Lost Fansite

Fansites

They are becoming more and more popular with more people using the internet as it is cheaper and faster than before. Fansites are websites in which fans of a certain something can pursue this interest whether it is a sport, TV programme, actor/actress, band, singer or hobby. Fansites are made by a fan for the fans, and these people aren’t generally out for making profits but for pursuing their interest and a way to find other people like them. The internet has a massive potential reach as it is world wide which means these niche groups can form and come together. Fansites allow more interactivity within these groups than in the past. It has become possible and relatively easy for people to be able to start their own website, this means that anyone can set up a fansite.

I thought looking at fansite for a TV programme would be a good choice as it relates to the technology of television.

http://www.lost-tv.com/

The unofficial Lost Fan site
The main page to the website has a array of links and information

There is a welcome notice which includes:
‘This site is the first unofficial fansite for the show and was launched on 20 March 2004. If you wish to send anything my way - news, articles, pictures, links, wallpaper, etc. - then don't hesitate to email me at xander1600@yahoo.com.’

The main section of the front page is News and Updates, for example
Monday, January 08, 2007LOST Nominated for Producers Guild Award
Lost has been nominated for The Norman Felton Producer of the Year Award in Episodic Television - Drama at this year's Producers Guild Awards. Other nominees in the category are Grey's Anatomy, House, The Sopranos, and 24. The winners will be announced on January 20.
(9:05 AM)
In case people wish to look at old updates there is a link to them.

‘Next on Lost’- a paragraph or so which tells fans what will happen next on Lost

There is a bar on the left hand side which is a list of links to other pages of the website for example:
News and updates
Cast: Photos of cast and their real and actor names, with a biography and flexography of them
Crew: Learn info about the creators and producers
Characters: Character information
Episodes: A list of all the episodes and info about them
Media: Downloads
Fan Section: Fan Fiction, Fan Art and Humour
Message Board

Advertisements: Amazon, Make Poverty History and ads powered by Google
Affiliates: LOST-TV Forums, Spoilerfix.com, Lostdaily.com, Stationzero etc
These institutions are using these fansites to advertise adverts and other websites.

This Lost unofficial website is powered by Google

These fansites will generally get viewers to look at their website, but some of these websites may not get many. This Lost website from its appearance and content must get an alright amount of surfers, but the forum with lists of different discussions did not have many posts with most with zero. This could be that people who go on this website do not go into the forum as they would just prefer to read Lost news and this fansite has to compete with other fansites and the official Lost fansite.

Theory
Interactivity- via the website
Diversification-internet allows these niche groups to form
Reach- internet can be reached by all so niche groups can form and setting up fan sites mean there are many potential people which could look at your website