Brace yourself, readers, adn.com is getting a major makeover. You'll be able to see it for the first time Thursday morning. This home page and every page will look strikingly different - cleaner, a little more spare, with more and better organized content.

Overall, adn.com will remain focused, as always, on covering Anchorage and Alaska, but we'll be able to bring you a fuller, fresher report on the rest of the world.

We've improved some things, like the search function, to name just one. Our photo galleries will be easier to use, and for the first time you'll be able to comment on galleries. We've added a very useful site map.

We're also getting some behind-the-curtain benefits like faster and simpler technical support, and better tools to protect your privacy and secure the web site and host servers from hackers.

We'll still have ads, not all of which you'll enjoy, but it's worth keeping in mind that without the support of our advertisers, it wouldn't be possible to bring you this web site.

Please stop by on Thursday and check out the changes. Spend time with the new adn.com, see what you like and don't like, and tell us what you think. A lot of time and thought has gone into the design and technology, but that doesn't mean you won't see something that could be better. In fact, knowing our audience, I'm sure you'll have suggestions for us.

Use our online form for your feedback, and I will read every one of your comments.

We're excited about using these new tools to deliver Alaska's best online news package to the biggest online news audience in the state.

Let us hear from you.

Patrick Dougherty

Executive Editor