The Commuter, the student newspaper for Linn-Benton Community College, has begun publishing an online edition of its newspaper.

Editor-in-chief Greg Dewar said the first edition went online in June. The website is www.linn

benton.edu/commuter.

The online edition features photo essays, video and sound, and blogs not available in the print version, Dewar said. "We decided we could do a lot more with multimedia."

Dewar said he created a new position, online editor, to make the change possible.

So far, he said, readers have said they like the change, particularly the ability to comment online about a particular story.

"We've actually had quite a few comments, some rousing debates," he said.

The Commuter is usually a weekly publication printed nine months of the year with a circulation of approximately 2,000.

The online version will be available year-round for at least this year, while Dewar is in charge, he said. Future editors may make different decisions.

Albany Democrat-Herald