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There are countless definitions of a “fansite”, but I believe there are six that you need to understand before creating your fansite.
The 6 Most Important Definitions Of A Fansite
1. Gathering of like-minded people. This is where fans and admirers of particular interests come together. A fansite is a DESTINATION, a sanctuary. This doesn’t mean that everyone will agree. On the contrary, people who share a common interest will sometimes have different perspectives. Often your cover can turn into a battlefield or a wasteland, but there are plenty of ways to ensure that your fansite remains the place of great value, especially in future posts.
2. An information resource. If you have a fansite on a pop star or a basketball team, you will discover that your FANsite is also a place where people come for information they can trust. Some of these people will be fans like yourself, although if you have a high-ranking site, there’s a good chance that Google and other search engines will list your site when people search for terms associated with your fan site’s topic. Information is a key factor in most successful fansites. Everyone wants information, particularly on the things they are interested in (go figure.
However, you may find some of your visitors are not interested in your topic. There will be those who discover your site because they were searching for a similar theme or even a subject with a similar name as the one your fansite celebrates. This can be both positive and negative. It’s positive in that people are finding your site and possibly finding/clicking on relevant ads on your site, but it can be negative for the “stickiness” of your site. The less relevant your information to your visitors, the less likely they will hang around for very long! And let’s face it, that’s not very good for your site.
3. Opinions. Part of the appeal of fansites is that they are often a place where fans can leave and share opinions on their topic of interest. Whether you own a forum, blog, Youtube channel or even a gallery, the chances are you will have a comments system where people with the same interest as yourself can post their views and opinions. As the admin or author of the content, you also have the opportunity to express your opinion, though this will depend on what type of fansite you have. Is it more information based, or do you allow room for your own and others’ opinions and thoughts to shine through?
4. Network. A fansite can also serve as a network where you exchange views, ideas, information and links (etc.) with other fansite owners, publishers, managers, advertisers and other people within your field of interest.
If you own more than one fansite, you can also ‘network’ between those sites through links. Several fansite owners do this through blogrolls or similar text links.
5. Passion. One of the most important aspects of many fansites is the level of passion and dedication for the given topic. Without that, your site will invariably struggle to become a success. In my experience, a lack of love, commitment or interest is some of the biggest (but by no means the only) reasons for fansite failure. Like any hobby or job, people normally perform better when interested in the topic. So always base your site on something that will interest you in the long run.
6. Needs. A fansite must satisfy certain needs, whether that’s your readers’ need for information, your need to promote a topic or monetize your site to cover the server costs (etc.). The more needs your site fulfils, and the more successful your site will be.
The above list is certainly not an exhaustive list of fansite definitions, but I believe them to be the most important.
What do you think? Are there other definitions of a fansite that I didn’t cover in my list?
