Interview with HappyBob from The RubberchickeN64

HappyBob enters the chat 
<HappyBob>  alrighty then... 
<Wollam>  Ok 
<Wollam> Go easy on me as this is my first interview ok? 
<Wollam> First Question. What inspired you to start the RubberchickeN64? 
<HappyBob> Well, I was interested in starting up an N64 site, but didn't want it to fall into the same trap as thousands before it: unoriginality :) 
<Wollam> Ok! What is your opinion of Rareware.com? You seem to share their "unique" sense of humour. 
<HappyBob> Oh, YES!  The founding staff almost literally worship Rareware.com, Leigh Loveday and (as you may have spotted from the animation's) Mr. Pants. 
<Wollam> Yes. I love that cool animation where you do that dance with Mr Pants. 
<Wollam> What do you use to make your pictures? 
<HappyBob> Haha! Thanks!  Generally Paintshop Pro, with either GIF Animator or Animation Shop for the actual frame control. 
<Wollam> Yeh, I seem to be using PSP a bit. And do you edit your site in Raw Html or use and editor or maybe a bit of both? 
<Wollam> (A bit weird starting a sentence with and but I haven't had much Caffeine today) 
<HappyBob> You're right on the mark there.... I generally use Frontpage, the 'cheating' method, but it DOES make life a hell of a lot easier.  When necessary, I do get into a bit of HTML madness though.
<HappyBob> ("madness" because the main page is a creative HTML mess) 
<Wollam> Pretty much the same as me! I am sure most of us "cheat" a bit. Do you have any advice to people that are just starting their own web-page? 
<HappyBob> Believe in your dreams!  You can achieve your goals, I'm living proof.  BEEFCA... [etc].  Er... anyway, don't produce something that nobody would have any incentive to visit.... the fansite field is extremely crowded. 
<HappyBob> Basically, CONTENT = GOOD FEEDBACK = HITS... all three of which TRC can sometimes slightly lack :P 
<Wollam> And do you recommend any servers to start out on? Geocities - Angelfire etc? 
<HappyBob> Well, Freeweb (www.atfreeweb.com ) comes off recommended for its Frontpage 2000 support.... I'm not really into Geocities and their creatively limiting sit the likes of Geocities/ Homestead and their creatively limiting site builders 
<Wollam> The "Pinch the pants" banner that has just been wasting my time for so long, did you make that and is it of any relation to the "hit the monkey" we all know so well? 
<HappyBob> Indeed.  It was created as a spoof of the infamous "Punch the monkey" ad.  (damn that banana money, I WANTED CASH) 
<HappyBob> We all love to hate it, really :) 
<Wollam> Yes, I know what you mean! 
<HappyBob> Perhaps the player will win $20 in "arse-money".  Or perhaps not... 
<Wollam> lol 
<Wollam> Free G-string? Or Y-front maybe?
<Wollam> When you first started your site were you the only one working on it? And how long did it take you to get staff? 
<HappyBob> The original concept was to do it up with some "real life" friends, although this site that would have been would have been an almost guaranteed failure.  The Phantom Spoon, who helped slightly with the chicken.concept, was part of the original staff.  Farsight and Kablooie, both of whom I had known from #rarenet chat previously, both agreed to help.  From there on, more staff agreed to help... you know the rest :) 
<Wollam> What was the major hurdle in getting your site how it is today? And how did you overcome it? 
<HappyBob> Basically, recognition took AAAGES to achieve.  Although many had heard of it, not many visited it.  Basically, gradually increasing content grew into extra visitors, and several minor site overhauls really boosted the aesthetic value. 
<Wollam> When I first started my web-page I had no experience. Just the love of Nintendo games. Was it  the same for you? 
<HappyBob> I suppose so.  Reviewing games , although something I'm pretty crap at, is something many people (myself included) enjoy. 
<Wollam> Yeh, I like *researching* the games ahem. 
<Wollam> What is the part of being a web-master that you enjoy the most?
<HappyBob> Control.  Muahahahahaaaah! 
<Wollam> Is this what makes you happy? Bob? 
<HappyBob> Well, probably just the sense of pride you get when someone complements your site.  (thanks, by the way :) ) <--- last Q 
<HappyBob> Sorta.  Well, that and the immortal moment every few months when Rareware.com's scribes update :) 
<Wollam> My computer nearly went for a flight out the window on a few occasions when it crashed and deleted the work I had done and even the saved versions! Does anything like this ever happen to you? 
<HappyBob> On numerous occasions!  My index.htm file has gone astray on a few occasions, and I've spent countless hours of offline reparations. 
<Wollam> I hear you! 
<Wollam> I am gravely insulted! 
<Wollam> I just had my arrow thingy over your Scribes button and was called a cheeky young scamp or something. 
<Wollam> When are your scribes starting? When you get enough letters? 
<HappyBob> Heheh.... 
<Wollam> Are you still there? My connection is going weird 
<HappyBob> Well, it's planned to be more of a Scribal tribute page.  Kablooie, being a Scribal veteran at rareware.com, is working "on and off" on an alleged "scribal interface".  Well take it from there... 
<HappyBob> Yah, I'm still 'ere.  It's same for me :P 
<Wollam> I was just thanking the fact I am backing this up all the time in notepad 
<HappyBob> Good decision :) 
<Wollam> Being a web-master has made me hugely paranoid of computers 
<HappyBob> Yes... I could have sworn the laptop winked at me the other day, but that could very well be sleep deprivation-induced madness :) 
<Wollam> Or lack/too much Caffeine
<HappyBob> Yes... I relied heavily upon the mystical C-drug the night of the gamecube unveiling :) 
<Wollam> What is you most anticipated Cube title?
<HappyBob> Very tough question.  Most likely Mario GC, as it will set the standard for platformers all over again.  Besides... it's MIYAMOTO! :)
Additionally, Retro certainly have the talent to continue the Metroid legacy, so I'll be looking out for that too.
Finally, Rare's bound to have a classic or three at near-launch.
<Wollam> Is that SSI you use on your menu? Or are you just pleased to see me?
<HappyBob> Yes. 
<Wollam> What do you find is an effective way of getting hits? (Don't have to answer this one if you don't like giving away too many
>secrets - or you could do a Rare - Answer the question without giving away any info...
<Wollam> Well, bear in mind that TRC isn't exactly on par with IGN in terms of hits, although it's gradually increasing (and seems quite good at the moment).  Basically, regular updates and content.  Hmm... now I'm beginning to see why we're not geting many visitors :)

Well folks, that was HappyBob! Be sure to check out his site -You know you want to play pinch the pants and win arse money!
Only @ The RubberchickeN64