Have you been up all night working on your fan site for Robocop 3 and worrying that only your friends and family will be the only earthlings to ever see it? Are you a science fiction artist, author, filmmaker or blogger who wants to reach a bigger Internet audience? It's time you made contact with Chuck Joslin, creator of the scifi internet directory, ScifiSource.com, and let him bless your site with the "Rocket Rating" it deserves.
Joslin launched ScifiSource.com in 1999. "This site started as fun, since we're long-time science fiction fans," says Joslin, "It's a little rough around the edges, but it's held up well with few modifications in the past several years." The site will be undergoing a re-design this year and will feature new search capabilities.
The site, which directs visitors with links ranging from movie sites to news of the paranormal, uses its own "Rocket Rating" system to help steer curious web browsers in the right direction. The highest possible rating is five rockets. Joslin works on ScifiSource with Lori Brown, who is in charge of assigning the Rocket ratings to newly submitted websites. Websites are judged on several criteria: Subject matter, design, content, and fun. Ratings and links are added daily.
Earning a five rocket rating is easier said than done. "Remember that to be listed here at all the site must be very, very good," Joslin's site cautions, "even a one rocket rating means that it is above the average web site!" The Battlestar Wiki, and the official Star Wars site, for example, only rate four rockets. Christopher Lee's official site only netted two rockets, and comes with a caveat: "Ugly design, but lots of info." (For those who aren't satisfied with their website's Rocket rating, SciFiSource accepts feedback that allows webmasters to defend their site and possibly adjust their Rocket rating.)
ScifiSource's "Movies" section is a good place to check out some of the best and worst fan sites, memorabilia markets, and official movie sites on the Internet. Though experienced scifi fans might be familiar with many of the movies and fan sites listed, the directory will help guide new fans deeper into the science fiction universe.
