Applications
ht.com relaunched with new interactive features
NEW DELHI: ‘Hindustan Times’, one of the first print newspapers to launch an online edition of hindustantimes.com, has refurbished its website in collaboration with Microsoft to make it more reader-friendly and attractive. The new newspaper-on-the-web was launched today with a promise to have round-the-clock news updates apart from interactive and personalized features in keeping with the need of multitasking that the today’s viewer demands from an online portal. |
| Hindustan Times editor Chaitanya Kalbag said in a statement here that, “The new hindustantimes.com is a pointer to the direction the group is taking – marching “into the 21st Century with a convergent print/online strategy, web-savvy journalists who interact with web-savvy audiences, and the full power of a national news network in the world‘s next superpower.” Rashmi Berry who heads the portal – which was ranked the fourth best news site by Forbes in 2004 – said advantage had been taken of the features of Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 combined with the out-of-the-box functionalities of the Microsoft Commerce Server 2007. |
She claimed that months of usability research had gone into re-designing the website, which was not clutter-free with easy to navigate drop-down menus and tab-based controls. The 1024×768 resolution for full screen utilization would also ensure speed, she said. Other facilities on the site include a search engine, download facilities, the absence of pop-ups, RSS feeds, personalized zones, instant polls, streaming video, a stocks tracker to match scorecards, uploading photographs, rating stories, and adding them to del.icio.us or IM links. There is a separate section for cricket fans. Functionalities developed using the ASP.Net platform include Web 2.0 features like instant switching using tab based controls, dynamic modules on related stories, and My Zone, a personalized news zone where the user defines his or her order of preference. Further, Ajax Controls are used for bringing real-time updates of matches, stocks, opinion polls and picture slide shows. |
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
