Baseline Magazine
For what seems like years, I've been scratching my head over the bizarre online presence of Baseline Magazine. Their web site has been nothing but a virtual junkyard of broken images, zero contact information, and not a shred of copy to acknowledge itself.
Did they lose access to their FTP account? Hit their head on a slab-serif and forget how to write HTML? How long could it have possibly taken someone put up a polite "under construction" notice and some contact information? Wait, I know the answer to that. About 15 minutes...tops.
It's such a shame, because Baseline is one of, if not the best print publications about typography, and only typography.
So what gives? Well I went by Baseline on a whim tonight because my friendly neighborhood Borders (*cough* homeless shelter *cough*) was fresh out of the latest issue. Subscriptions are horribly expensive for US readers, to the tune of $93 for a paltry four issues, so I tend to thoroughly peruse Baseline at the magazine rack, sigh, and return it to the shelf.
But what's this? Baseline's web site is working? Well, sorta. They at least have some content up, but it's still maddeningly small and out of date.
Click on "News" and you see the following: A location to find the information about the contents of the upcoming baseline issue, other products from Bradbourne Publishing, and special offers. Okay, so where the fuck is it? Talking about news is not the same as news.
The bottom frame has a thin line of menu options that have their H x W properties all out of whack. And then there's that copyright - 1997. According to the source HTML, that's the last time they updated the page. Five whole years ago.
The only reason why I pick on Baseline is because they are doing themselves no favors by representing themselves as poorly as this. Their lack of interest seems to say they don't care, or don't understand, the web and what they could be doing with it.
Baseline could be an exciting, vibrant place, just like their print publication, but is sadly going to waste.
Tell you what Baseline. If you're reading this, I'll make you an offer. I'll redesign your web site if you give me a lifetime subscription to the print magazine. Are you there? Hello?
Comments
But they are a "unique, award-winning" publication... how could they possibly be faulted for a few glitches on their web site? You'd think at $93 a pop, they could afford to hire someone full-time to keep the site updated properly.
Errmm... speaking of such things... your latest post re: Britney begins below the last item in the left-hand column (XML RSS Page) ... thus, visitors see a huge gaping maw of white on the right, realizing shortly after that they need to scroll down to see the content. Just thought you should know. This is the only time I've seen that happen here, so I know it's not an ongoing problem (like Baseline's).
Posted by: Bob at February 7, 2002 1:06 AM
