Jim Regan -- Site Reviews
Orion Online
|
As asserted in the site's editorial statement, the primary purpose of Orion Online is to create "a considerable expansion of our readership," and magazines like the Orion pair may be more suited than most to this type of Internet assistance. Whereas we pretty much know what to expect even before we pick up a copy of Time, National Geographic, or Better Homes and Gardens, lower profile publications are more of a mystery, and as such, are more likely to be passed over in favor of more predictable choices. Orion Online provides the visitor with a large enough sample of content to provide a solid idea of what the print editions offer (along with a few Web-only features) - enough, they hope to encourage visitors to pay for the complete package.
The site itself opens with a splash page, (which will stay with me if only for its introduction of the word, "infinitude") proceeding automatically to the Orion home page. Here, the covers of the two magazines are featured, the online contents of which can be accessed via pull-down menu, navigation bar, or by simply clicking on the covers themselves.
Load a magazine's index page, and the site presents a full table of contents of the current print edition, including features available online. (The current Orion edition offers a trio of articles about the Monarch Butterfly, including its present precarious state, and how genetically modified corn may be impacting on the species' chances of survival. Orion Afield looks at the restoration of adobe churches and the effect the restoration has on the local community.) In addition to text links, both magazines' index pages also allow surfers to access online articles by opening and leafing through virtual copies of the print editions - a gimmick, but a nifty gimmick.
But even before moving on to the individual publications, (pardon my backtracking) Orion's home page can be explored for the society's web-only offerings, which include the Curmudgeon in the Wild, (in which, "Some of our favorite misanthropes rant on the state of the union") the Millennium Project's video interviews (currently featuring Joni Mitchell), audio excerpts, and an online gallery. A 'masthead' also holds Orion's editorial statement, opportunities for feedback, e-mail notification of updates, and of course, a chance to subscribe to the print editions.
While the visual design is clean and attractive, in the final analysis, it will be Orion's content --and your interest in the subject matter-- that will determine return visits. From available evidence though, it would appear that the Orion Society can look forward to "a considerable expansion" of its readership. Orion Online can be found at http://www.orionsociety.org/.