Website Of The Week: Fortean Times
One can actually point out some of those responsible for the current growth in interest in the areas of strange phenomena: new age philosophy and things that go bump in the night. Scully, Mulder, Mystic Meg, and Yuri Geller all have a lot to answer for. The Fortean Times was actually founded in 1973, and now appears to be healthier than ever, ABC circulation figures for the title itself show a massive increase in sales from 28,000 to around 60,000 within two years. Moving from strength to strength, the web site has just been revamped, and with this reviewer being a confirmed horror/ghost story/paranormal addict looking for a guide to the truth it certainly seems to be both an inviting and enigmatic place to be.
As with most things in life, appearance is important. Of course one should not judge a book by its cover, but rather try and take in as much of an impression as possible. Visually the Fortean Times site is neither too obtuse nor too understated. Often web sites can get a little too crowded as designers desperately try to fill as many gaps as they can with buttons to click on, here one gets the feeling from the very first look at the home page that there really is going to be a mine of information at hand without too much fuss made about it. In fact it has that curious TARDIS effect, once one steps inside there is a multitude of stories, facts, queries and no doubt some fiction ready to be discovered.
The relaxed but informative attitude of the publication itself spills into the web site, perhaps it is the slightly light hearted but nevertheless positive approach that is making this the most popular area of contemporary philosophy. As well as being able to read articles from the current issue, one may also access a back catalogue of selected articles from previous issues, the rhetoric is easy going, but informative. One very pleasing aspect of the site as a whole is that every attempt is made to present in a manner that is suitable for most of the family, the Fortean Times perhaps is an example of how a web site can work at a level where potentially distressing or disturbing information is put forward in a responsible way, and the old ‘to censor’ or ‘not to censor’ debate need not even be opened.
As well as the articles there is of course the traditional interactive part of the site, The Fortean Times Reporting Centre, and a very good Link Database ; if it’s strange and you want to know about it then let this system guide you through, you name it , conspiracy theories, crop circles, the end of the world. If you happen to be looking for more than just written articles then the Fortean Times can even help you plan those weekends away. Fancy a trip to England’s most haunted house, Borley Rectory? Or maybe even try one of York’s famous Ghost Walk Tours, and believe me the streets up there are crowded with spooks!!
From one point of view, credibility must be given to the Fortean Times for its clarity in aim, manner, and philosophy. This combined with well written articles and good presentation makes this web site well worth a visit whether for two minutes or two hours. Perhaps the only real disappointment is that the main database is off line, and only accessible through fax – with 23 years worth of information concerning the paranormal stored within it lets hope that the next stage of progression for Fortean Times will be to develop this into the web site.