The Lemures Files
  Guest Article: June 3rd, 1998

A Club Without a Cause

By: "Skeeter"

You know, with all the rubbish that flies around on SM pages, it's impossible not to admit that, in the vast menagerie of SM pages on the Web, there's a whole lot of stuff around that is basically just useless crap. But, even with all the brain-dead pages being posted, it must also be pointed out that they have some good competition from a type of Sailormoon page that may grow to be an even greater evil than the pointless drivel spouted off about such-and-such a character. Yes, I'm talking about the fungus that keeps on spreading: Sailormoon Fan Clubs.

How many pages have you been to recently that sports a montrously ugly logo for a club you've never even heard of? Or perhaps you've seen a few that say "join my Sailor Moon club now!" in huge letters, only to follow the link and discover that a mere two people have joined in the 3 months that the club has existed.

The trouble with many new Sailormoon clubs is that they just aren't worth the free server space they're posted in. The recent spread of SM clubs is due to factors quite similar to the ones that caused the outbreak of tasteless and worthless award campaigns, and the increase in bad Sailormoon pages in general. These people are simply gunning for extra page hits and/or trying to make themselves look "cool."

There are several reasons why many new clubs just aren't worth salt, the first of which is the lack of purpose. If you're creating a new Sailormoon Club, you should ask yourself "Why is it here?" and "What makes it different from other clubs?" When you're starting a new club, it should be for a GOOD reason.

Another big problem would have to be poor design. A lot of these pointless Clubs are run by the same people who post the some of the ugliest SM pages that can be found, so not only are these clubs useless, but they're also an absolute beast to navigate.

Now, those of you who are familiar with my other pages might think: "What could YOU possibly have to say about the evils of SM Fan Clubs? You're the president of one!" Yes, A.S.P.I.R.E. is my baby, and I'm very proud of it, but the difference between A.S.P.I.R.E. and many other clubs on the web is this: A.S.P.I.R.E. has a PURPOSE for being there! My club is devoted to stopping hate on the Web by allowing people their personal opinions, and by not promoting anti-pages about characters. How many clubs do you see with a real CAUSE these days?

That's not to say that ALL other fan clubs are stupid, pointless, and wrong, because they surely AREN'T. I'm a member of a few clubs myself! Clubs like the Sailor Pluto Fan Club, the Church of Tsukino Usagi, or the TAOKMWACBHOTHBTSF are perfectly fine, because they HAVE a purpose. Their purpose is showing their support for a particular character. But many other clubs are simply there for no reason than to take up space, and attempt to gain a large listing of members so the President can say "I have a club with umpty-some members in it! Aren't I spiffy?" What kind of purpose is that? Clubs aren't formed to be self-serving, they're created so a group of people with a common interest or opinion can come together and show their support for that opinion or interest. There's no room for a self-serving ego in that.

The bottom line is this: whenever you're creating something on the Web, whether it be a club, a WebRing, or just a general site, you should try to be original and creative. The Web is for providing people with interesting content and information, NOT for providing you with an ego boost injection.


Comments on this article can be sent to: Skeeter.

Comments made on this page are opinions of the author. They are not necessarily shared by Tripod and the Amazoness Quartet.


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