Site Promotion

[Destinie]

I'm actually more nervous about promoting my sites now than I used to be. I used to join top sites and try to affiliate/link with other sites, most of the time to just be ignored by other website owners, so I've kind of stopped and let those other people come to me. In the past, I've promoted my Giovanni shrine in the Pokemon LJ community only to get some not-so-positive feedback from other fans. Promoting a shrine is difficult because most people don't really understand that the shrine (at least mine) aren't meant to be solely factual but more analytical and exploratory. So I would get feedback where people would tell me that something wasn't necessarily canon or I was leaving out information or something. I just felt like it wasn't beneficial to my growth or the evolution of the site.

(Webcomics or blogs, on the other hand, require advertisement in order to be seen.)

I also agree with Denise, it's nice to see when someone else plugs your site for you. :D It IS nice to know when other people out there enjoy it!

[anon]

I'm actually more nervous about promoting my sites now than I used to be. I used to join top sites and try to affiliate/link with other sites, most of the time to just be ignored by other website owners, so I've kind of stopped and let those other people come to me. In the past, I've promoted my Giovanni shrine in the Pokemon LJ community only to get some not-so-positive feedback from other fans. Promoting a shrine is difficult because most people don't really understand that the shrine (at least mine) aren't meant to be solely factual but more analytical and exploratory. So I would get feedback where people would tell me that something wasn't necessarily canon or I was leaving out information or something. I just felt like it wasn't beneficial to my growth or the evolution of the site.

I don't know if it's just me or anyone else, but growing older, I've been less interested in creating networks and asking for affiliates for my fan sites. I guess my case is different though, because I'm more used to having people come ask me to link them. Then again I certainly would not remember me asking people to link them than I would with people asking to link me. Plus, a lot of major informational fan sites these days (esp. the ones that have been standing for 10 years now) have a lot of ridic. requirements, like you need to have 300 unique hits a day.

Also, a lot of people have different goals in maintaining fan sites. I know that the way people maintain fan sites have changed, but some still see it as a traditional information database just as how it's been in the past.

[Crystal]

I don't really. Any plugging I really do is at Amassment and Twitter. >.<

[Varen]

At first, I used to try to outreach my sites to the non-fansite making community, but then I've given up on the idea. I know most of us do always seek some sort of audience with our fansites - otherwise, if it were super 100% personal, why bother putting it in public? - but for me, I generally don't tend to see eye-to-eye with my fandoms, and therefore, am not interested so much in trying to appeal to them. If I get emails from fans, that's great! If they promote my links, that's even super (even if I admit to being embarrassed by the idea)! But I'm okay with none of that either.

[dubiousdisc]

At first, I used to try to outreach my sites to the non-fansite making community, but then I've given up on the idea. I know most of us do always seek some sort of audience with our fansites - otherwise, if it were super 100% personal, why bother putting it in public? - but for me, I generally don't tend to see eye-to-eye with my fandoms, and therefore, am not interested so much in trying to appeal to them. If I get emails from fans, that's great! If they promote my links, that's even super (even if I admit to being embarrassed by the idea)! But I'm okay with none of that either.

Me too. I might make fansites, but actually I'm mostly removed from fandom, and I avoid it if something. I guess what I write is indirectly a contribution to fandom, but I don't like to be in it, I don't know if I explain? So I don't even try to push them into that crowd because that's not where I want to be, but if they appreciate them, that's great.

[Mikari]

I join directories and the like with my main collective. I used to do the same for each site, but that's too much to deal with now. I plug sites and update on all my blog, including the one at My Anime List, Playfire, Gaia, Tinier Me, etc. I post updated on all my blogs rather than keeping a specific updates blog and also post personal blogs while I'm at it. The only thing I keep separate for updates and personal is Twitter. I also post layout screen shots at Pintrerest in my layout archive board so that kind of works as a plug. If the layout is made from my own art, then I'll put a screenshot on deviant art too. When I make pixels I also put them on deviant art and other art sites and plug the site too. That's pretty much all I do. I haven't asked people if they want to exchange links (outside of this forum) in a long time and even here I haven't gotten around to asking all the people I would like to exchange links with. ^^;;

[Jae]

Mostly, I post to my updates community and friends-only twitter, then stop there because I'm not too crazy about advertising my works. It's counterproductive to letting people know my sites exist, but I guess I'm a bit uncomfortable with throwing it out there? It's silly, I know, and I wish I can get over that shyness.

That said, I think joining directories and having the initiative to email other webmasters about affiliation are great ways to promote sites! It's a shame that a lot of directories have gone inactive in the past few years, since I find that -- like Amassment -- to be an effective way of making connections with strangers and pooling ideas together.

I never really considered plugging sites on fandom communities. Considering it, it actually is a good idea if the fandom is receptive and active, huh?