Web User

WebUser magazine is a new fortnightly publication.
It describes itself as: "The NO-NONSENSE guide to the BEST of the net" currently at a trial price of 99p (expected to rise to £1.20 at some point)

It boasts a recommendation by the Plain English Society -
so no unexplained gobbledegook.

WebUser's regular features appear to be:-

NEWS - 3 pages devoted to "what's happening on the world wide web"

BEST NEW WEB SITES - reviews of more than a dozen new or revamped sites, something of interest for everyone (probably)
For example: Ken (cujimmy) might want to check out www.ifyougolf.com

NET CALENDAR - a web-site with some relevance to something that
is happening for each day of the two weeks the mag is on the shelves.
A nice idea. Simple and useful.

SHOPPING NEWS - a look at sites which offer bargains for shoppers.

SHOPPING CHALLENGE - here they "scour the net to find the best deals
on a popular product" which they challenge readers to suggest.

CONSUMER CHAMPION - "if there's anything you want us to investigate..."

CONSUMER REPORT - ONLINE SHOPPING TEST - six ordinary people
check out and compare the service of various shops' web-sites.
With a brief guide to the consumer's legal rights.

SITE TEST - a comparison of various web-sites of a particular type.
Like Ciao they award up to five stars plus they give gold, silver and bronze awards to the top three - which you'll probably disagree with!

HOW IT WORKS - one of my favourite features. In the first issue they explained how search engines work, with a bit of net-history thrown in.
Only one page though, perhaps they should expand this.

NEW PRODUCTS ON TEST - new gizmos get the once over of their lives.

WORKSHOPS - this is a big feature of the mag.
Step-by-step guides on how to do basic things (get rid of spam e-mail, build a simple web page, etc.) well illustrated with screen snapshots.

PROBLEM SOLVER - the usual thing - readers write in for help with their computer problems (mostly to do with Outlook Express of course!)

READERS HINTS AND TIPS - self explanatory. The best one wins £25.
LETTERS - self-explanatory again, plus there's £25 for the Star Letter.
(just remember my 10% commission if you win, ok?)

FOCUS - regular features on "your favourite subjects" (online games, WAP, mp3 and DIY web pages, apparently) with lots of sites to try out.

COLUMNS by Michael Hewitt and a guest celebrity. Last issue it was
Alexei Sayle who is funny, but in issue two it's Paul Daniels who's a

50 USEFUL WEBSITES - does exactly what it says on the tin.
No mention of Ciao here (yet) but then there isn't really a category for it.
Someone should suggest one...

The full-page advertisements account for 27 of the 92 pages (34%)
which seems fairly reasonable.

For web-novices and non-techies, WebUser is very good value.
But having done so much of the 'sexy' stuff (car imports, search engines, PC speed test) in issue one, how long can they keep up the standard?

The second issue which is out now, also includes:-

A look at X-Files inspired web-sites; route-planning web-sites;
an investigation of net access via your TV; online bookmakers;
a guide to sites that help you trace long lost relatives or friends;
(Hmmm, I wonder if I could trace my old pal Andy Thatcher and get my Crowded House CD back?) plus a Readers Survey with a prize of £500;
and a competition with two PCs up for grabs.

The web-user companion web-site is at: http://www.web-user.co.uk

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