For The Fans By The Fans
Long before Phantasytour, before PhishArchive, before Walfredo, ZZYZX, my page and even Phish.com - there was Phish.Net. Started by a group of Phish fans passionate and insightful enough to want to organize information about the band so that newbies, net heads and hard cores could converge and learn about one of the most exciting exports from the state of Vermont - they were my initial gateway into the wonderful world of Phish.
I distinctly remember the first day I signed onto the Internet from my college home. My friends and I gathered around as we gazed into the infinite possibilities of the net. Naturally, we seeked out what we could relate to and meant the most to us at that time. Up came lyrics and stories and explanations of songs. WATSIYEM? Gamehendge, Reba, Trampolines, the Helping Phriendly Book - all before our very eyes in black and white text (literally), and most important of all - written and presented by Fans.
There is something inherantly selfless about a fansite. It's a total labor of love, with the only motive being to want to spread the joy one gets from the music and help their favorite artist excel and reach more people. It's not about money or special access, but the simply pleasure in knowing that you've helped to propogate a meaningful message and given the art more context. Plus it's a lot of fun to apply your passion to technology and watch it grow, get feedback and grow some more.
The official sites just can't quite do it the same kind of justice, and self-promotion is never as satisfying or effective as word of mouth. Speaking from within, language can be adopted and rules can be broken. Message boards and rumors and games and ideas can spread...so much moreso than when it is orchestrated or intentional around a 'strategic internet marketing campaign'.
The web is a vast and strange place for exploration and discovery, and I've often found that the best ideas are the ones which aren't quite as planned out, but exist out of reflex and instinct, relying upon what you know in your heart is the right thing to do and evolves organically from there - truly from the ground up. This is the real nature of fan-sites: allowing the hobby to flourish and the info to flow out of necessity and real interest, honoring the music while serving the fans.
I distinctly remember the first day I signed onto the Internet from my college home. My friends and I gathered around as we gazed into the infinite possibilities of the net. Naturally, we seeked out what we could relate to and meant the most to us at that time. Up came lyrics and stories and explanations of songs. WATSIYEM? Gamehendge, Reba, Trampolines, the Helping Phriendly Book - all before our very eyes in black and white text (literally), and most important of all - written and presented by Fans.
There is something inherantly selfless about a fansite. It's a total labor of love, with the only motive being to want to spread the joy one gets from the music and help their favorite artist excel and reach more people. It's not about money or special access, but the simply pleasure in knowing that you've helped to propogate a meaningful message and given the art more context. Plus it's a lot of fun to apply your passion to technology and watch it grow, get feedback and grow some more.
The official sites just can't quite do it the same kind of justice, and self-promotion is never as satisfying or effective as word of mouth. Speaking from within, language can be adopted and rules can be broken. Message boards and rumors and games and ideas can spread...so much moreso than when it is orchestrated or intentional around a 'strategic internet marketing campaign'.
The web is a vast and strange place for exploration and discovery, and I've often found that the best ideas are the ones which aren't quite as planned out, but exist out of reflex and instinct, relying upon what you know in your heart is the right thing to do and evolves organically from there - truly from the ground up. This is the real nature of fan-sites: allowing the hobby to flourish and the info to flow out of necessity and real interest, honoring the music while serving the fans.
posted by Andy at
12:04 AM
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