The Armed Citizen

yes, I ran into the same issue. Who should we write or call?

*edit* I see a search there, I could have sworn it wasn't there before.

Are you sure it isn't there somewhere? I haven't looked recently but a few years ago I systematically went through every story they had and the earliest of them was from the '70s. I had to go back month by month as I recall. I'd be surprised if they reduced the number of stories available though maybe copyright issues forced their hand?

Yes, I was very bored at the time.

Are you aware of this site?

The last I checked,all of the back issues of Armed Citizen were available, but you had to search the right area of the NRA-ILA web area.

http://www.nraila.org/ArmedCitizen/

In my opinion, the overall NRA web site is a design disaster, put together by techies in love with being able to embed gratuitous Flash (TM) content all over the place. They make it particularly difficult to find information. Why give folks an answer, when you can make them click three more times first?
Whether it is forcing unwanted audio and video on you when you hit the home page, or having scrolling menus that slide linked article titles past you before you can decide to click on them, to obscure and poorly done search results, the place is a total mess.
This design disaster came about last winter, with their new web structure. I put up with it for five months, and finally took nra.org off of my check-it-weekly web list.

Yep, it's a design disaster. I used to visit frequently, also, but now it's on a "MUST need to find some data" only basis. It gives me a headache just looking at, even before the frustration of navigating.

Who wants to read these days. I'd be nice if somebody read the armed citizen and posted it on the internet. You could make a cd and give it out to folks. You know... evangelize
*cough* wish I knew where to find something like that *cough*
You guys are right though, the nra site is not user friendly:banghead:

In my opinion, the overall NRA web site is a design disaster, put together by techies in love with being able to embed gratuitous Flash (TM) content all over the place. They make it particularly difficult to find information. Why give folks an answer, when you can make them click three more times first?

Whether it is forcing unwanted audio and video on you when you hit the home page, or having scrolling menus that slide linked article titles past you before you can decide to click on them, to obscure and poorly done search results, the place is a total mess.

This design disaster came about last winter, with their new web structure. I put up with it for five months, and finally took nra.org off of my check-it-weekly web list.

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It's part of the NRA's grand scheme do everything wrong. That's intentional. No joke. The NRA has scouts who go out into the field to observe everyone. When an scout sees a member or potential member's eyes twitch when passing a video store, he calls Wayne LaPierre to trigger the shipment of a video. If a scout sees someone tossing junk mail into the trash, there's another call to trigger a request for contributions. The web site is easy: the NRA monitors everyone's computer to see how each person behaves online, then its web servers run special obfuscator software to tailor that user's online experience to be the most annoying for that person.

On some rare occasions the NRA has encountered people who can't find anything to gripe about. This does not happen often, thank goodness, because on those rare occasions the NRA staff goes into panic mode. It's not a pretty sight. Fortunately, the NRA has a troubleshooter for those rare occasions. The very first things he's required to do is check the Gun Owners of America web site to get the latest update on its view of reality. If he understands it he's required to immerse himself in that experience: aversion therapy does work sometimes. Assuming he is mentally sound, however, the troubleshooter next comes to this forum and reads messages to learn how the NRA is annoying and how to increase that capability.

I don't understand why some of you are against the NRA's website design.

Personally, I think it's great.

The GOA website, for comparative example, feels as if its been left behind in the early '90s and just feels cheap and illegitimate by comparison. I am very turned off by basic websites - I don't order products from sites like ammoman, because the website is so cheap that I just can't feel comfortable ordering from it.

More pro-RKBA websites should join the 21st century, and integrate PHP and Flash to provide the visitor with a quality browsing experience. Honestly, GOA needs to update its site, *badly*. The content may be superior, but the presentation is at least a decade behind the NRA.

Yep, it's a design disaster. I used to visit frequently, also, but now it's on a "MUST need to find some data" only basis. It gives me a headache just looking at, even before the frustration of navigating.

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I agree. It is one of the worst very large web sites I have ever run across. It is close to impossible to find anything unless you know the URL upfront.

Sad, because the content is quite good.

Navigating from their home page is fine, but frankly, if I type in nra.org and get a flash media mess...
it should not take a curious web surfer or fence sitter 5 or 10 minutes of staring at the page to figure out how to find the real nra homepage. (hint click on the rotating block in the upper left hand corner. the one that says "nra news"
It only took me a couple minutes the first time. but still,

Perhaps we can all send emails, I can see that this thread has at this point 10 posts and 500 views. That's a lota lurkers.
Whether you post in this one or you're just reading, Let's each send them a polite, POLITE PLEASE, email suggesting they make their gateway a little more clear, and access to the armed citizen archives a little more obvious or easier.
Perhaps something like an "archives" link on their Armed Citizen page? Even a dozen letters might get somebody to take notice.

You can search the Armed Citizen's archives, but you can't browse all of them. Look here:
http://www.nraila.org/ArmedCitizen/
I can, for example, list all for a state.

Earlier today I clicked on the 'Members' link on the NRA site, hoping to find stuff like other articles from thier publications, etc... I put in my membership number, and the only thing I got was a page on how to donate money or find candidate grades (which I think it also available in the free, public site...).

I can't get the page to sit still. Too much flashing and scrolling. Makes my brain just crazy. I can only describe it with swear-words.

There may be useful information there. It doesn't matter, because I can't find it. What a disaster. Make me the tech-boss there, and that front page is going bye-bye. If the web master won't play, the web master is going bye-bye, too. People who love their tools too much are what cause charley foxes like that.

For even worse web pages, see: Web Pages that Suck. Prepare to be amazed.

Are you aware of this site?

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Cool!