Baseline Magazine Website Review

Baseline (www. baseline. mag) is an online resource and special interest online magazine for people who are working in IT departments of companies, IT companies, and even mere enthusiasts in the field. As the site describes itself, Baseline is a resource site for information technology, planning, implementation and IT solutions for business.

The home page utilizes a three-column, uncluttered layout with a cool-to-the-eyes orange and maroon motif against a white background. Article titles and links, meanwhile, are encoded in blue.

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The same color scheme is used in all subdirectories although the latter pages are less eye-catching than the main page, usually a simple one-column presentation of text and graphics. The whole home page looks like the usual e-zine but because Baseline is an information-driven site, it does not feature photos and animated graphics to capture the reader’s attention. It focuses on content so that it relies on catchy text presentation in various font sizes to show the readers the level of relevance of a featured article as determined by its editors. I browsed around the site to sample their articles.

I read its main headline, “USEC puts energy into virtualization”, a story about the move of uranium supplier USEC towards server virtualization to optimize its service and offer lower cost. Like most online magazines, Baseline’s articles feature options for the reader to rate, share and download a printable or PDF version of the article. Meanwhile, a Related Content box to the right encouraged me to click on and read more articles. A feature worth mentioning are the eight subject tabs located just below the site banner. Baseline divides the contents of its site into eight categories (Compliance, Intelligence, IT Management, etc.

) and I think this is helpful to anyone who would like to read articles on specific categories only. A click on the desired tab generates a list of articles on the category, both new and archived. Another aspect I found interesting was a streaming line of text on top of the page announcing digital events. Furthermore, just when I am ready to conclude that Baseline online magazine is pure boring text, I happen upon news presented in video (a news item about the need for smooth upgrade to Windows Vista, among others) and another one in slideshow format (an article enumerating the 8 ways by which technology has changed sports).

Baseline has a printed version. A portion of the homepage shows a cover of its latest issue and the articles inside, which could also be read online. However, even if access to the site is free to readers, the online version obviously earns more for the company judging by the prominent advertisements of well-known IT companies. Some articles are even sponsored or have been produced by an advertiser and not Baseline itself.

There are ad boxes, links, texts, and graphics enticing the reader to check out IT-related products or services. There are even Google ad boxes. The site’s major sponsor, IBM, is prominently displayed in an ad box on the home page. Overall, Baseline is a veritable resource for the IT specialist or enthusiast who would like to be updated on the latest on information technology although the site owners specifically aim to reach IT businesses and IT department employees as its articles always tend to relate both IT and business.

IT businesses and departments of companies would benefit from reading the articles, keep them updated with the latest trends on the market, and even help them look for their hardware and software system needs for their respective business through the site’s well-known advertisers. The site contains specialized information and has a limited target audience, but Baseline is a complete and very good site for this particular audience group. Reference: Baseline. Electronic magazine. Accessed on May 6, 2009. www. baselinemag. com.

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