Information for site reviewers
Here is some typical information about this web site that may be useful for people reviewing it, particularly students:
General
What type of web sites is this?
This is a personal web site. While quite large and about Urban Exploration / Urban Exploration, this web site is really a personal web site because it was created by one person about their hobby. As a personal web site this site does not adhere to strict content or presentation guidelines. There is no budget to develop the site. There is no quality checking staff other than myself. I work on the site when I can. As a personal site, I feel free to thrown in a lot of my artistic creativity. Once again I am proud of it and think it certainly is one of the best Urban Exploration sites around, in addition to being one of the first three Urban Exploration Internet pages out there.
What is the purpose of this web site?
This web site is intended to show people images and videos of strange and unusual sites they might never see otherwise. It is also intended to give safety advice and tips to new Urban Explorers. It also serves to keep me occupied and entertained by creating this site.
What is the scope of this web site? What topics does it cover?
This web site is all about Urban Exploration and Urban Exploration. In addition to providing some information resources and safety advice the web site covers exploring; Abandoned buildings, Active Buildings, Bridge Rooms, Bunkers, Catacombs, College Tunnels, Drains, Lifts, Mines, Space Shuttles, Steam Tunnels, Subways, Towers, Tunnels and other items.
What is the target audience of the web site?
There are two main targets for this web site. Urban Explorers and the general public. For the general public this site is meant as a form of entertainment, something to amuse them and maybe make them think. It can also be a source of information about the hidden infrastructure of their cities. For Urban Explorers this site can show what sort of things are out there to explore, and it forms an important source about safety, tools, technique and ethics. There is also a small third target audience, students who use this site as a source for site evaluations and as part of sociology studies.
Who created this web site?
This web site was created by Jason Chapman, also known as Panic! You can read more about me here. You can email me here. I do welcome email.
What are my qualifications in relation to Urban Exploration?
I have been an Urban Explorer since I was a child. I have been full time Urban Exploring since 1996. I have explored in many cities around the world, probably more than any other explorer. I have also worked as an Occupational Health and Safety advisor.
Information - Content
Is the information on this site reliable?
Yes and No. The information and Safety pages on this site are written to be informative and accurate. The 2002 World trip pages also are written to be informative and accurate. However the UA City pages, particularly the drains, abandoned building, transit and bunkers pages contain deliberate inaccuracies and down right false information designed to prevent the locations of the buildings and sites from being revealed to those who don't already know their locations.
What are the sources of the information?
Mostly the information on this site is from my own experience and through word of mouth. The safety information has been verified through book sources, even though I was already aware of most of it. Information on copyright was researched on the Internet and through studying law at university.
Is the information free of spelling and grammatical errors?
Almost. I use a spell checker but there's bound to be a few that get by me. Grammatical errors don't bother me so there's bound to be some on the site.
Can you contact me for clarification of information?
Yes, you can email me. But I am reluctant to give out location information of sites I visit.
Is the content on the site unique?
Yes, a great deal of the information on this site can be found only on this site. Naturally much of the information is now becoming more well known and is finding its' way on to other web site. Most of the content can be found on a small number of sites, but very few sites contain such a large cross section of content like this site has.
Is the content on the site copyright?
Yes! Regretfully some students have thought that they were immune to copyright laws and have copied sections of this web site on to their own without asking. A student named Robert Macri, aged 21 from Bayonne New Jersey and a student at Saint Peter's College Jersey City literally stole several pages from my site and has been passing them off as his. As I now know his address, he has been billed for copyright breach. I honestly don't expect him to pay the bill, but this will have a genuine affect on his future credit ratings.
I very strongly pursue copyright breach cases. It's theft.
Currency
When was the information on the site last updated?
The information on the web site is being updated often. However, once a page is done about a site, I don't update it much. Safety and informational advice is reviewed every 6 months to ensure it is still accurate and up to date. New section such as the 2004 world trip are being added to the page as time goes by. The date of the last web site update is shown on the Index page, New Index page and News Page.
When was the web site first put on to the Internet?
In May 1996 although there was an earlier version of the site online in November 1995. It was one of the first three Urban Exploration sites on the Internet.
How often do you update the web site?
About once every 2 months, but some times more often. See the News page for dates the site was updated.
Is there a clear indication of when new information is added to the site?
Yes, all new information added to the site is listed on the News page.
Navigation.
Does this web site include a search engine?
Yes, it is here. I update it whenever I add new content to the site.
Does this site include a site map?
Yes, it is here. It is offered as both a full site map (188 kb) or the faster loading section by section site map.
Does the web site have other useful navigation features?
Yes, every page (except the college tunnel virtual tour) has a standard footer that contains links to the main page, the previous page, the search engine and the site index.
Is copyright and contact information easily located?
Yes. There is a link at the bottom of each page to contact and copyright information. The copyright information has been researched to ensure it is legally accurate and true.
Usability - Access
Do the images on the site contain useful Alt text?
No, the vast majority of images have no Alt text what so ever. I think the use of Alt text is overrated. It is also almost redundant on this site as most images contain a description directly under them. The use of Alt text in many cases would be a waste of space.
Have the images been optimized for fast downloading time?
Yes. All images are saved at a compression ratio selected for good compression but good image quality.
Do the pages on the site load fast?
Not all of them. There are some big pages on this site with lots of large images. It's what you call graphics intensive. I never did like the use of thumb nail images. I have used them on the college tunnel tour but avoided them elsewhere. I however have just a 33k Modem myself and the pages always load fast enough for me even when I flush the cache.
Does the web site use a high contrast font?
You bet. Though originally inspired by the brilliant Milk Crate Gang colour scheme I changed the main font colour to white on a black background (Black is a common background colour for many Urban Exploration sites) to aid visibility. Headings are also set as high contrast colors. Apart from the college tunnel virtual tour pages and the site map all pages have standard white on black text and use the same red font for major headings and blue font for minor headings. Orange and yellow text are used to draw attention to points.
Do you need to download any plug ins, 3rd party software to use the site?
No and yes. The site is designed to be accessed by a normal browser. The videos do require the download of the Div-X video viewing software if you have an older operating system. All of the rest of the site can be accessed by either Internet Explorer or Netscape and several other browsers.
Appearance
Does the website have a standard look and feel?
Yes, the web site has a standard layout with a standard header banner on all pages apart from the 2002 world trip page and the college tunnel virtual tour pages. All pages also have a standard footer with standard navigational links. Apart from the college tunnel virtual tour pages and the site map all pages have standard white on black text and use the same red font for major headings and blue font for minor headings.
Do the images add significantly to the look and feel of the web site?
I think they do. Though this is a matter of opinion. But I feel the images are what makes this site. It would hardly be worth visiting if it had no images on the site.
Are the graphics appropriate to the scope of the site?
Yes, the images on the web site relate to the various aspects of Urban Exploration I have been involved in.
Does the multimedia add to the web site?
Once again this depends on your opinion, but I think it does. There are some things pictures can't show well, like how close two really big rooms in an abandoned factory are, or the beauty of abandoned train station or the experience of walking the Paris catacombs.
Does the page have a good look and feel?
You bet! It's the best looking and most comprehensive urban exploration web site on the Internet. Okay, it depends on your opinion.
Why has the site never won any awards?
It has, two. But these are not petty little online awards, they are both actual real world awards, involving the presentation of a certificate and a trophy (small but real). I didn't design the site to win awards so I don't advertise the fact it's won some.
