| Product: |
forteantimes.com |
| Date: |
19/04/07 (74 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Some good content, message board, Fortean news
Disadvantages: Hasn't kept abreast with new content ideas, dwindling users
Fortean Times is a British magazine dedicated to strange phenomena, and unfortunately its web arm is something a wasted opportunity.
Considering the magazine is devoted to the work of Charles Fort, an early 20th Century writer who collected newspaper clippings of the bizarre and anomalous, the website's collection of strange news clippings is something of an anticlimax. With the web so crammed with oddities and quirky news, it seems a shame that the "newshounds" who find the news are seemingly limited to a few regulars, and there's an increasingly small amount of stories posted on the front page.
There is, however, a good archive of articles on the bizarre, most of which that have appeared in past issues of the magazine, but some of which are extended versions, or even exclusives. The range of subjects is staggering, ranging from UFOs, ghosts, parapsychology, cryptozoology, conspiracy theories and many other topics. The articles are usually very well researched, thought provoking, and uncover new facts and ideas that are always eye opening to readers.
There is also a section for reviews, that includes books, publications, games, films and other products with a Fortean slant. There is a competition page, a gallery of Fortean photos, and "Fortmart", an online shop of merchandise (although at the time of writing, this is having a massive clearance sale, so this may not be there for much longer).
The website's forum is a lively and stimulating place, but sadly troll attacks in the past seem to have "killed off" many of the old members, who have wandered off elsewhere, and old topics being constantly recycled hasn't helped matters either. It's still a great place for intelligent the discussion of themes found in the magazines, but it is not as lively as it once was.
While a great depository for the magazine's features, it does seem that the website doesn't live up to its potential. The subjects in hand seem to be ones that lend themselves to the immediacy and communal nature of the web, but this has never been capitalised on, and the site hasn't kept up to date with such new developments as podcasting, YouTube videos and blogging which would have augmented the site considerably. There is some good content there, but not half as much as there perhaps could be.
Another gripe about the site is the occasional presence of invasive and noisy pop up adverts on the main page, which can be annoying, especially when having a sneaky look on a work PC!
But after all these criticisms it really is worth a look, especially for newcomers to the world of Forteana who want a taste of the magazine.
Summary: Some good content, but could be a lot better
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