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From Erika (also asked by Lauren, Anna, Caro, and Lynne):
How did you all get together to organize this and manage the site on
a regular basis - I thought I read somewhere on the site that you all
live in different states. Were you friends before? If not, do you
know each other all that well, or just as 'fellow Hos?' How do you
manage to run such a great site being in different locations, and how
do you have time?
Kate: Well first, we've never met. We've never even spoken on the phone. We manage to do this all through e-mail, believe it or not. And yes, we all live in different states from California all the way to New York. We thank the E-Mail Gods every day. We all, for the most part, met on an X-Files message board called 'Haven'. We began talking about the show in the board's off-topic folder. We became fast friends there and decided to form our own private group. We've been friends ever since. We know each other pretty well, I'd say. We talk about our personal lives, and we know about the good and the bad... and sometimes the ugly. It's difficult making site decisions when reading e-mail alone. Sometimes frustration can occur when you don't understand what someone is trying to say, or misinterpret what they've said to mean the opposite. It's a good lesson in humilty and democracy, running this site. Everyone has to learn to be fair and equal, and to know when to let something go or really stand up for it. We've had our share of arguments, but we always find ways to let it go and move on. We're friends first and foremost. The site is just a bonus.
From Lady J:
How did you decide which ho would tackle which chore? Like Souris would
write Fashion Assassin, etc. etc...??
Souris: We brainstormed and came up with a list of sections we wanted to have on
the site, and then the Webmistresses just volunteered for the ones they
were interested in. To give credit where it's due, the Fashion Assassin was
inspired by "Frank's Fashion Spot" from Autumn's X-Files reviews, and the
VSR Report was inspired by Kipler's MSR synopses of X-Files episodes.
From Lynne:
You have done an incredible job on the site. Which web page editor
did you use to create it? Did any of you have prior web site design
experience or was it a new learning experience for all of you?
Kate: I use Arachnophillia. i think most of us do. I had NO prior experience at all. I learned really fast because i had to. Now, i can't imagine not knowing!
SB: We/I used Arachnophilia 4.0. Personally, I have worked on different
websites
since the start of my XF craze, but none of them were that great. I
will
say, however, that they gave me experience at coding and what
did/didn't
work, and each site I did was progressively better, but The Safe House
has
still been a learning experience.
Souris: My HTML skills are minimal at best. I know enough to fill in blanks on the
WNP and bold and italicize things, and that's pretty much it! My home
computer is too archaic to handle Web-design programs, and I don't have one
at work. I design stuff for print every day, but I haven't been able to
learn how to transfer that to Web.
Spygirl: I'm still learning....so much so that I have no clue what I'm doing.
Lugia: Thanks for your kind words! When we started The Safe House, I had already been familiar with HTML code for a year, but nothing too serious or specific. My first site was devoted to David Duchovny, but not nearly as comprehensive or well thought-out. I actually concepted that with Netscape Composer and UltraEdit. The Safe House was mostly done with Arachnophilia, but in the early stages I used to play with the code in Dreamweaver as well. It was kind of a process until I knew what was supposed to go where. A few weeks ago I started to familiarize myself with Microsoft FrontPage, but seeing our pages in Arachnophilia feels so much like home that I'll definitely stick with that. I can honestly say that I learn something new every day.
Rosemerry: We use Arach for the site, but I am a novice at it still. I use
Dreamweaver 4.0 for my own sites, but I didn't start at that until
after we had opened The Safe House.
Mel TM: I also use Arach. It makes the codes colorful so you're not just staring at brackets and stuff. So while I still have a lot to learn, I would prefer to use a program like this that requires you to know what you're inputting rather than a program that does everything for you. That and it's free. :)
From Lynne (also asked by Caro):
One of my favorite spots is the VSR Report. Will that be updated soon? I
really enjoy reading those.
Souris: I'm really glad you enjoy them! They're fun to write. (Though I always feel
pressure to "perform" well!) The VSR (and Fashion Assassin) will be updated
as soon as I can find the time to rewatch the eps and then write the
entries. My goal has always been to have each ep's VSR Report and Fashion
Assassin done before the next ep airs, but unfortunately my March was
insanely hectic in real life and I got behind. Hopefully I can get at least
one of the two outstanding eps done this week.
From Lady J:
Which member of the penalty box have you found to be the most
offensive?
Kate: Well, I like to think of it as Penalty Box, B.T.: Before Tyson. Because I think Mike T. will rule the Box for quite a long time. So before Tyson, I'd have to say Haladki. He was just such a weasel.
SB: Mike Tyson, no doubt. ::shudder:: I have no words.
Souris: Mike Tyson, in a KO. He's just an offense to humanity, frankly, and
I hate that MV had to be subjected to his insane, crude babblings.
Spygirl: Honestly? The Penalty Box, to me, has been a way to poke fun, snark a little, and most of all use our humor to process things we found ridiculous. However, the one and only exception - so far - would be Mike Tyson. I found his behavior and comments on JK rude and unconscionable. Regardless of who the guest was.
Lugia: I think they've all earned their spot there, but Mike Tyson is definitely the most deserving so far. Although Kristin has been known to annoy me on a weekly basis, specifically when she repeats what we already know, but I might be projecting "Buffy" issues here. ;-) Her Friday columns tend to make up for it.
Rosemerry: Noah Hicks. Mike Tyson's behavior is also extremely revolting.
Mel TM: Mike Tyson is consistently horrifying, but I can't let this question go by without mentioning our friend Noah Hicks. That character made me watch the Burt Reynolds episode of the X-Files so that I could fast-forward through the Syd/Noah unpleasantness. For that, I simply can't forgive him.
From Leepster:
What the hell is that site meter emblem? Is that your server? Dumb,
I know, but something I wondered...
Mel TM: It's not the server, actually: it links to a website that tracks our user statistics. We can tell where people are coming from when they visit our site and how many people are visiting each day. I think some of us have even discovered people logging in from our own college campuses, which is pretty cool.
From Amy:
I'm sure you've gotten tons of information/news submittals and
questions, are they any crazy things that made you laugh but couldn't
post or crazy questions?
Kate: Absolutely. I think Michael's nude pictures from OHP are an example of craziness. We had seen them, yes. So many people had mailed us with links to see them, and couldn't understand why we wouldn't post them...it was insane. Another topic is Jen's seperation. People don't understand that the reason we aren't posting this stuff isn't because we're trying to be some high-and-mighty website which is 'too good' to post it. It's because *it's just not the right thing to do*. It's tacky and rude. If someone were gossiping about you behind your back, and you found out about it, imagine how angry you'd be. Well, celebrities are people too. And yes, that means that they open themselves up to this kind of 'news', but it doesn't mean we can't just be decent and not post it. We shouldn't have to explain ourselves to anyone questioning that.
We often get incredibly silly mails. Sometimes I want to start a 'Wall of Shame' just to show you guys what we have to deal with sometimes! It's like some of them are just asking for it.
On the other hand, there have been some really wonderful people out there that have helped us and stayed anonymous. We wish we could thank them properly. Hopefully, we'll be able to do that in the section we have coming out on Friday. ; )
From blazwhiz (also asked by magpie):
Who is Patrick?? I'm always curious since we owe so much thanks to
him for always giving us these drool-worthy-super-duper-high-res-
pics! He should have an introduction or something (if he doesn't
already)... Ok, perhaps a more relevant question...how did he get
those high-res pictures anyway?
Spygirl: Patrick is a Young God who, by virtue of his benevolent nature, stumbled across we Hos. One look at our site and he knew he was the only one who could supply our redemption. We were immediately taken by his charisma and subdued by his techno intercourse. Little did he know how we'd hang on to him for dear life and never, ever let him go. Patrick, to the best of our knowledge, is a low maintenance God. He responds well to sincere genuflection and he has our complete adoration as well as our first born. As for how he gets those high resolution pics??? He's God, he can do anything.
From magpie:
Where do you get all those pictures of episodes before they air?
Souris: The One Hour Photo down at Sav-Mart. The developer is kind of creepy, but
he does good work.
From magpie:
Who came up with the idea to create drinks in honor of cast and characters
of Alias/MV? Do you actually take time out to create these drinks and
actually drink them?
Souris: I think that was me, Souris. I've always loved playing bartender at
parties. That section got its inspiration from a creative-drinks gathering
at an X-Files Romantics convention I attended, plus some posters at
vartanetc joking about a Vartini when MV, VG, JG and KW hosted the James
Bond movie on ABC. And, yes, I get out all my alcohols and liqueurs and try
ideas out. I have to make sure the drinks are worthy of the characters!
From Shannon:
Yours is one of the best-designed websites I've seen, and I'm
absolutely mystified as to how such a high-quality op can continue
without the twin pestilences of banner ads and popups. Do the Hos
have access to a secret CIA slush fund?
Spygirl: And people thought Bush was using all that money to fund endeavors in Iraq. ; ) Actually, we're self-funding. Meaning that every Spring and Fall we count the change in our piggy banks and contribute what we can to the final bill. Since starting this site, we've had to purchase a second domain just to help carry the load, however, it's looking more and more like we might need a dedicated server. For right now, however, we're doing the best we can to keep our overhead down and still provide the best quality possible - like no popup ads and whatnot. Basically, all of us have champagne taste but must yield our desires to a beer budget. And occasionally, we buy a lottery ticket just on the outside chance we'll get lucky.
From Katelyn (also asked by Lizzy, Jennifer, and magpie):
I have a question! How do you research/locate all updated information DAILY
for the website? It always seems like the website has left no stone
unturned in its quest for all things Alias. I am amazed at all the updated
information you continue to produce on the show. Understanding that the
task is obviously shared between all the hos -- but what's the strategy ?
How do you source the information??
Souris: Thank God we have several Webmistresses. If there was only one of us, it
could never happen! Basically, we all just surf around the Net when we have
the time during the day and come across things. By now, we know the places
that are most likely to have Alias news. And we also know the timing of
some things -- for instance, Matt Roush, Kristin and TVGal all produce
information on Mondays -- so we know when to look. And, of course, people
send us information, which is a huge help. We get around, but we
can't find everything!
From Lynne:
Is there a separate Hall of Fame for special people that contribute
SO MUCH to our daily dose of Michael Vartan and all things Alias?
Kate: Hahaha it's coming out this week! It's called The All-Stars, and it's not just for people we love, but for just about everything and anything that has helped us and put smiles on our faces. Look out for it!
From Melissa:
How many hours of your week are devoted to alias-related activities--
from watching (and re-watching) the actual episodes to working on the
website?
Kate: Oy vey. Watching Alias is really the *least* time-extensive Alias-related thing I do. The site takes up a lot. Between coding for various sections, reading all of the mail from the site, mail from the VHo Group, and just our own personal mail....an hour can fly by in a heartbeat. I'd say at least 2 hours a day. Not to even count the time we cruise the web looking for news, any special occasions (i.e., big spoilers, new sections, etc.) and the time it takes to deal with any problems that come up. But it's so much fun. If it ever started becoming more work than fun, I'd back off.
SB: Don't make me count. I guess on a normal, non-sick,
non-stressed-due-to-lots-of-work week, it'd be ... over 20 hours. And
that's
after cutting back to accomodate my schoolwork.
Souris: I don't even want to think about putting a number of hours to it! It would
just probably be really, really scary. Truthfully, I don't actually watch
the eps a lot. I watch an ep when it airs, and then I watch it once again
to take notes for the FA and VSR. Although I have been known to watch
"certain scenes" more than is probably healthy!
Spygirl: I can't even begin to count. For me, it's bits and pieces of time spent here and there. Also, I don't spend nearly close to the same amount of time on the website as the other Hos. They're much more focused and dedicated than I am. Kudos to them!
Lugia: You don't really want to know that, trust me. Hehe. No, I feel like I'm in good company here, so I can try to guestimate the amount of time (and I rather tend to measure it in terms of energy or points on the fun meter, but who can relate to that?!). It definitely varies. The most time is devoted to talking to my fellow 'Hos and working on the website. I don't spend much time re-watching my collection of "Alias" eps or Michael's other works, but I love dissecting them and spending time talking about every kind of news item I can get my hands on. That involves searching for them, and it's always such a thrill to discover something new. The best items to find are definitely pictures, articles and spoilers. I enjoy this behind-the-scenes stuff almost more than the finished product on TV, but, of course, I wouldn't even be interested in that if the episodes weren't any good, so it's kind of a chicken vs. egg thing. ;-)
To answer the question directly, I would estimate that I spend between 2 and 6 hours with Alias-related activities each day. In the beginning it was even more, but that was mainly because the website took such an effort to create. Now-a-days, it's only about 3 hours, most of them spent online or talking with friends, which involves a lot of off-topic chatter as well, so it's not necessarily back-to-back.
Rosemerry: A. Lot.
Mel TM: I usually only have time to watch the show once, but if it's just fantastic I'll obviously review. My fast-forward button always just seems to gravitate towards certain moments where MV is speaking, existing, or walking around in his boxers. I usually spend more or less an hour on the site per day, depending on whether it's a slow news day or a lot is happening.
From Sallyd:
Is there anything new and exciting we can expect from the Safehouse
for its 2nd year and beyond?
Kate: Oh there's always something brewing. Expect to see a lot of unfinished sections worked on. We all work really hard in real life, so finishing up site sections is difficult. But I know we've all been trying really hard to get up everything we can. I think this is really our priority this year. But along with that, there are a few new sections to look out for. And there's a new 'pic of the day' front page image.
From Melissa:
Do you still consider this to be a Vartan site, or is it really a
show site with an unashamed bias for the leading man?
Mel TM: We're here because of Michael--we just happen to really, really like the show he's on. I think Souris said it best: We're really a Vartan site with an unashamed bias for the show.
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