I'm not too sure about the new look page. Looks like all the custom elements have gone and it's just general news and not much else.
I quite liked the overture links on the left column that were based on the subject of the domain. IMHO the second thing a person looks at (after looking at the top bar) will be that left column.
Seeing a list of general topics on a site about drinking or Toronto (for example) will mean they'll just exit the page because it's obviously not what they're looking for.
I know this is not finished yet, but it appears to be the direction you're moving in (now that the first skin has basically the same setup)
I'd rather overture links in the left column, combine the middle two columns into one wide column with related news (no general news) and then the skyscraper ad in the right column.
I honestly don't think a person looking for a drinking site or Toronto site is gonna want to hang around to read some general news.
It just seems to be as obvious that the site isn't developed as a normal parking page is.
I don't know if anyone else feels that way but that's my 2 cents.
What are the pros and cons? It definitely looks better anyway.
