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Squirrel: Hi! I'm Squirrel, and along with my boyfriend, Moose, we're going to be your new web site reviewers! Two weeks ago, ClasicaLeo was kind enough to mention in the X-Paper that I was trying to find web sites that still had fan-made music videos on them. As you may or may not know, Fox Television has asked that the music videos be removed from most such sites. I had a feeling, though, that there were some still out there, and thanks to some email help (especially from Sunny1151 - thanks!), we have three sites to review for you this week. Moose: Hi - Moose here. Just a quick note on how I rate sites. I tend to like simple clean graphics with smooth transitions. That doesn't mean that the glitzy sites won't get good reviews, it just means the first thing I look for isn't always the first thing that gets my attention. S: Our first site is The Oubliette (http://oubliette.simplenet.com/). Seems to be a newer site, and I'm assuming that from the low counter, but I think I've seen the name before. M: Web sites really should grab you visually when you first see them, and Oubliette does. Although I will confess I don't quite understand why the site name is appropriate to the X-Files, I'll assume that there's a good reason. S: I couldn't figure that out either. M: Well, I'll assume there's a good reason because everything else about this site is visually exciting. Crisp, clean and well balanced. Seamless transitions and good use of graphics. In a very understated way, it hooks you right off! S: The graphics are good looking, with a very good color scheme. There is quite a large fan video archive here, with eleven videos to look at. I only had problems with viewing one of them, so the 'working link ratio' (as I like to call it) is excellent. The videos themselves range in quality - one of my favorites was "Building a Mystery". It's really very well done. M: If I have any complaint, it's that the only area currently running is the music video page. But even the "Under Construction" graphics are classy. Certainly worth your time, and something to bookmark. S: I guess that would be my only complaint, too. But then again, even if this is nothing more than a video archive, it's a well-done resource worth having. The second site we reviewed is the M&S Love Connection (http://members.tripod.com/~TamieLove). This site has a pretty good selection of music videos, as well as decent sound and picture archives and lots of good stuff to look through. WARNING - there are sixth season spoilers in her site - but they are well marked. Don't look if you don't want to know! M: It's a sneaky little web site, because it takes you a second to realize just how much labor has gone into it. I won't spoil the opening graphics, but look at it a second time, and see how much effort went into it. More photo manipulation, and more smooth manipulation than I've seen in along time. S: One of the things I look for in a site is something that's fresh - being updated on a kind of regular basis, and I don't mean every week, just that it's being kept current. Tamie exceeds with this - she updated in March and then apologizes to her visitors when the most recent update (five days ago!) was done three weeks later. If there was one thing I'd choose to change about the site, it would be the sometimes too-dark text colors used for links to some parts of the site. But that's about it - this site will be only one year old on April 25, and there's a reason Tamie has almost 37,000 hits on her main counter. M: Although all three sites we're listing here are excellent, this one has the feel of something done by a paid professional.. A good paid professional! It's full of pages of all things a real X fan looks for. This is worth the trip on the net! S: Our last site is Dana D.'s Home (http://dana-d.simplenet.com/). M: I don't know German. Which you would think might be a problem in reviewing a German-base web site. It isn't! S: No, it isn't a problem - you can still find your way around, and there's a lot of English on the site anyhow. M: Between the wonderful graphics, spiffy layout and a great balance of colors, this is a must-see site if you even think you're an X-files fan. S: This site seems very 'fresh' and well-maintained - three updates in two weeks. My only complaint is that the graphics, although very nice looking, are slow-loading. Actually, that seems to be a problem overall with this site - sometimes you just can't get it to load. ( I'm assuming that's a provider problem.) M: The German music video is something you've got to see and hear! S: Oh, you're not kidding. There is a huge archive of fan-made videos here, almost twenty in all. They're broken up into two categories - 'Shipper' and 'Other'. Some of them are done to English songs, but some are done to German songs and I'm telling you, the effect is really bizarre for a person like me who doesn't understand German! But lots of the videos have lyrics files available as well, and most are kindly translated into English. Definitely something you need to see! My favorite is 'Because You Loved Me' - totally mushy!!! Well, that's it for now. We'd like to thank Sapan, Demona3755, Mereel76, Spoon Vader, Wild Raven, Laura P., and most especially Sunny1151 for their email tips. You can get us at MoosNSqril@aol.com if you have any site recommendations - or any comments on our reviews! See you next week! Just click the little space dog below! 
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