New Features on the BLS Web Site — July 2008

In July 2008, the Bureau of Labor Statistics launched an improved Web site, "redesigned with you in mind."

Overview: BLS Web Site -- Redesign 2008 Slideshow (1.8M)

Quick Look at Redesign: Redesign 2008 At a Glance (PDF 433K)

Highlights of Redesign

• More Dynamic Site. Fresh content appears on the BLS homepage every business day.
• 
  
  
• Improved Navigation. User-tested menus enable fast and efficient browsing.
• 
  
  
• Improved Search Engine. BLS has upgraded to a new search engine which is a major improvement over the previous one.
• 
  
  
• Calendar of News Releases. A more comprehensive calendar of BLS news releases is now available. The calendar shows all news releases scheduled for the current week, including annual news releases.
• 
  
  
• Guide to Geographic Data. A convenient Guide to Geographic Data helps data users to quickly determine what types of data are available from BLS at every level of geographic detail, from international to local areas.
• 
  
  
• Resources by Visitor Category. Business leaders, consumers, investors, jobseekers, members of the media, policymakers, students, teachers, and survey respondents have new resource pages tailored to their interests. The resource page for members of the media is designed as a Newsroom and features the latest BLS news releases and other publications, contact information, and additional information for the media.
• 
  
  
• Expanded A-Z Index. The A-Z Index has been expanded and enhanced to help users quickly locate information about a specific topic of interest.
• 
  
  
• Audio Files. BLS has begun to introduce audio files to its site. The first one accompanies the Spotlight on Statistics feature that was issued in July.
• 
  
  
• RSS Feeds for Latest Numbers Boxes. RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an XML-based format for sharing and distributing Web content. Using an RSS reader, you can subscribe to RSS feeds for the various Latest Numbers boxes on the BLS Web site. For more information, see the RSS Help page.
• 
  
  
• Tutorials. Multimedia help, including video, audio, and text, guide site users in their use of various data tools and other features.
• 
  
  
• Web Addresses Unchanged. The vast majority of BLS Web addresses (URLs) have not changed. Redirect pages have been implemented in cases where URLs have changed.

Tips on Transitioning to Redesigned BLS.gov

For users accustomed to the previous version of the BLS Web site, here are a few tips to ease your transition to the redesigned site:

• New Terms. A few new terms are used throughout the site. Here's a table showing the old and new terms:
  

  Old Term	New Term
  Get Detailed Statistics	Databases & Tables
  Most Requested Statistics	Top Picks
  Programs & Surveys	Subject Areas

• 
  
  
• What's New and Glossary. These two pages are still on the site, but the links to them are now at the bottom of every page in the Quick Links section instead of being near the top of each page.
• 
  
  
• Links on BLS Homepage. Over 100 links appeared on the previous version of the BLS homepage. Those links can now be accessed through the left-hand navigation on the redesigned BLS homepage.
• 
  
  

Questions?

If you have any questions about the redesign, please contact the BLS Web site helpdesk.

Last Modified Date: August 12, 2008