Additional volunteers are also needed for preparing the weekly online version of the Militant.

The design of themilitant.com, which has appeared since September 27, has been upgraded, incorporating more navigation tools and other features, and using more color and graphics to eye-catching effect.

"Just as important as the appearance of the site is the improved ease of use, especially for new readers," said Patricia Smith in Chicago, who helped design the new site. The front page and feature articles, as well as the pages listing articles, editorials, calendar notices, and columns, are all one click away from the home page. Several of these links are integrated as buttons into the masthead. Others are arrayed in a simple navigation bar at the left of the home page.

"The new site is more interactive," Smith continued. "You can easily use it to submit standardized notices on Militant Labor Forums and send in announcements of other political events of interest to workers and farmers. And Militant and Perspectiva Mundial distributors can use it to order their regular bundles." All Militant Labor Forum and calendar announcements sent to the Militant through the web site will now be available on that site until the day of the event.

Militant editor Martín Koppel reports that socialist workers and young socialists around the world are already taking advantage of these online features.

The online version of the Militant will continue to be improved as it is used. Peter Link, webmaster of themilitant.com, explained that "as we develop the site, we are working to maintain its accessibility for sight-impaired readers and others who use specialized browsers--including text-only browsers, as well as international readers who often have slow or expensive Internet access."

More volunteers are needed for the work of converting each week's articles into files to be posted onto the web. The paper's editors will start posting articles--in advance of the newsprint edition, as they are edited for publication--in the "new and in the next issue" section of themilitant.com.

The web edition of Perspectiva Mundial will be welcomed by working-class fighters in the United States whose first language is Spanish. And it will be especially valuable for readers of the socialist press throughout Latin America, who often have to wait for weeks to receive the magazine by international mail.

"We've modeled the design of perspectivamundial.com on the new Militant web site," said Pat Smith. A team of volunteers around the country translates selected Militant articles for the print edition of Perspectiva Mundial every month--and for special editions produced in response to class-struggle developments.

Perspectiva Mundial is appealing for volunteers to prepare the magazine's web page every month. "We will provide any training necessary," said Smith. Familiarity with Spanish and a commitment to making the working-class publication available every month through this medium are the qualifications required. Readers who want to help can contact the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial at themilitant@compuserve.com or write: 410 West Street, New York, NY 10014.  
 
 
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