Growing Demand Blog

When Microsoft selected us as official launch partners for their beta launch of Internet Explorer 9 and decided to feature three of our sites – eHow, LIVESTRONG.COM and Cracked  – as part of the big event, we here at Demand Media asked our design and UI teams to get really creative with the way we think about rich, interactive content.  The new IE9 celebrates “the beauty of the web,” so we came up with some real “beauties” that show off the browser’s cool new capabilities.

Our new Folio section for eHow.com on IE9 reimagines eHow as a stylish magazine – or six stylish magazines, to be exact, with one for each of our popular eHow Channels.  The glossy, interactive design allows users to flip easily from page to page as they discover featured articles, inspiring images, and helpful step-by-step instructions for projects of all sizes.

We also built a new HTML5 video player that features faster load times, a larger screen, and new content discovery tools.  Plus, IE9’s new “pin” functionality lets eHow fans attach all their favorite eHow Channels right to their taskbar.  Users can click on a pin for instant access to eHow, or right-click it for the hottest featured content on their chosen Channel.

LIVESTRONG.COM fans on IE9 can enjoy an even more attractive set of tools to achieve their health and fitness goals.  For example, our Recipes application has an updated “cutting board” look and cool countertop functionality that take full advantage of HTML5 canvas tags.  And just like on eHow, LIVESTRONG.COM videos get a big boost with faster load times and theatre-style background dimming.

And IE9 makes using our MyPlate food and fitness tracking application even easier, with LIVESTRONG.COM “pins” that include special notifications to remind users to track their meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We’ve also added cool “pin” functionality to Cracked.com, meaning all of Cracked’s award-winning comedy is just a single click away.

I encourage fans of Cracked, eHow and LIVESTRONG.COM to download Internet Explorer 9 and experience these exciting new updates to the fullest.

We thank Microsoft for the opportunity to join the over 70 top websites and global brands that helped debut the new browser, and we look forward to future opportunities to partner with companies defining the future of the web.  As we’ve said here before, one of our biggest goals is to build superior web experiences, and with the power of IE9, we’re making our content and applications even more engaging for our users.

Larry Fitzgibbon is Demand Media's EVP of Media and Operations, and manages the company's rapidly growing network of consumer properties.