Dan, RareNet Editor, Goes Wonky with Wiki
Here in the Enchanted Kingdom, we love our fansites, and we know you do too! One such dedicated fansite is the RareNet Wiki edited by Dan. This site has undergone several overhauls, finally stepping into the current trend of Wiki-mania. It’s a format that works brilliantly for supporting a favored company and the games we love to love.
Dan started the site while still in high school. In the beginning, it was just a hobby, but it grew into his job while he was in college. Now, as a post-grad, he once again dedicates his free time to it as he pursues a career with a start-up software company in the San Francisco Bay area. He tells us, “It’s been a great ride.”
When did you first get the idea to start the fansite?
I first got the idea to start a fansite dedicated to Rare back in 1996. The N64 was just coming out, and Rare was promising to deliver Killer Instinct Gold, Blast Corps, and Goldeneye. Rare had really caught my attention with the Donkey Kong series on the SNES and when I looked into them a bit more I realized they had made a ton of games I had loved on the NES, like RC Pro Am.
How did you get the idea?
The Internet was really in its infancy at this point and I had taken a general interest in website creation. I figured, why not make a site about a company I really respected? I could get the word out to others on the Internet and see if there were people with a similar love for Rare developed games.
Was it your first fansite?
My first fansite was called The Rare Fan Pages. It grew to become N64 World—a site that covered the launch of the N64. That became too much for me to handle alone though, so I teamed up with a guy who ran another Rare fansite. Trevor and I decided since we were the only two Rare fans with a presence on the web that we could combine our efforts to really make a great site.
How did you learn HTML and web design?
I taught myself—trial and error and lots of hours. Trevor and I also helped each other out with stuff we discovered in HTML and programs like Photoshop.
What do you feel is the most time-consuming part of running a fansite?
When you have a fan site focused on a very narrow topic like a single developer, the time consuming part is coming up with fresh content. Particularly with a secretive company like Rare, it is incredibly hard to come up with daily content—many hours were spent snooping, researching, writing, and creating news and specials that people would want to read.
Since then our focus has changed from daily updates to becoming a repository of everything Rare. Now the challenge is getting our readers involved in the process.
What is the most rewarding part of running a fansite?
The reward is really two-fold. It's incredibly rewarding to know that a site you spent so long creating is read by so many thousands of people around the world everyday. The incredible thing about the Internet is how a simple Rare fan like me can get feedback on a review I've written from people around the world. Secondly, it's been awesome to be recognized by Rare itself. I was the first outside person to be granted a tour of their facilities and, as a company, they've treated RareNet with so much respect over the years. It's been very flattering.
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