Welcome to the wide world of web pages! Yessiree, what we have ranges from image intensive character shrines to text happy information sites. Anything you want, we undoubtedly have it!
And if it's not there now, someone will definitely make it in the future.
The beauty of the having fans on the Internet is what they can do on the Internet. Fans are the ones that build the fan community and make watching a series more fun.
And... this all leads up to fanclubs! Surely you saw this coming. Perhaps the title is a giveaway.
To give a brief history on Fushigi Yuugi fanclubs, the first began with Seimei's Nakago fanclub: Nakago's Ruling Class. After that, a pluthora of FY related fanclubs began springing up left and right.
Several feature the same characters, and some are for the series in general. Some are even for possible couples from the series.
The whole point is that fanclubs are obviously fan based, and without the fans to support them, they are just another website. The title of a 'fanclub' becomes empty unless there are fans that help it along.
This help could come in the form of linking back, although this is extremely common and can be seen as mere lip service to the fanclub.
Contributions to fanclubs are rare in my experience. It appears that many fans are rather apathetic to the websites and are simply content to sign guestbooks, and even this is somewhat unusual.
This brings us to the question as to what makes a fanclub. You can find opinions on that (and more) at the interviews with Seimei, RyuuenNoAisai and Ryuuen no Miko. And, of course, there's another opinion right here.
Fanclubs are a step above shrines. It's not that character shrines are scummy or anything. It's because in order to run a fanclub, the maintainer has to be willing to take everything a step further. The basic character info with pictures and comments is not enough for a fanclub.
It requires an extra touch.
There's always the members' list of URLs and e-mail addresses. However, that is akin to the guestbook. All it requires is that someone fill out a form or send an e-mail before their name is put up.
The question is, if a fanclub is based on the fans, then how does one get the fans to contribute? Does one e-mail people individually? Post a message on the page that beg people to help? It all depends on how far the webmaster/mistress is willing to go to further their fanclub.
Many FY related pages have been springing up with the word "fanclub" in their titles. Personally, it makes me wonder what these people are thinking when they gives their sites these titles. A depressing amount of the so-called fanclubs appear to be add-ons to a pre-existing website. Why? Are fanclubs like accessories? Add according to taste and flaunt?
Perhaps flaunt is too strong of a word for it. However, I do not see anything on many of these fanclubs that cannot be found at another character shrine. Except, perhaps, the gratuitous list of members.
If one makes a fanclub, then one must think about how to separate the fanclub from a shrine. Granted, this can be extremely difficult. Anything that can be done on one page can be done on another. The originality race is on, and ideas are constantly borrowed/stolen to enhance another page.
Running a fanclub means that the webmaster cannot think solely about himself. It's not that people who create webpages think about just making themselves happy, but those who run fanclubs should consider what viewers would want to see and try to make what they want accessable.
As a fan, do you want to see the same images over and over again? Or would you rather see something different? Would you want to see the same content, or would you want something different?
The difficulties in maintaining a fanclub are immense, and any who are determined to running one have my respect. Yet the respect is applicable only if the webmaster makes a distinct attempt to be different and appeal to what a fan would want.
article copyright 1999 confuzcius
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