Feature on a Robin Williams Fan Site by Terri Rimmer - originally published on Associated Content, 2008

When Linda, 26, of The Netherlands saw the Robin Williams movie "Bicentennial Man," she says it really impacted her life.

So much so that she created a fan website in 2001 that has not only taken off internationally but gave her the biggest coup of all - getting to actually interview the Oscar-winning comedian this year.

With the creation of robin-williams.net (RWF), Linda aimed to reach as many fans of the actor/comic to share information with but even more so, a passion with.

"Community support has been amazing," she says. "When I first started with the site, it contained only one page with some pictures. Those first few weeks and months there were only one or two visitors a day. When I bought the current domain name in Oct. 2002 and moved to a paid server the site started to gain more traffic. The number kept growing and currently it is being visited by about 750-850 people daily."

In 2004 Linda introduced a forum and the RWlive! Update list. People can still subscribe to the list and receive an email when a new live show has been announced and Linda says the service is highly appreciated by most people.

"The forum is still kinda quiet, but the people who are there are great. In March 2008 I also introduced the newsletter with only a few releases a year. I've sent only one so far and the response has been amazing," states Linda. "Due to the fact that the site has more and more visitors, companies like small and major film studios, directors, composers, journalists, and individuals are becoming more and more interested in advertising or working together."

Next to the main site there are also two smaller sites connected to RWF. One of those is a site about film scores of Williams' films which Linda said still needs to be rebuilt. The other one is about the 1970s TV show "Mork & Mindy" for which she created a basic page. A good friend of Linda's, Colleen, created an information page for each episode.

Linda revealed that when she started the site she did not at all foresee the success it has experienced so far.

"I simply wanted to do something back for Robin in return for the great films he's been in and how those have helped me overcome some personal problems," she explained. "I didn't know anything about web sites, web design, or maintaining a site. It's been a slow, but continuous learning process, taking one step at a time. I could never have imagined the site would become this successful and such a great resource."

Linda said that like any other fan, she wanted to meet the famous comedian but never expected to be able to pull off an interview with him.

"I also never could have imagined I'd do so much traveling because of the site either," she writes. "Robin's performances in the States and film festival screenings of his films in Europe are quite fun to attend. The fact I've been able to do all that is quite an overwhelming thought."

Linda has this advice to give when it comes to those trying to run a fan site for the first time: "Because I made this single mistake I can give people only one piece of advice - Don't try to run a successful site on your own. Find someone who shares the same passion and is willing to go for it. Other than that I can't really give any advice but I can tell you what it could be like to run a site like RWF. It's hard work, so you'll have to have a passion for it and absolutely love what you're doing. There are times though when it became too much and I wanted to quit it all. During those times the support from people has been overwhelming and really kept me going. Other than that you have to keep working on so many things that people will never notice."

Things like advertising.

"How do you make sure people find your site? It's a constant struggle, especially because there's no money coming in through the site so I can't pay for advertisements," said Linda. "Speaking of money, a large site like RWF costs a lot of money because hosts will only accept a site with that much traffic if you're willing to pay big bills."

Luckily Linda found a small company, simplinetworks.net, that was willing to sponsor the site and host RWF for free.

"I'll be forever grateful because I don't think the site would still be around otherwise.
What people will never know either is the research, emails and correspondence that's going on behind the scenes," she wrote. "Lots of people send an email, which is one of the best parts of having the site. I love the correspondence with other fans. And RWLive! Updates are great, but before they actually are released there's a lot of work to be done."

Linda said she often receives show announcements shortly before the ticket sale starts which causes "some crazy work hours."

"Therefore it'd be good to think about the consequences before offering a certain service. I'm glad I'm sending the updates though, simply because so many people have been grateful for the emails," she stated. "Research is also a constant work in progress and probably one of the most important things if you want to keep the site up to date. So, if you think you're ready for it, good luck!"

What motivates and inspires Linda other than Williams' work and comedy are the people who have shown their support by sending a simple email which she says "is a huge motivation and a reason to keep going." The music of Dave Matthews also inspires her a lot and the determination that Lance Armstrong has shown over the years "is a huge inspiration as well."

The famous cyclist is one of the main reasons why Linda got into road cycling and she considers him one of her role models along with Williams and Matthews.

"A huge challenge will always be how do you keep a web site up to date on a technical level because the Internet is constantly changing," Linda said. "Because I taught myself how to create and design websites it's always a challenge to make sure the site meets the current Internet standards."

Another lesson Linda reveals that she learned from running RWF is that you have to be careful what information you put out there.

"People will actually visit the site, read whatever is being published, and you never know what will happen with the information once it's out there," she explains. "Besides that is all the legal stuff that's involved with having this site. I've learned my lesson on that level though. The disclaimer on the site - something that every site should have no matter how small - is an absolute necessity."

One big misconception that Linda said a lot of people have is that running the site is her job, which is "a huge misunderstanding."

Linda works full-time as a structural engineer and studies Communication & Multimedia Design in the evenings.

"The site is something I do besides that," she says.

Another assumption is that Linda is based in the United States and that English is her native language.

"Looking back now I'm very proud of what I've achieved and how well the site is being received. And even though there will always be ups and downs, it's been so much fun," Linda concludes. "I thank all the visitors, friends, and of course Robin (Williams) for all the support or just for being around."