Christopher Bowen is no newcomer to running websites. Chris, more commonly known as Superbus or just plain 'ol Bus, used to run the Fire Emblem: Sanctuary of Strategy, which was at one time the top English-speaking Fire Emblem community on the internet. Currently, he runs his own personal website Superbusnet, which essentially acts as his public-facing blog and has recently gone under a redesign.
Key: M: Mercury Ice, S: Superbus
M: When did you first get into the webmaster scene, and how?
S: I became an admin at FESS because they had a community that had come under fire by trolls and other people that were dragging the entire site down. They needed someone to come in and enforce things; I was soon made an administrator, and eventually was put in charge of the entire community. From there, we built out our own website. It grew from there. I'd estimate that my website and community - with an emphasis on the latter part - had well over 10,000 members from 2004 when I took over to 2008 when I ended it.
M: What has been the hardest part about owning a website?
S: Being prepared to go in and fix something at a moment's notice. I've given up a lot of free time for my sites for a variety of reasons, and done damage to my private life in the process. You have to make some sacrifices.
M: What is the biggest problem you have had as an administrator?
S: When you're running your own website and not doing it for anyone else, you really don't have problems beyond yourself; you only answer to you. But when you run a community in which interaction is the key, you have to make sure you're consistent, and that you don't get a big head. Over years, it's very easy to go as the whims take you; that's a great way to lose respect from your members. You have to have a set standard of how to act in most circumstances, and if you have to deviate from that, you have to have a good explanation as to why. If you don't think something you say in 2009 is going to get picked apart against something you say in 2004, you're dead wrong; someone is going to be that dedicated, or that crazy, depending on your point of view.
M: What is the best part of being a webmaster?
S: There comes a time when you put in a lot of work, and if it all goes well, things click. Everything goes smoothly. Your site/community becomes more than a passing glance to people; it becomes a part of their day, much like brushing their teeth or eating lunch. They indulge themselves in the subject of your work during their days, sneaking time away at their job, or at school breaks, during their off time at home, whenever they get a minute. They become a part of your community, and as a result become a selling point for the site in themselves. They, by just being themselves, encourage others to join in, sample your site and the fruits within, and you eventually have a site that has, as a community, taken on a life of its own. It doesn't get better than that.
M: What was the happiest moment for you as a webmaster?
S: Surprisingly, it was at the end. I had announced, after all options were exhausted, that it was time to close the community and the site with it, and send my members to another site where they were more prepared to service the community. The testimonials from some of my old members were heart-tugging. I didn't know we - or I - had affected their lives so significantly.
M: Where do you see your sites going in the future?
S: Couldn't tell you. FESS is done, and my life is really on other focuses. I hope to get Superbusnet going, but I need time to do that, and I just don't have any.
M: Do you have any advice to new webmasters?
S: Be serious about this; you can't half-ass it. Remember that your site is one of literally millions on the internet; you have to stand out somehow. If you're going to plug yourself, do it respectfully and with restraint, lest you feel a backlash. Keep your focus and try not to get a big head. Make sure you're at least competent in the more technical aspects of your site. Always keep a backup of at least somewhat recent vintage off-site; preferably, your provider does off-sites themselves, but always have another backup. And remember that when it comes to hosting, you get what you pay for. I see a lot of prospective web admins getting into the game with these mom-and-pop businesses and sketchy resellers, thinking that they're getting a good deal for a low price, but chances are good you're either being oversold to hell and highwater, or they're cutting corners somewhere. How much CPU can you use on your server? Do you have SSH access for more complicated tasks? Don't let the price and bandwidth numbers blind you, and don't go cheap if you have grand ambitions.
And there you have it. Chris put years of hard work into FESS and made it one of the most memorable websites for FE fans around the world. He has remained an icon in the Fire Emblem community, and will likely continue to be one despite his lowered activity levels online. You can also find Chris at DieHard GameFAN, where he reviews video games and has been kind enough to donate his reviews to us.
