When I started LPFC late June 2012, it was nothing more than just a personal blog of mine. Linkin Park themed, yes, but a real website? Definitely not. The site didn’t have a proper URL, it still used the lpfancorner.wordpress.com, had the cheapest design available and didn’t feel like the LPFC you know today. Today – for me – it feels like home. Why? Because today there are 8 other staff members giving life to the site, telling me when I’m full of shit and sharing their dedication, motivation and creativity with me.

One year ago, on May 17, 2013 LPFC was relaunched with a new design. It now looked like a website. But the most important change was that it was relaunched with a totally new structure – we now had a team! For our first anniversary today, I’ve written a little recap about the formation of the team and a further introduction of the staff members.

LPFC only exists because I saw a concept for it. For years I’ve been an LP fan and for years I’ve been blogging, but I just never had an idea on how a new fansite could possibly bring something new into the fandom. There are already so many great websites out there! The catalyst was the worldwide listening party for LIVING THINGS. All of a sudden I had hundreds of fans who expected me to entertain them in a way. The concept of LPFC was clear now: Create a web space for the fans to express themselves and their love for Linkin Park = Linkin Park Fan Corner.

Of course the fan reviews I’ve been posting on my personal blog would be a big part of the new website and this is how the first staff members came to the site. Dayna and Irene have written lots of reviews for my blog and LPFC, so in early 2013 I decided to add them to a group of permanent reviewers just like Jennifer and Jenni. We seperated with some of that group during the year but those 4 were here to stay.
In April I decided to add more reviewers. I REALLY wanted to cover the UK. It’s a big market for LP so I automatically thought of a guy who’s been a consistent commenter of LPFC’s posts and seemed cool enough to make the team: Paul. When I also met his girlfriend Lizzi in the LPU chat, a creative force who’s dabbling in art and remixing, the decision was made. Both joined the team as UK “correspondents”.

When I prepared the relaunch, I had a conversation with Irene about the new content on the site and she suggested to have the reviewers write other articles, too. They could have certain topics to cover while I’d still do the main work. Irene’s suggestion sparked the idea to organize LPFC like a magazine: different ressorts for different staff members. This was a tough decision for me though. When I have a project, I have a certain vision and I really don’t like it when other people come in and try to change stuff. Irene had some good arguments though and for the first time I listened to someone else in order to get the best result. In addition I started a new full time job and I knew that it would be really hard to keep the site alive and up to date on my own. I needed help.

On May 17, 2013, Linkin Park Fan Corner 2.0 was relaunched with a full staff. The LPFC team was born! Yay! Well, it took some getting used to, but now in retrospective this was the best move ever! I’m the admin but I have my flaws and often do silly things, so it’s good to have some honest people who tell me that I’m a total idiot in a respectful manner. In the beginning, everyone stuck to their ressorts while I did the regular news posting. During the months after, I got more absorbed in my job and started to rely on my team. It was definitely a learning experience for me, but now I know that I have backup when I can’t give all my attention to the website, I have creative input that is so much more valuable than just the few ideas I have as a single person, I have friends that share a particular experience with me and I have people to correct me when I do something wrong. Most importantly I think that LPFC has reached its full potential now. Sometimes you just have to give up control in order to reach the next level.

On our “Meet the team” page you can read some basic info about the staff members, but I wanted to explain a little further what their tasks are, why they are part of the team and how they change LPFC for the better.

Dayna: The lovely Dayna from LA is lively and tons of fun. She loves going to concerts and supports Music for Relief with a unique dedication, no matter if she stalks Jared Leto, gets caked by Steve Aoki or cleans up a messy beach. Giving her the ressorts Music for Relief and events in LA was a natural decision. Dayna’s reports about her live and volunteer experiences have always been a great and spicy read. When the touring starts and fan reviews are sent to us daily, she will help to publish them. She’s also part of the news posting team. And she loves pandas. A lot!

Irene: There aren’t many fans who are as dedicated to the band as Irene. Her strong personality and motivation to make LPFC shine as bright as possible has made her an invaluable team member. If there’s no one else available to post something, Irene is. That’s why she’s a news poster, as well as manager of the important ressorts events and press. Irene always knows what’s going on in the fandom. Nothing slips past her. In addition she’s a great friend and a great mother to her kids.

Paul: Pauly G. is a pro in coding. That’s why he’s the guy to call when I’ve reached my limit with web design. As a very active LPU member he’s our LPU guy, always posting about what’s going on in the community. In addition he also helps out posting news. Paul’s strengths are to understand my bla, bla, bla even when I’m excited or forget my English, and that he always stays focused and calm while everyone else freaks out. Typical guy.

Lizzi: Anything creative on LPFC is Lizzi’s work. She did the logo, several banners, video editing and keeps our gallery up to date. Additionally, she posts LPTV episodes and also helps with the news. For me personally she’s the go to person when I have a silly idea and need a rational evaluation. We all love her wicked sense of humor and the way she makes our mouths water when she describes the meals she cooked for Paul. Without Lizzi everything would suck.

Jennifer: Like Jenni, Jennifer doesn’t have much time to fully join the news posting staff on LPFC but that doesn’t make her any less valuable. I met her last December and she’s the type of LP fan who gets along with everyone and knows how to have a good time. She also helped me pass out flyers. Her main task is to write detailed reviews of her LP shows. Stay tuned for her Rock am Ring report!

Jenni: While Jennifer hangs out at “the ring”, Jenni keeps us updated on the happenings at Rock im Park. In private she’s super funny and dedicates much time to her local radio show. She is also a reviewer and doesn’t post news. She and Jennifer take part in staff “meetings” though and shape LPFC with their opinions like everyone else.

In addition to those 6 staff members above we have members who left after the relaunch and members who joined later.
To the ones who left, Nikki and An, you dedicated your time for the website. Thank you so much for the time you spent as team members.

To the ones who joined later, Angie and Jack, you guys are fully integrated team members already and we are very lucky to have you. This post is as much for you as it is for the others even if you joined a little while after May 17 😀

I know that the team might not stay forever in this constellation, but I hope it does. LPFC wouldn’t be so much fun if I didn’t have you guys and with the added pressure of a full time job and other websites I’m writing for, I’m not sure if the site would still be alive today. Boss lady loves you!

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