The latest online iteration of Time--a work-in-progress since the company launched its Pathfinder site in 1994--also strives for a cleaner look to better showcase photography and afford more space for advertisers. Even Time's trademark red border has gained a bolder appearance online.

"Time has had a fluctuating online strategy, and there have been moments when it's been really, really good and moments when it's been really bad," said Time.com Editor Josh Tyrangiel, who was named to the post last August after five years as music critic for Time. He said the site will adopt a more consistent focus on providing constantly updated news and analysis.

A key new part of that effort is "The Ag," a news aggregator summarizing top stories from major newspapers and blogs around the world that will be posted to the site at 7:00 each morning. "When people get to their desks at 7 a.m., we want them to stop and check us out," said Tyrangiel. The latest news headlines on Time.com will also be featured more prominently, occupying the top center position on the site. Time.com will continue to rely on in-house staff and sister news organization CNN to contribute new stories throughout the day.

Even while trying to speed up Time.com's metabolism, Tyrangiel concedes that the site isn't trying to knock off Google News as a major news aggregator. To that extent, Time.com will still offer the in-depth analysis the magazine is known for, while adding a raft of new blogs. Last year, Time hired prominent bloggers Ana Marie Cox and Andrew Sullivan to help punch up the site's political coverage.

Cox will now host a new blog called "Swampland" that focuses on political buzz and breaking news from Time's political team, including columnist Joe Klein and Washington bureau chief Jay Carney. Time correspondents Scott MacLeod and Andrew Butters will run a blog on the Middle East, while the magazine's Susie Jakes and Bill Powell will blog on China. Former CIA operative Robert Baer will write a regular Intelligence column, and Time art critic Richard Lacayo will blog about art, architecture and photography in "Looking Around."

To date, Tyrangiel said some Time.com bloggers haven't posted as often as he would have liked. With the relaunch, they'll be expected to post at least twice a day. "For blogs to be successful, they need to be updated frequently and have strong points of view," he said.

Despite the influx of new content, Time.com General Manager John Cantarella said the site's more streamlined look will allow more room for display and video advertising. "We've redesigned all the pages and made sure there's not a lot of clutter," he said. Until now, the site hasn't offered marketers some of the larger display ad formats and hasn't typically run ads "above the fold" online. In addition to banners and pre-roll video units, the site will also offer integrated sponsorship packages as well as advertising linked to more recent types of online media including podcasts and RSS feeds.

Among new and existing advertisers on the site Cantarella noted are Microsoft, Hitachi, Research in Motion (maker of the BlackBerry) and Chrysler.

The launch of the redesigned site coincides with Time's switch from Monday to Friday publication starting with the current issue. In a note to readers on Friday about the switch, Time Managing Editor Richard Stengel wrote: "Starting on Jan. 8, you will see a different TIME.com. We've given the site a long-overdue face-lift, and you will find a sharp, dynamic, constantly updated news site within a new but familiar red border."

Time.com drew 2.5 million unique visitors in November--up from 1.7 million a year ago, according to comScore Media Metrix. In addition to boosting traffic, Time.com's managers are also hoping that the relaunch helps to increase the average time of six minutes spent on the site. Separately, New York Post columnist Keith Kelly reported Friday that Time Inc. plans to lay off 150 employees companywide in the next couple of weeks. For its part, Time.com has doubled its staff, including the editorial and business sides, to about 30 in recent months, according to Cantarella.

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