Otter of the Issue: Mark Johnson
Eliott Williams, Staff Reporter
ewilliams@csumb.edu
The Otter Realm has recently revamped its website, which now allows its visitors to read online articles and columns, both new and old. News websites are becoming more popular than newspapers. It is beneficial for news outlets and their readers to become more widespread and accessible. With the updated website, audiences from all over the world can get to know more about the realm of an Otter.
Junior computer science and information technology (CSIT) major Mark Johnson is the new webmaster for www.otterrealm.net. Initially hired by The Otter Realm to effect a simple redesign of the website, Johnson, 22, quickly discovered that working for The Otter Realm presented all kinds of creative opportunities, thus he decided to take over webmaster duties.
“I love being part of The Otter Realm” he said. “I really don’t look at it like it’s a job. The people I get to work with are really great, and I really like being able to contribute to the newspaper.”
Not only was Johnson responsible for refurbishing The Otter Realm’s website, but he continues to expand the array of media formats available. In addition to a new color scheme and layout, otterrealm.net features an archives section, enabling anyone surfing the web to browse through stories.
Johnson hails from Mariposa, CA, a small mountain town located just 20 miles southwest of Yosemite National Park. When he is not designing pages or transferring newspaper articles into websites, he enjoys spending time in nature. He professes a love of camping and hiking, which he attributes to his outdoorsy upbringing. Before transferring to CSU Monterey Bay (CSUMB), Johnson attended Merced College in Merced, CA. While there, he served as webmaster for the Merced County Office of Education. Johnson says he enjoys CSUMB and the Monterey Bay area, in general. “I like it here a lot more than I liked living in the Central Valley. I really enjoy living so close to the ocean,” he said, “and I also like how much of a tight-knit community CSUMB is.”
Upon earning his Bachelor of Arts in CSIT from CSUMB, Johnson has his heart set on joining the Air Force. For now, he plans to focus on his studies at CSUMB, while continuing to improve otterrealm.net. “I think I have had the opportunity to make a lot of improvements to the website as far as making it look more appealing and more enjoyable to read” he said, “There is always more room for improvement and I’m always open to suggestions on how to make the website better.”
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