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Picking and Adding Features
As part of deciding on the content you want to provide on your fansite, you might want to offer additional features. Back in the 90's and 00's these were called "web tools" and came in the form of things like a BBS, Chatrooms, Polls, or Guestbooks. As time has gone on, some of these "web tools" are considered obselete but you can you still choose to offer them for the web 1.0 experience.
This guide is to help you find both new alternative apps and old school options to add that extra spark. It is in no way an exhaustive list but a starting point to help inspire your imagination of what to offer and prebuilt solutions to do so.
Chat
Chat functionality is always a great way to allow for discussions among your visitors. There are many different options depending on your site's traffic and your budget.
Chatango - A simple and compact chatbox with ticker option.
CBox - Simple and combat chat with customization and filter options.
Minnit - Up to 40 users online at once and 2 channels. Upgrade for more features.
Embedded Chat (Paid) - Create unlimited rooms and allow up to 500 concurrent chats on cheapest plan.
Flyzoo (Paid) - Cheapest plan allows for 75 online users and 5 group chats. Can customize colors.
Forums (BBS)
There are still a few forum options available despite the fact these are less and less popular. That doesn't mean it's impossible for these to make a come back. Here are some hosted solutions to start your community!
BoardHost - They've been around since 1998! You can opt for an old school BBS or forum.
CreateaForum - You can create a forum with basic features and optionally upgrade your forum for more features.
CreateMyBB - Forum solution has been around some time and still going.
Forumotion - You can pick from various forum software solutions and create mobile ready community.
ProBoards - At one point, this was the most popular website for creating forums. You can upgrade for a hefty price if you end up with a large community.
Guestbook
Guestbooks are a great way to add an old school touch to your website. There aren't too many active solutions still available though.
123Guestbook - This service has been around since 2005 and still focuses on offering guestbooks.
Bravenet - One of the most popular services back in the days of web 1.0.
Smart Guestbook - Another old school service focused on guestbooks. Very popular among neocities sites.
