To Build or Not to Build: Should You Start An AIO Website?
By Jared Walczak
| January 2002
"To
build or not to build? That is the
question." To answer this question, you
must determine whether visitors will return. This
concept was well understood by Justice Shallow, who in Richard IV, part two, act 3, sc. 2,
l. 294, asked to fellow web surfer Falstaff, "At your return visit of our website;
let our old acquaintance be renewed." I
have now completed the first step of a successful article: I have included famous quotes
from classical literature to support my main point. Of
course these quotes had to be slightly modified, and were completely useless in writing
this article. However, I can now type gladly,
knowing that this article would pass English class, if only the quotes were real and this
was for English class. As it is, you are
reading this and could care less about falsified Shakespearean quotes, so I now give you
the real article, in its entirety:
Imagine
it. Your own Odyssey website, with hundreds
of visits per day. Your inbox so full that it
takes 25 minutes to receive your emails every morning - and I'm not assuming that you have
a 9.6K modem. Now, to real life. Your own boring Odyssey website, with 3 hits per
day (you reload a few times when you admire your site); when you check your email, you get
excited as it Outlook says 'Receiving 3 messages,' but feel frustrated when you read the
subject lines: "You can be a winner in our free sweepstakes!" What's gone wrong?
If you are planning to build an Odyssey website, I encourage you to do it;
but there are a few things you must know. That's
what I'll discuss in this article.
The
idea of having an Odyssey website is common. Many
Odyssey fans have expressed interest in creating an Odyssey website and have asked my
opinion. This serves as a response to them,
and all those who have considered getting started on one.
This article discusses websites, but please understand that this article is
NOT an explanation of HTML, web design, images or uploading. This is about whether or not to build your site in
the first place - and what makes a successful site.
First,
here's what does NOT make a successful site: lists of Eugene's Eugenisms, Bernard's
Bernardisms, and the trivia questions from the Complete Guide. Odyssey fans really don't want to see the same
information over and over again. And please
don't build a website without making sure you have the time to run it. You may think that your site will practically run
itself, and maybe it will. But the visitors
will practically cease to exist. Fans want
fresh, interesting content.
Think
about which websites YOU go to. And I'm not
just talking about Odyssey sites here - just imagine your favorite sites. Have they had the exact same information for the
last month? The last quarter? For the last 2 years? I doubt it - these types of sites probably aren't
on your top ten list of sites to visit. You've
seen what they have to offer, and move on. If
you want to build an Odyssey website, make sure that your page will regularly have new
content.
Another
very important thing to ask yourself is (although preferably not out loud), where am I
going to get my information? If you
planned to copy it off the main page of the AIOHQ, you can quit reading this article right
now. Your website doesn't have a chance. Why would your visitors want to read a copy when
they can go right to the HQ and it? You also
want to avoid links only websites. Your site
will not attract return visitors, and fans will use the links pages of websites they like
and already frequent.
Even
if you write up your own information, make sure it's new or different. Sure, it may be worded differently, but if what
you have is essentially the same as what the Odyssey Scoop has, you have done nothing. Obviously, reviews are an exception. If there were absolutely no similarities between
reviews of the same episodes, I'd be rather concerned.
A quick note on reviews before I move on: focus on more than just the
plotline. I personally don't read the reviews
to help me decide whether or not to listen to an episode; I've listened to all the
released episodes. I prefer reviews that tell
me something to listen for; something that many people wouldn't notice. Examples include background dialogue you noticed,
technical quality comments, and opinions on the background music. Those are some of the things that, while the
episode wouldn't work without them, many listeners won't pay attention to until it is
pointed out. When a review just reveals the
plotline, all it becomes is a spoiler.
After
potentially wasting your time on that extra bit of info, I'll turn my attention back to
the topic at hand. So let's move on to what
you really wanted to know...
By
the way, congratulations on surviving this far. Back
to the topic...
Oh,
I want to say good job staying with the article. I
see I have run out of space in this Extra Extra. I
suppose you will never know what makes a good websi-- oh, I can have a longer article? Great. To
those of you who stuck it out, I give you the well-kept secret of a successful website. Are you ready for it? This is going to amaze you; are you sure you can
handle it? Ok, here it is:
HAVE ORIGINAL CONTENT!
As
simple as it may seem, I have seen vast numbers of websites that cannot follow this
extremely simple rule. If you want me as a
visitor, give me a reason to visit. It's so
simple; yet so many cannot grasp it. I am the
producer of OdysseyRadio. Joshua Shelly and I
have seen our website's popularity soar since we launched OdysseyRadio; so much so that we
have basically started over, focusing almost completely on our broadcasts. The reason for this is simple: we were the first
to do something like this. Before, we had the
same information that you could find on half a dozen different sites; now, we are set
apart from those sites, because we have something new.
That does not mean we have the best site - far from it. But we have something different. We have given fans a reason to frequent
aioweb.com.
I
could continue for many more paragraphs about the need of having something new and
original. If nothing on your planned site
sets it apart from other websites already in existence, it may be time to rethink your
plans. If you already have something
original, congratulations! You have completed
the first step of having a successful website. All
that's left are a few not-so-easy steps, such as:
1.)
Lay out all the information that you will use on your website.
2.)
Begin designing your site. Don't settle with
it being 'OK,' make sure your design is eye-catching, but does not distract from the
information on your site.
3.)
Put it all together. Test it. Before you go on, make sure that your website is
everything you had hoped it to be. Verify
that no one else has done what you have done - or at least not as well or not in the same
way.
4.)
Update often. This is by far the most
difficult step. Decide how often you will
update, and stick to it. Obviously, you won't
always meet your goal; don't skip vacation over it! Although,
if you do, I would be willing to go in your place. Just
make sure you give your visitors a reason to return.
5.)
Talk to your visitors. Put your email address
or preferably a contact form on your website. Converse
with them. Ask what they like and what they
don't. And don't forget to ask them WHY they
like or dislike something. You may want to
consider a newsletter.
6.) By far the most important -
HAVE
FUN! After all, if it's not fun,
why do it at all?
I
am looking forward to seeing new Odyssey websites soon; maybe one of them will be yours. And while you may not receive 50 emails each day,
you may get five. Although 300 hits is very
unlikely in a day, 70 or more can be achieved. This
article by no means should be your sole guide to building your website. Ask your friends their opinions. Get the advice of fellow fans, then get to work. The work may be hard, but when you get it right,
it is hard NOT to have fun.
As
we come to the end of this article, I will leave you with two final thoughts:
As
Sir Walter Scott so famously wrote in Marmion, cto. 6, st. 17,
O,
what a tangled web we make,
When
first we others info take!
But
don't give up hope, for as J.R. Pope added,
But
when we’ve practiced quite a while,
How
vastly we improve our style.
------
DISCLAIMER:
Quotes used in this article have been intentionally changed, as I am sure you well know. However, sources are real. For example, Sir Walter Scott did write a poem
called Marmion, and at cto 6, stanza 17, you
will find the original “O what a tangled web we weave..”
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