We made significant progress on MercerCluster.com today. We integrated Twitter into the site, created new domain-specific email accounts and uploaded print edition PDFs using Issuu.com.

We’ve done all this by paying no more than $100 for a year’s worth of web hosting and domain registration. And although only two of us have any prior coding knowledge, almost all our section editors have figured out the uploading process fairly quickly, since we’re using a simple WordPress posting system as the backend for the site.

Here are top the three things we think make MercerCluster.com stand out as a student newspaper site:

1. Dual online and print identity – Our masthead uses a clean serif font for digital branding, but also includes the traditional English-style lettering of the print edition. This allows us to create a clear and unique web presence without abandoning our familiar print logo.

2. Microblogs and exclusive digital content – Not only are we including all of our regular print columns and content on the site, but we’re also setting aside space for exclusive web-only content including an editor-published campus update and discipline-specific blogs.

3. Social networking integration – Every single article we publish will instantly correspond to our Twitter and Facebook accounts, and be tethered on both ends of the spectrum.

So, it’s looking good for our Thursday debut. Now we’ve just gotta get uploading.