What actually "counts" as a shrine?

[Robin]

Is it the number of pages, amount of content, number of different types of content, etc.? What makes a site a "shrine," and is a "shrine" the same as a "fansite" or a little different?

(I feel like I'm asking a really existential question, but really I just want to know if my little one-page tributes to video games and British TV shows could be counted in the directory as shrines. LOLOLOL)

(Also, my apologies if this kind of thing has been discussed before--I couldn't find a post quite like this in my searching)

[Crystal]

This question has been asked a few times before and all I can think of is shrines are a way to express your thoughts on why you like something and talk about what it is. I know there's different definitions for it but that's basically my thoughts on it.

[dubiousdisc]

We've had this discussion several times through the years, but if I recall correctly the last time it happened was...more than two years ago? I think it bears repeating, at this point.

There are no official definitions, of course, so this is just my personal opinion.

As far as I am concerned, it's really any site (of any size and any format) with the purpose to express interest for any given subject. Now, I think this depends mostly on YOUR idea of your work, because someone else could call the exact same thing an article, an essay, a web magazine, and so on. I personally think that the definition of shrine is about the intent of what you're doing, not its format, and that a shrine can also be an article and vice versa, since one defines the format and one defines the celebratory intent of your work.
Now, the term was originally used with fansites to anime, games, and the such (similar sites about, say, astronomy were just referred to as "my astronomy page", "my astronomy website"), and it did tend to define a certain format - a few pages that usually could be read in any order, mostly text with a couple pictures. However, I think that their format was born out of the limitations of web technologies back when fansites were at their peak; making things more complex or interactive than that was simply out of the question. So I think that, while the term was born defining a certain type of site, it doesn't have to be just that; as far as I'm concerned it's more so about the reason behind your site, not your format or your subject.

As far as your examples are concerned, anyway, I think they perfectly fit even in the more established meaning of the term.

[Robin]

Alrighty :) That makes good sense--the word "shrine" has definitely changed meanings a little since I first started in webdesign around 2003, so I'm glad to know it's a more inclusive term now. ^_^

[dubiousdisc]

I repeat, that's really just my opinion, please don't consider what I wrote as anything official :P

[Destinie]

I don't think that it has anything to do with size or anything like that. My opinion is, in the form of a list, we all know how much I love them:

• A website that centers around a topic that the owner is passionate about/fan of. (This can be a character, person, place, or thing!)

• A website that cannot be categorized as a forum, fanlisting, news site (unless this news site also specializes in other content), or other fan-community.

• A website that is made by a fan and not endorsed by the official company and/or persons the site is for.

I agree with what DubiousDisc said: "...it's more so about the reason behind your site, not your format or your subject." That your reasoning and interest in the subject and how you do that really defines the shrine.

There are many people who make shrines but don't have much faith in their own writing abilities, or their sites are small. There are others who like to write a lot. There are other people who choose to focus on fan-made pixels and fanart more than writing. It's really about finding out how you express your feelings.

[Robin]

Awesome! Thank you both for insightful opinions on what defines a shrine (rhyme not intended, lol). Back when I started shrining, there seemed to be a lot more strict yet unspoken rules about what a shrine had to have in it...or perhaps that was merely my OCD talking. xD

[Destinie]

I think getting into the community is a bit intimidating at first, especially if you have reservations about your own work. Sometimes you just need to jump in and see how it goes. :) I think with making shrines there is generally no wrong way to do it.

[Cherri]

I consider anything you like that you've made a shrine to as a shrine. A tcg trade post is more of a site than a shrine. But if it's to a tv show or game, I'd say it's a shrine. I'd say both links you posted count as shrines. ^-^ Pretty much what was already said.

[Robin]

I think getting into the community is a bit intimidating at first, especially if you have reservations about your own work. Sometimes you just need to jump in and see how it goes. :) I think with making shrines there is generally no wrong way to do it.

Yep, I definitely worry too much about my websites being "up to par..."

Also, "there's no wrong way to shrine" sounds like a slogan we need. ^_^