The Selma Times-Journal recently launched an e-edition of its newspaper that will be available to readers free through June 30. The e-edition is a digital replica of each day’s print edition that includes all content published in that day’s edition, including news, sports, obituaries and advertising.

The e-edition can be accessed through a link on the homepage of www.selmatimesjournal.com. Readers can view individual articles, print them or email links to stories from their email client. The e-edition is hosted by Olive Software, which is based in Denver, Colorado and serves hundreds of media companies in nineteen countries.

“Our investment into an e-edition is directly related to the changing habits of readers who prefer a digital news product over a print one,” said Times-Journal publisher Dennis Palmer. “We will always have our core readership who prefer the feeling of newsprint in their hands, who want the ability to physically turn the page and have that personal experience with their hometown newspaper. But as publishers we’ve also found with the proliferation of digital publishing that people want options on how they consume news, which is why we established our website nearly 20 years ago. This seems like the next logical step in giving readers multiple platforms on which to read about the people, places and events that are of interest to them in their hometown.”

The Times-Journal’s e-edition is available much earlier than the print edition given the technology involved in its distribution. The Times-Journal’s carriers receive newspapers for delivery around 2 a.m., completing their routes by around 6 a.m. The e-edition is live on the Times-Journal’s website as soon as the last pages are finalized in the newsroom, which is generally about midnight

“One shortfall of the e-edition relates to breaking news,” Palmer said. “We will still only report that on our website and through our social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, but we’ll have expanded coverage in the next day’s print and e-editions. We will also not be able to deliver pre-printed advertisements or special editorial sections via our e-edition, though that may change in the future.”

Palmer said pricing for the e-edition has not been finalized yet, but that it would be less expensive than the print edition due to the lower cost of materials involved and the distribution expense of making it available to readers.

“We want to stay current with our readers,” said Times-Journal managing editor Will Whaley. “News is steadily going digital so it is important to offer that medium to our readers.”

“I’m convinced the print edition will always have its place for readers who want that experience or who may not be as tech savvy as others,” Palmer said. “But we need to continue to work on ways to engage with readers who prefer a different delivery method for news about their community that is important to them.”