| The old fashioned wall posters that featured TV | | | | videos or photos of pro athletes or games. The |
| and movie stars along with rock bands and that | | | | entire sports industry, including the gaming |
| highlighted generations of teen-age bedrooms | | | | segment, is TV driven. Some sites pay for this |
| have been overshadowed, if not replaced, by fan | | | | content. In this country as in Europe, many of the |
| sites on the Internet. There are untold tens | | | | media savvy pro athletes have their own |
| (hundreds?) of thousands of them, ranging from | | | | websites. Controversial pros such as Barry Bonds |
| amateur idol worship to sophisticated collections of | | | | and Terrell Owens use those sites to respond to |
| information, photos and often video clips of the | | | | negative news coverage; you will often see their |
| person, or shows being lionized.For the most part, | | | | personal blogs quoted in sports stories. Some |
| fan sites can upload photos and small clips from | | | | athletes peddle their own autographed |
| films under the "fair use" policy. Generally | | | | memorabilia over their web sites.TV |
| speaking, fair use is a court-defined copyright | | | | PersonalitiesMany teen TV and music personalities |
| principle based on the belief that the public is | | | | also have their own websites and provide |
| entitled to freely use portions of copyrighted | | | | (ostensibly) personal updates on their lives, |
| materials for purposes of commentary and | | | | careers, etc. It has changed the nature of teen |
| criticism. Short clips or stills of a program or film | | | | idol worship by bringing the entertainer much |
| are usually covered under fair use.Turning Fandom | | | | closer to the fan. These personal "star" sites have |
| into Big BusinessLike most everything else on the | | | | proven to be productive publicity and outreach |
| Internet, people are finding ways to make money | | | | tools for performers seeking to build a following |
| from the phenomenon. There are indexes of TV | | | | among the 12-24 age group. They have also |
| fan sites that are peppered with advertising. Sites | | | | helped to build ratings for the TV shows starring |
| for the soap opera stars provide particularly | | | | these young is a site dedicated to television and |
| potent advertising opportunities. There are | | | | film industry gossip, news and images. You can |
| "official" and unofficial sites dedicated to public | | | | find television show clips there, presumably placed |
| figures in the entertainment world. Many of the | | | | with permission from the studio. An important |
| unofficial sites have advertising as well, while the | | | | component of their content, however, is the |
| official sites often peddle memorabilia. For that | | | | index of fan pages for stars of all types - music, |
| matter, so do the unofficial sites.Any Press is | | | | movies, TV. All of this content including the fan |
| Good PressWhat the entertainment industry has | | | | sites is interlaced with advertising for upcoming |
| learned is that, generally, fan sites have a positive | | | | movies and many non-entertainment, online |
| impact on the entertainer or entertainers | | | | products.You can even find a fan site index |
| featured. The old adage about negative news | | | | entitled "Obsessive Fan Sites - Excess only the |
| coverage is "Print anything you want about me, | | | | Internet can Provide" at There is a weekly |
| just spell my name properly." In other words, any | | | | competition for worst site among the choices |
| coverage is good coverage, any exposure is good | | | | posted, along with lots of sardonic |
| exposure. The really short version is "there's no | | | | commentary.Madison Lockwood is a customer |
| bad press."For television, this is particularly | | | | relations associate for She brings years of |
| important with regard to the premieres of new | | | | experience as a small business consultant to |
| shows and the launch of new seasons. Web fan | | | | helping prospective clients understand the ways in |
| sites provide the opportunity for the TV | | | | which a website may benefit them both |
| networks to premiere character outlines and even | | | | personally and professionally. Apollo Hosting |
| selected promotional clips. This was previously the | | | | provides website hosting, ecommerce hosting, |
| exclusive domain of morning news programs and | | | | vps hosting, and web design services to a wide |
| entertainment news magazines like Entertainment | | | | range of customers. Established in 1999, Apollo |
| Tonight.In the World of SportsIn the sports world, | | | | prides itself on the highest levels of customer |
| there are several gaming sites - particularly in the | | | | support. |
| UK - that invite viewers to upload their personal | | | | |