First of all, our name. We are dropping the last part of the original title behind RBTH – it was quite a long phrase anyway. From now on, we shall be known as Russia Beyond. The website address will stay the same – over the years we got attached to this abbreviation, and “rbth” is faster to type in browsers than “russiabeyond.” Still, russiabeyond.com will also bring you to our website – try it.
Since launching in 2007, our mission has always been to contribute to a better understanding of Russia in the world. Now we are aiming for something more ambitious – we want to become your main gateway to all things Russian, be it culture, travel, education, learning the language, ways to do business, and much more. The new set of categories is a clear indicator of which areas of interest are key for us.
There’s so much to explore in Russia that one can be confused even while planning a trip or researching a project. We want to be your guide, helper and advisor for any question related to Russia. Gradually we will also be offering you additional comprehensive services but shh! – it’s a secret for now.
There’s an obvious shift towards more visual content in our strategy – we see an increasing interest in videos from Russia, and we will continue bringing the best ones to your attention, as well as producing our own shows and short documentaries. Some of them are going to be more entertaining like our recent ‘What’s up, Babushka’, others – more practical, like the ‘Tips, Tricks and Travel’ with Tim Kirby.
Now, let’s look at the new design. The last time we refreshed the look and feel of our website was in 2015. The overall design scheme hasn’t changed since 2011. Where you are reading this now is light years away from that. We thought about all the distracting things which appear on screen when you are reading a story or watching a video – and got rid of them.
Another major thing is BIG PICTURES. We love them as much as you do. No more zooming in to examine the fur on that bear or the architectural features on the facade of that church. What a relief.
We encourage you to share what you think about our new name, content and website: Just drop us a line at info@rbth.com (yes, we read those emails).
Russia is 11 time zones, almost 147 million people, and hundreds of thousands of stories we want to tell you.
Many thanks for being with us,
Your Russia Beyond team.