The New Web Site Look!

Those of you that regularly visit the Order of the Arrow's official web site will notice a big change in our pages.

Over the past several months, members of the OA web site staff have been working diligently to enliven and enrich the content and look of the national OA web site. If you visit often, you have probably noticed our recent features on the OA Troop/Team Representative and our coverage of the Order's involvement with the 2001 National Scout Jamboree.

During the last four years, the national OA web site has established itself as the premiere reference for OA programs and policy. We plan to continue our role as a program resource for all Arrowmen while expanding the coverage we provide to stories that augment information already found on the site.

As part of our plan, we decided it was necessary to redesign the look and function of the site. As we hope you will find, our result is a much cleaner and contemporary front page which showcases the most current information available on-line. In the center, you will find our most recent "feature" articles, which provide in-depth coverage to the Order's most valuable programs and topics. On the right, we have added what we call "PDAs", or featured topic boxes, which provide you with direct access to some of the most popular areas on the site. And for those of you that have grown used to our customary full-site access menu, it's still available on the left, right where it always has been since day one. We have moved the "What's New" link to the bottom of the left side menu.

Perhaps the most noticeable change, has been the switch from a red color scheme to a more calming blue. We feel the new color will prove to be more agreeable to our viewers' eyes and will generally improve a user's overall experience on our site.

If you are a technophile, you will notice that we have adapted our fonts to start using cascading style sheets, which will help us update and improve the overall look of the site in the years to come. And for those who have often longed that the OA web page fill their browser's entire window, you will find that our new front page does just that. But don't fear, those of you who still use older browsers and monitors should find the site to work appropriately for you as well. Our team spent several months using over a dozen different browsers and computer systems to test the new design. Even printing on your printer should work fine.

These changes will be put into place for all active pages. Historical and archive pages, such as those produced at past NOACs, will not be changed, but will retain the old red color scheme and styles.

We have a lot of future features in the works, including detailed coverage of NOAC 2002. But for now, sit back, browse around the web site and check out our most recent additions including: Background Information for NOAC 2002, implementation suggestions for the Arrowman Service Award, the 2001 OA Voyage Photo Gallery, and thoughts from our top youth leaders on Leadership, Camping and the Outdoor Experience and Brotherhood and Fellowship.

I would like to personally thank all of the members of the National OA Web Site staff. They all work very hard to bring to you the latest information about the Order of the Arrow on-line. Without them, none of what we do would be possible.

As always, we appreciate any comments you may have concerning the national OA web site. You may send them at any time to webmaster@oa-bsa.org. Feel free to let us know what you think of the new look and features we have added. And if you have any suggestions for future features you would like to see, send them on in.

Yours ever Cheerfully,

Sage Lichtenwalner
National OA Web Site Youth Coordinator

Revised 11/21/01