 1983. Our readers look to us as the comprehensive resource in payments-and that means we're constantly searching for better ways to make that information available.

Over the past 20 years, The Green Sheet has grown from a four-page newsletter to a semi-monthly magazine with close to 100 pages per issue-and subscriptions are free. We've published books, organized seminars and taken active roles in many regional and national trade associations.

We've also created an online presence, www.greensheet.com, where anyone, anywhere, anytime can access articles, discuss issues with peers and read up on the latest industry news. Each issue since 1995 has been published both online and in print. The entire backlist is available in HTML and PDF formats and is completely keyword searchable with "Fast Finder," the Green Sheet's search engine.

We've just completed an analysis of our Web site traffic for 2003. The site got a facelift in June; subscribers now log on and navigate through the pages much more efficiently.

"Changing the look and feel of the Web site changes the way people use it," said Kyle Rankin, Systems Administrator for The Green Sheet. "Readers don't have to click on as many pages now to access the specific article or services they want as they used to."

We reduced the number of areas that are password-protected so that visitors only need to log on once; we also reorganized the information and added graphics and drop-down menus so visitors have an easier time getting where they want to go on the site.

Our "News From the Wire" and "Breaking News" sections, added in January 2003, quickly became two of the most visited areas on the site, following directly behind the MLS Forum, which remains the most popular place to be on greensheet.com. Having a place to exchange ideas, network and talk shop among colleagues is apparently one of the most important resources for MLSs.

Rankin also greatly improved Fast Finder, making it easier to find references to any topic, name or phrase published in The Green Sheet, GSQ or anywhere else within the Web site.

What did all these changes add up to? Our audited statistics show that the number of hits to the Web site increased last year and averaged 1.5 million per month.

We are always looking for ways to bring the right stuff to the right people in the right way-right now! If you have any comments or suggestions, please write to julie@greensheet.com.