Rumor mill about Thotbot, Cosmos and IGE

[Treesh]

But understand that this is the standard of gaming sites, now.  The "industry" of gaming fan-sites, while not exactly huge, has still become an industry.  Gone are the days of the mom-and-pop fansites.  In terms of such sites, the Lurker Lounge is a dinosaur - an example of how it used to be but isn't seen so much anymore.

The new industry is a set of highly competitive fansites run by companies that form aggregrate networks.  While you may not have heard of them, if you dig around a bunch you'll find that most fansites are now owned or sponsored by a group of companies (around 10 major ones).  Gamespy, with its "planet" sites, is probably the most famous, but there are many more.

Spamming and mud-slinging will become more common.  Ad revenue drives the sites - they MUST get visitors to make cash to justify their existence.  In a way, while this seems "evil" to some, it's actually a good thing for the end user - we get fansites that go crazy trying to outdo each other by being the best info and entertainment source.  We never had anything like Thottbot for Diablo 1 - imagine how much easier that would have made Jarulf's job!  :)  The collaborative atmosphere that used to surround fansites, however, is long gone.  We used to have that back in the Diablo 1 days, but about the only fansite that collaborates now is the Amazon Basin - and that's a guild site, a slightly different beast.

Old school fansites, like this one here, need to find a "niche" that they do well.  We can't possibly compete when we're a hobby-driven website made up of all volunteer work, so we don't try.  Want information?  Use Thottbot.  Want strategy?  Come here.  At least, that's the plan.  :)

-Bolty
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I understand that quite fine Bolty. However, it is my right to choose what sites to visit and what sites to not visit and I exercise my right in this case and many others. Just because it's standard behavior does not mean I have to like it or encourage it. "But everyone is doing it!" has never been an acceptable excuse for bad behavoir, and that's how I view it. Others are free to visit the site if they wish, and I won't stop them, but I choose to not reward bad behavior.