"I've
made a lot of special modifications myself..."
by Gini McDonagh
10/20/98
If you've been around the Echo Station pages in the last week or so, you've probably noticed that the Main Pages have been changing looks at about the pace that the Spice Girls change costumes. Echo's been trying on new looks, experimenting with finding the best way to provide you with the most information with the least amount of confusion.
Okay, so I'll confess: I haven't really made the special modifications myself. The changes have been the result of comments by many people, some of them staff members, some of them readers. Hashing through it and redesigning the page is a work that's part art, part mud-slog. In this case, the foot soldier of page changing has been our Webmaster, Dave Phillips. Dave's web design wizardry has felt the strain of suggestion, demand and criticism, and he's borne it all with good humor--and proper obedience (she said, smiling).
Of course, the paradox is Echo Station has so much information to share with you that we're having a heck of a time determining the optimal method of doing so. We just want to make darned sure the Good Stuff doesn't fall through the cracks. And arranging the "display case" to best highlight all the great items in it is a task that just begs for tweaking--a Web Geek Wonderland.
You see, Echo Station is a lot more than just the magazine these days. The main site page carries its own brand of humor and entertainment, with the X-word puzzles and the Comic Corner. It's also the place to find links to other Star Wars sites hosted by Echo Station, as well as the history of this site (well, we like to think it's important!) and some information on the staff members.
Main Terminal has suffered from the retirement of Scott Ryfun. We salute Scott for the great job he did keeping us up to date on all that was Star Wars. We're looking forward to a new era for Main Terminal, under the direction of our own Wonder From Down Under, Kyp, and plan on having it back online soon.
And if you haven't checked out the message boards, well, you're missing out on the real fun of Echo Station. On the boards, there's no "Staff," no stuffiness or holding back, no expectations of deference to our opinions. We call 'em as we see 'em, and take a licking if someone disagrees. And it doesn't matter if your 12 or 55, as long as you can make a cogent argument - and write in complete sentences. Anyone who thinks that Star Wars message boards are only about people declaring Luke, Wedge, Boba Fett or Darth Vader, "kewl" simply hasn't checked out the boards we're running here.
Writing a column like this always makes me feel more like
an Amway salesman than an editor. But maybe the comparison should be with a real estate
agent. I can't make you like what we have to offer, but I can sure point out the features
I think you might most be interested in. Now I'll just step out of your way and let you
look around and decide for yourself.
(Gini McDonagh lives in
Alaska with her two daughters, who regularly humiliate her by correcting her Star Wars
movie quotes. When she isn't shovelling snow or chasing away bears, she answers her e-mail
at gini@echostation.com)