The Belfast Telegraph's website has posted record traffic figures for January, setting new benchmarks for page impressions and unique users.

Independent HBX traffic analysis showed the site attracted 8.4m page impressions in January compared to 2.7m in January 2008 — a 211% increase.

Unique users for the same period were up from 434,000 to 1,108,000.

The success, according to Online Editor Jerome Crolly, is down to listening to and responding to audience reaction.

“What we have done is to give the user a seat in the boardroom. With more than a million unique users every month, this new voice cannot be ignored.

“Gone are the days when newspapers had to make decisions on what its audience wants to read about based partly on educated guesswork and informed opinion. We can measure in real time, which stories are flying, which are failing to take off, and respond accordingly.”

Since the relaunch last July - with the introduction of additional multi-media features the Belfast Telegraph website, which is now edited and updated at night as well as throughout the day by the digital team - has experienced a surge in user-generated content.

As a result of this belfasttelegraph.co.uk has become one of the most popular forums for debate in Northern Ireland.

“At the heart of BT digital experience is user-interactivity — reader-generated picture galleries, on-line polls and comments.

“Audience comments number 500-800 daily. One opinion piece — Eamonn McCann's article ‘What if Catholics and Protestants are wrong and Mormons are right? ’ — has attracted more than 400 comments,” said Mr Crolly.

“Gail Walker's piece ‘Why Israel had to look after its People’ generated fierce debate.”

Online features such as photographic coverage of big gigs such as the Pussycat Dolls and readers’ contributed pictures of snow chaos have also proved popular.

New debates spring up each day in reader comments — with issues ranging from cinema, restaurant and concert reviews to heated exchanges between Linfield and Glentoran supporters.

“Our primary objective has always been to produce strong news content. If readers do not find what they are looking for on our site they will move on. That's why we pride ourselves on being able to cover the big global events as comprehensively as we report local news stories.

“Our live video stream of the Obama inauguration attracted more than 150,000 unique visits during a three hour period.

“Coverage of Local news and sport is typified by the Schools Cup Section, combining previews, reports, live action match video, historic and contemporary picture galleries as well as polls and competitions,” said Mr Crolly.

“We do not only report the news we also break stories. Our exclusive report on Sarah Palin wearing a Vote Democrat scarf was picked up and carried by websites, and later print, around the world including US news magazine Newsweek.”

Local content, which remains our strongest asset, was enhanced in 2008 with the introduction of two community based galleries. Between them, the Troubles gallery and Northern Ireland Nightlife, notched up 3.3m page impressions in five months.

Local crime stories now carry a link to the site's interactive crime map which charts everything from robberies to sexual assaults in every village, town and city.

The opinion section has also broadened its audience appeal — combining the best local writers such as Ed Curran, Sharon Owens, and Steve Beacom with contributions from celebrated columnists including Janet Street-Porter, James Lawton and Robert Fisk.

Enhanced business coverage includes Business Clinic, where your questions are answered by our panel of experts, and the Business Events Planner, which provides a database of essential dates for your business calendar.

John Simpson's weekly commentary on local trends is complemented by in-depth analysis from London and Dublin.