Fanatics on the World Wide Web
"... It's not viruses or junk mail that's clogging the web, it's just the thousands and thousands of pathetic fans that visit these pathetic sites, downloading each Backstreet Boys pic one-by-one."
--blogger Glen Gower
It's no secret that the Internet is riddled with fan sites. Cyber-shrines assembled by fans dedicated to giving you all the Ben Affleck JPEGs you could ask for (even though you didn't), and all the Hanson gossip you would ever need (even though you don't). If you're computer-literate enough to sign up for webspace at Tripod.com, you've already got all the technical know-how you need to throw together a fan site-- just pick your passion. Might I suggest The Moffatts?
I Googled the words "fan site" and came up with over 316,000,000 results. Holy-effing-cow, dude. I even discovered that there are fan sites about fan sites! If you are not a crazy person, you shouldn't believe me; but I dare you to check out any one of the following:
fan-sites.org
fansites.com
TheFansites.com
If my eyeballs had lungs they would haved drowned in the deep murky ocean of celebrity/band sites thrown together by obsessed fans trying desperately to prove that what they lack in social skills they make up for in JavaScript know-how (and for them I weep). But low-and-behold, I discovered this little gem. Every month or so these guys post a new link to another embarassing hack fan site. It's a little out-of-date (I don't think they've added a new link since 2001), but wicked funny nonetheless.
I also discovered the little-known intersection where computers and sports collide: Sports Fan Sites! I almost couldn't believe it; It's like if the high-school football team and the AV club joined forces and created some sort of Nerd-Jock hybrid.
Sports Fan Site Frenzy
Sports Fans of America Association
Baseball Fan Sites
Fan sites have become the equivalent to zine culture of the late 1970's-- many of them manage to create tiny online communities with the help of message boards, guestbooks and forums where fans surfing the web can discuss their communal obsession.
Colin Farrell Fansite Forum
Guns N' Roses Forum (from mygnr.com)
While many (most) fan sites appear to be thrown together using a basic webpage template from Geocities.com, some of these virtual shrines become temples-- large and impressive monstrosities constructed and supported by super-fans with technical skills, dedication (not to mention bandwidth) surpassing the average fan site. For example:
Unofficial Ashlee Simpson Site
SpielbergFilms.com
The Tim Burton Collective
My point is, simply, that the Internet is a cavernous wasteland of horribly wonderful goodies like Dawson's Creek Shrine, and The Force.net ("For Your Daily Dose of Star Wars"). Fan-produced websites are one of the most disgustingly intriguing phenomenons provided us by the miracle of the Internet-- the car crash on the shoulder of the information super-highway, by which we, the web-surfing passer-by, are simultaneously appalled and inexplicably intrigued.
--Lucas
--blogger Glen Gower
It's no secret that the Internet is riddled with fan sites. Cyber-shrines assembled by fans dedicated to giving you all the Ben Affleck JPEGs you could ask for (even though you didn't), and all the Hanson gossip you would ever need (even though you don't). If you're computer-literate enough to sign up for webspace at Tripod.com, you've already got all the technical know-how you need to throw together a fan site-- just pick your passion. Might I suggest The Moffatts?
I Googled the words "fan site" and came up with over 316,000,000 results. Holy-effing-cow, dude. I even discovered that there are fan sites about fan sites! If you are not a crazy person, you shouldn't believe me; but I dare you to check out any one of the following:
fan-sites.org
fansites.com
TheFansites.com
If my eyeballs had lungs they would haved drowned in the deep murky ocean of celebrity/band sites thrown together by obsessed fans trying desperately to prove that what they lack in social skills they make up for in JavaScript know-how (and for them I weep). But low-and-behold, I discovered this little gem. Every month or so these guys post a new link to another embarassing hack fan site. It's a little out-of-date (I don't think they've added a new link since 2001), but wicked funny nonetheless.
I also discovered the little-known intersection where computers and sports collide: Sports Fan Sites! I almost couldn't believe it; It's like if the high-school football team and the AV club joined forces and created some sort of Nerd-Jock hybrid.
Sports Fan Site Frenzy
Sports Fans of America Association
Baseball Fan Sites
Fan sites have become the equivalent to zine culture of the late 1970's-- many of them manage to create tiny online communities with the help of message boards, guestbooks and forums where fans surfing the web can discuss their communal obsession.
Colin Farrell Fansite Forum
Guns N' Roses Forum (from mygnr.com)
While many (most) fan sites appear to be thrown together using a basic webpage template from Geocities.com, some of these virtual shrines become temples-- large and impressive monstrosities constructed and supported by super-fans with technical skills, dedication (not to mention bandwidth) surpassing the average fan site. For example:
Unofficial Ashlee Simpson Site
SpielbergFilms.com
The Tim Burton Collective
My point is, simply, that the Internet is a cavernous wasteland of horribly wonderful goodies like Dawson's Creek Shrine, and The Force.net ("For Your Daily Dose of Star Wars"). Fan-produced websites are one of the most disgustingly intriguing phenomenons provided us by the miracle of the Internet-- the car crash on the shoulder of the information super-highway, by which we, the web-surfing passer-by, are simultaneously appalled and inexplicably intrigued.
--Lucas
posted by Lucas at
1:23 PM
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