With a dedicated digital team, www.shieldsgazette.com works hand-in-hand with the newspaper to provide the best of both worlds to our readers.

Today, as part of Local Newspaper Week, so look at why the site has become so popular.

For more than 150 years, the only way to read the Gazette was to buy a copy when it hit the streets at teatime.

Now our army of readers can log on 24 hours a day to read the latest breaking news, view our videos and take part in polls on the day's events.

And hundreds of thousands of visitors can't be wrong – in January this year we had 212,000 unique users from across the world.

Some of the biggest breaking news stories have been filmed as they've happened.

When a DFDS ferry tore free from its moorings and rolled out of control in the Tyne, the Gazette was on hand to capture the dramatic moments.

We were on the scene after the tragic Lisle Road fires last year which killed two young girls, updating our website with the latest details as they broke throughout the day.

When the QE2 sailed into the Tyne for the first time in October last year, thousands of people lined the banks of the river to see it.

But for the people who missed it, we uploaded the video of the whole event to our site, and thousands of ex-pat Sanddancers around the globe logged on to watch it.

However, it isn't just breaking news which we pride ourselves on.

Special investigations by the Gazette have been captured on film too, giving readers an insight into how we research some of our exclusive news stories.

Last year, crime reporter Lisa Nightingale joined officers from South Tyneside Area Command as they checked local cars for traces of red diesel, and we've filmed some of the borough's high-profile dawn raids.

On local election night on May 1, results were updated throughout the night, news and analysis from the counts appeared within minutes and videos of the event appeared within a few hours.

It followed on from our popular pre-election special, featuring online election addresses from the leaders of the parties on South Tyneside Council for the first time.

Last year's fashion show, which raised money for cancer charities Cancer Connections and the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund, was filmed for our site.

The show even included some participants who were selected by our readers online.

The Gazette's tear-jerking Pride of South Tyneside awards, and the summer festivals, were also recorded and featured online.

Gazette editor John Szymanski said: "Our website is leading the way in providing the latest news, sport, features and other services for our readers.

"Working hand in hand with the Gazette newspaper, the site is regularly updated to ensure fresh stories for the many thousands who come back time and time again to visit www.shieldsgazette.com.

"We also have a raft of extremely exciting and innovative projects to help us interact even more with our readers and make it the first website of choice to turn to for news about South Tyneside."

But the aim of the website isn't just to help break the news first, it's about making the news interactive.

We've become a community media newspaper by encouraging our readers to send in their own photographs and videos.

We accept reviews of gigs and concerts from fans who send messages in, and a large proportion of our letters for the newspaper's letters page come through from our website.

Our recently-launched football forum also allows football fans of all creeds to have their say on the big teams in North East England - so expect heated debates between Sunderland and Newcastle fans, as well as non-league teams such as South Shields and Jarrow Roofing.

There's also the chance to have your say on any of our news stories by leaving a comment online.

We've even got free games on the site, including picture puzzles consisting of photographs of local landmarks.

What are you waiting for? Get clicking!

> > Take part in our web vote.