How to start a Fanlisting and tips on how to Improve one.
| Difficulty: Beginners/intermediate Misc Tutorials/Tips |
Since you are here I assume you are aware of what a fanlisting is. If your still clueless please visit the following sites for listings.
- The Fanlistings
- The Anime Fanlistings
- Jrock listings
- Hate Listings
- Name Listings
- Number Listings
- Taboo Listings
Getting the script
Well you can use a script or code it manually... I suggest getting a script. Many suggest downloading the fanlisting script Enthusiast. I agree 100% I love it, and it can be used for cliques as well as fanlistings. But they are others like php fanbase which i don't know too much about. Enthusiast is more common and makes adopting fanlistings from other people very easy.Picking a subject
The idea is to pick a subject you either HATE or LOVE. Theres only one place to apply for a subject you hate and thats Hate Listings but for subjects you like every other listing above will take them. Once you picked a subject you have to make sure it isn't taken. Common subjects like Celebrities, movies and tv shows are most likely taken or have people waiting to grab them. Try making a long list of your favorite subjects, items and other stuff and then either crossing out or checking the ones that are either taken or available.If your a J-rock fan, the Jrock listings is a good place to apply for j rock related fanlistings. They have more choices and if your desired fanlisting is taken in The Fanlistings dot org, chances are in Jrock listings, its free.
Applying
Once your list has been double checked for availability, time to apply to the correct sites. Each site has their own set of rules. Its a lot of reading but trust me, you tend to remember and alot of the rules are pretty much the same for most categories. Many sites require information on the subject of your choice. If its a item that is for sale your choices of links grow, if its a person, band, song or other items that aren't for sale your links shorten but not by much. Here are some good ideas for posting the information you need.Albums:
Post the following: Wikipedia link, Online store link like Amazon, Best buy, Target, etc. and the artist/band official site.
Song:
Post the following: Wikipedia link (if the song is a single you can link the song's info on wiki if not then just the album), Online store link like Amazon, Best buy, Target, etc. of the album and the artist/band official site.
Artist or band:
Post the following: Wikipedia link on the Artist/band, and the artist/band official site.
Celebrities, Directors, Writers:
Post the following: Wikipedia link on Person, and If they have an official website, that can be used if not then a fan site can work as well.
Relationships between characters or celebrities:
This can vary, if they are really together then it should be easy to find some sort of information on them. If they aren't a couple or related in anyway then posting separate links on each character can be a huge help. Fansites can also be of some help but make sure that isn't your main source.Wikipedia link is great for that stuff.
Hobby, look, style, fashion or anything in that subject.
This is a little tricky, if its a well known subject then Wikipedia linkwill most likely have it. If not then try looking for a site thats dedicated to it.
Items you can purchase
Post the following: Wikipedia link, Online store link like Amazon, Best buy, Target, etc. and a official site if they have one.
Everything else
You best bet is Wikipedia link and official sites for the best info.
Waiting for the ok
Remember if the subject is popular or new and you just soo happen to have gotten lucky enough to grab it before the subject is listed for upcoming, they might be others waiting before you. Many Listing sites have a 4 week period of accepting or rejecting any fanlisting request. They also have a 4 week limit on how long you have to start your fanlisting as well. So I suggest not to get your hopes up too much or it might ruin fanlisting for you. Its also good NOT to start looking for any pictures or even starting your fanlisting until your sure you got the ok for it.Although you can get an idea of where to find the required information and images for your fanlisting. Its just not a good idea to start it until your request is accepted.
Getting the OK, now time to start your fanlisting.
with the accepted email many listing sites give you a run down of what you need to do. Here are some common guidelines:1. You need complete your fanlisting within the desired time frame.
2. Must add a link back to the listing site. (they offer link back buttons you can use)
3. You must accept EVERYONE, and your join form requires members' names, country and email address (You must give them the option to either show or hide their email address).
4. "Include a 'last updated' date on the main or splash of your fanlisting, with the date in a universally-recognizable format, i.e. January 1st 2005".
5. You must update your fanlisting at lest once every two months.
6. You can't call your fanlisting "The Official" unless you get the ok from the person your fanlisting is on. An alternative can be used like "*name of the listing site* approved fanlisting"
7. Take care of your fanlisting, get creative... no one will join if it looks boring.
8. Any changes to owner and or link you must update back with the listing site so they may make the necessary changes on their end.
Now that the basics are covered its time for your layout and the necessary pages.
The page extentions will be PHP which is required for fanlisting scripts like Enthusiast and other fanlisting scripts.
index.php - The main/home page. This is where your fanlisting stats will go along with a welcome paragraph stating what this fanlisting is about.
site.php - Credits, disclaimer, maybe even a about section on the name or why you choose the subject. Just the basic site info.
affiliates.php - If you want your affiliates on a different page you can always use this. If not then a extras page with related links and affiliates can be an alternative for placing your affiliates, or adding them to the main page (index.php).
join.php - This is where the fanlisting join form goes, this page is a must.
list.php - where the listed members go.
update.php - If members want to update their info this is where they do it.
lostpass.php - for Enthusiast where members have to create a password when they join to later update their info.
codes.php - those link back buttons for the fanlistings usually go in a page call codes but some people call them buttons. so its your choice on what you want to call your link back. Click here for common fanlisting button sizes.
fanlisting.php - best for layouts like this where the navigation is smaller.
subject.php - Optional but its good to have a page or a few pages on the subject of your fanlisting.
Now that you have a idea on how many pages you need its time figure out how you want to make your layout. You can use image maps or plain text links. Here are some ideas.
Image Mapped: L's Theme Fanlisting, Gackt - Returner ~Yami no Shuen~
Plain Links (shortened navigation): Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Playlists
Plain Links (long navigation): Raquel Reed , Sweeney Todd - No Place Like London
you can format your fanlisting anyway you want, just as long as the required pages are present on site.
Getting Creative
The idea is to get fans to join, so give them a reason to. Get creative, try out new ideas and look for good images... low quality images are a big turn off. They are tons of sites that offer good high quality images (like fan sites and celebrity image galleries.). Here are some tips to try out:1. Make a awesome layout, or try new layout techniques. Heres two fanlistings that's layout header changes with each reload: Gackt - Returner ~Yami no Shuen~ and The Birdcage.
2. Add some interactive content, something the visitor can do while on the site. Like for example this Playlists fanlisting allows fans or visitors to tell me what their playlists consist of. This fanlisting allows fans who join to tell me and others what the name of their band is in the game Rockband.
3. Add some info on the subject. Wikipedia is great for this type of stuff. Some images like a image gallery on the subject will also be good. Heres one example: Ken'ichi Matsuyama.
4. Try skinning the site, this script is good for it Site Skin It allows visitors to choose they layout they like the most. Check Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California for an example.
They are soo many different ideas to try out, these are just the most common.
Getting more Visitors/Fans
The best way to do this is to join fanlisting rotations, submitting your fanlistings to directories and even affiliating with fanlistings that closely relate to your own.You can also join The fanlisting dot org's message board to get some affiliates, get people and to get people to join.
