More of what we do best

Designfax was the first magazine in the horizontal design engineering field to have a regular, monthly column covering the Internet and how to use it. Through Dr. Steve O'Neil's Bird-Doggin' the Internet, we've consistently provided useful information for readers, choosing not to get caught up in the hype of billing ourselves as "a new media source." Like the magazine itself, it is only when the Internet is useful that it becomes a part of our everyday lives.

Frustrations concerning the 'Net have increased, as the need to finance Internet sites has become a reality. Sites, both commercial and business, are faltering from high costs and the myth that they must be all things possible. However, just because you can do video over the 'Net doesn't mean that you produce a video. I would watch a video on the manufacture of a switch, but I don't think I'd return to it every day. Being what your customer needs you to be is the name of the business. We've read about it long enough, now let's apply what we've learned.

We're hearing from more and more of you who have incorporated the Internet into your everyday worklife. Unlike other magazines in this industry that report on the Internet, but don't change their styles to accommodate readers' needs, Designfax is changing to serve you what you tell us is useful.

We've changed our format to provide you with valuable website links to all the organizations covered editorially in each issue. We supply reports on sites that offer engineering-related, web-centric services more often than ever. We're coming up with ways to provide you with product specifications and downloadable CAD faster, so you don't have to wade through home pages and secondary pages trying to sell products you're not looking for. And we're open to adding more services as you provide us with a sense of how you operate and what your needs are.

--Terry
editors@designfax.net