Creating and maintaining a site: One person, or a team effort?

I've had my Star Wars site almost 3 years now and just now getting a person to help me with it. In that 3 year time it hasn't been finished to my liking. So, hopefully now it'll get finished.

I'm gonna echo what others have said: it depends on your site and your style of working. A huge site like TFN would probably be impossible to mantain by one person.

Personally, right now I'm doing it solo on my website. After installing the infrastucture it became much easier to mantain and at least this way the quality is consistent. Still there is some user participation, from submitting news, pictures, avatrs for the forums, corrections and data for the site. If it got bigger I would probably ask for some people to do some stuff for it.

i agree with everyone else. it depends on the site. A site like tfn,rebelscum,the os, and any big name that is updated daily, is a lot of work. That is where a team effort is best.Now with a fan site like mine, i feel its best for me, because only 500 people have visited, I do have other priorities so i update when its convient.

Master Salty wrote: "I think one owner and a team to run the site is the best way to go. It has been very effecient for my site."

I agree with this the most. The more a site grows, it helps to have a team that can help you update, moderate, provide feedback, etc. The owner and the team should have a shared sense of direction of what the site is about and what it is trying to accomplish, and then make sure that is happening. That is the key. Without a clear purpose, everything can crumble.

On a side note, I glad there is even a forum for these kind of topics here on TFN. With the much anticipated Episode III on it's way, this is the time for SW fansites more than ever. Good job.

I'd be totally down with a team effort for maintaining a site; does anyone have a site I could leech off of, adding my own stuff in the name of helping them?

I like to run my site by myself for now although it is going to need a team effort very soon. For me to run a site with a team i would have to really trust them like some of you previously stated. Trouble is finding trustworthy people to help and who enjoy star wars. All my sw buddies are to lazy to help and dont want to learn how. really sucks as far as growing the site goes.

I have always run my site by myself. There have been many times that I have wished I had someone to help me get new content uploaded, but I was always wary of giving anyone else access to my site's code.

Interestingly, I have noticed that many people have cited fear, lack of trust or control issues for reasons to run a site alone. Isn't it kinda funny how these websites are kinda like our children?

I am about to start a website with 3 other guys, let me tell you it hasn't been fun. I am the graphics guy on this project. I must have had to do 5 or 6 different layouts before the other two could agree with me on it. In the future I will stick to working on sites myself or I must have total control over the graphics end. It is really tuff trying to find a compromise with 3 other people you can't talk to face to face.

If it's going to be a team effort each person should have their own page. Nobody wants to have to be the poor "graphics guy".


Edit: I just signed up for a free web site, scuiggefest.swsites.net. If anyone wants to do the "team effort" thing we're discussing here and leech off me e-mail your site to FegMur3@juno.com

there's no content on my site yet

Isn't it kinda funny how these websites are kinda like our children?

exactly, jmt i don't think any of us would have it any other way.

~aeryn

if your going to do a team site, have one do the design and the rest just updates. less fights that way.