The Walrus Online is aesthetically appealing in its simplicity. The white background helps to emphasize the text. It's easy to navigate the site and the menu assists your browsing. It is a cascading website that requires scrolling but not too much of it. The articles are available in their full version. Beyond the basic texts of each issue, the website embraces the electronic medium in a variety of ways.
The Walrus Online offers an archive of past editions, as well as an up-to-date News window. Because the magazine is a published on a month to month basis, the news window enables a daily/hourly update while the archive allows for easy reference. But what is most impressive about The Walrus online is the Blog/Media section. This section displays a list of links to various "Walrus Bloggers" as well as a lengthly selection of PodCasts. The site also links to "Web Extras" which presents content that is only available online.
This website does not suffer the pitfalls of many magazine websites. While it is simple, it is not boring or bland. There are ads but not too many, and they don't clutter the site. Page space is used well, with margins that emphasize the text. The site is not simply a recreation of the paper text. The addition of video links, a bit of interactivity, and a little mystery would do this site good. It is nevertheless a good resource for the connected Walrus reader. I give The Walrus Online 3.5 Mouse Clicks.
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