By Nick Esselman (Webmaster of EMRR)

In January of 1998, I was messing around with Netscape Composer and decided it would be cool to post some pictures and reviews of the rockets I had built.  I then learned about Rocketry Online and was able to surf through many, many different rocketry related sites.  I noticed that several individuals had their own reviews at their sites.  Then I thought, “Wouldn’t it be useful to have a single site dedicated to rocketry product reviews?”.  Indeed it is!

Hence, I started a whole serious of activities to make such a site.  A niche site in the WWW and within the rocketry related sites.

Well, over the last 2 years EMRR has gone through a lot of changes.  I am now using profession WEB page packages and am now self-taught in PERL (CGI) programming.  The site has also gone from the original 25 reviews (1/14/98) to . . . well here are the stats:

> 2200     Hits per month

> 520       Total Reviews

> 300       Different products reviewed

> 125       Modifications, OOP’s, Plans and Scratch (M.O.P.S)

> 50 Different vendors represented

This growth has been achieved through various ways.  First by contacting individuals and asking permission to post their material.  NOTHING ON EMRR HAS BEEN POSTED WITHOUT PERMISSION! Second, by promoting input by offering to give away free rocket kits with entries gained by submitting reviews.  Third, by asking permission from Sport Rocketry Magazine (declined except for excerpts), High Power Magazine (approved for full copy), David Lee’s RMR Design Contest (approved), and just recently Rocketry Online’s reviews.

The site has taken on many new features which are proving to be a great success.  People love reading the stories of others, so I now put them in a searchable, categorized database.  Want to read about rockets that went horizontal.  Select that category or search for horizontal.  The same holds true for the quickly growing feature is the Tips archive.  Similar to stories in being categorized and searchable.

We also promote Vendors by having a Vendor Recognition section.  Read about rocketry product vendors, their mission, where they get their ideas and advice.  And, this summer, we focused on our “my EMRR” page.  This is a customizable page which gives “exclusive” tools and features to make your online rocketry experience faster, easier and more fun.

It is hard to list everything the site offers, however, we can not go without mentioning the interactiveness.  Guest’s can give their opinion (rather that a full review) on any rocket that is in the archive.

So, trying to decide on your next rocket?  If you haven’t checked out Essence’s Model Rocketry Reviews, I am quite sure you have missed a very valuable resource of online information.

And remember I’m not only the Webmaster for EMRR, but I am also a user!

Watching the WEB

Essence’s Model Rocketry Reviews

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