Call it Media Center, Newsroom, Press, or some variation of these, the goal is still the same- get information to those who will talk about you for free.

Most news and media areas on Web sites are not well thought out. Many sites provide an occasional news release and hope a desperate journalist or blogger will latch on.

For example, the New York Governor's Web site (an office badly in need of some good press) has media information front and center. Yet, the information is poorly organized and poorly targeted. (The entire New York state government site is badly in need of a makeover, but that's another post.) If you failed to see the "more about Governor Patterson" link at the bottom of the page, you'll have trouble getting a bio. Also, the governor seems to be pretty busy, but the site only lets visitors know about the event after the fact. A calendar would be great.

If you want free advertising, take care of your media audience. Sticking with the governor analysis, media savvy Arnold Schwarzenegger got it right. The California Governor's Web site devotes a section to the media that provides most things a writer could want. News releases with a preview of a photo, calendar of events, RSS feed, and ease of use add to the appeal of this site.

Here some things to consider when creating or redesigning your news and media area:

• Devote a section to the media.
• Know who talks about you and what they need when they do. (If you don't know what a blogger or journalist hopes to find on your site, ask a few.)
• Put yourself in the shoes of a journalist. If you are writing a story on a company's new product, it would make life easier to find pictures and descriptions of the product all in one place. Even better if you find quotes from the company leader about the product so you don't have to call and ask him or her yourself.
• Remember the basics. News releases are still important, but help the media get these via RSS feeds and email.
• Easy to use and easy to find is critical. The most recent stuff should be first, but help users find what they are looking for, too.

Here are a few other sites that have good media and news areas: Alegent Health, AT&T, and Pfizer.