The FAQ @ ShoujoStation.com
SScom has been open for nearly two years now, and since then, our visitors have asked a lot of questions about this site and how it runs. This FAQ will cover the more common questions and queries (hopefully ^^;), so if there's something you're curious about, this is the place to check for answers.

But what happens if your question isn't here? Fear not, dear visitor -- you can also send in your questions via the feedback form, and we'll try to get back to you as soon as we can. And now, without further adieu... SScom's FAQ list!

General SScom Questions

    » Do you only accept links related to shoujo anime?
    » Does my site have to meet certain standards to be listed?
    » Are you trying to be an "elite" Anipike?
    » I submitted my link a while ago and it was never listed. What happened?
    » If I submitted, and my site didn't make it... can I submit my site again?
    » You list hentai on your site?!
    » It says you accept gaming sites. Is this limited to certain games?
    » Why does it sometimes take a long time to update your directory?
    » How are the sites for Site Spotting chosen?
    » Can I suggest an article topic?
    » Are you accepting site affiliations?
    » What's your policy on temporarily closed sites?
    » What's your policy on content theft or plagiarism?

Questions About Joining SScom:

    » How do you become a staffer for ShoujoStation.com?
    » Can you just write guest articles without joining the regular staff?
    » Is there any way I can be a part of ShoujoStation without writing articles?

Do you only accept links related to shoujo anime?

No, we're friendly with all genres and titles of anime regardless of our name. "Shoujo" was just chosen because that's the main interest of the staffers involved and because we're all female! It's also an easily recognizable Japanese word for most anime fans. It didn't hurt that the domain name was available either. ;)

Does my site have to meet certain standards to be listed?

Aside from the site having anime content and being finished/ open for business (which isn't too much to ask! ^^), no there are not. When the staffers got together to decide the standards of this link directory, we decided that a complete and thorough directory was much more important to us than elite standards. This project is about community building and being a resource for this end of cyberspace, an ideal that cannot be realized so long as we exclude sites from being listed. There are enough sites out there on the net that serve up an "elite"status, but this site is not one of them.

Are you trying to be an "elite" Anipike?

::cringes:: While we love positive feedback this was the comment we saw most often during our first month of business and it made my eyebrow twitch. While sure, our site is more design community friendly in its look and aims to update more often they are at the moment, as you read about Rose and I are both a little twitchy about engaging in the "better than you" behavior that would be necessary for an elite-style link directory. We are NOT a site directory full of only "elite" sites and we don't want to be. Every site in the community, big or small, has something to offer someone and to force excess standards on the sites we take in would be to limit the audience we cater to. A lot of the "elite" sites really cater mostly to follow webmasters which is fine of course, but it isn't "the" right way but just one of the many fabulous flavors of the internet. Maybe once we all start keeping that in mind we can be a little less snobby as a group. O.o By the way, yes I realize this covers basically the same issue as the W/A above but people didnt seem to get it, so I'm reiterating it.

I submitted my link a while ago and it was never listed. What happened?

It could be for one of three reasons: One because your site was on hiatus or under construction at the time you submitted, therefore not meeting one of our only requirements. Two because your site wasn't an anime site or didn't have enough anime (sites that aren't exclusively devoted to anime but have a considerable amount of anime content can be accepted). Or three, we just misplaced your submission. It's bound to happen sometimes and we apologize. Just resubmit your link.

If I submitted, and my site didn't make it, can I submit again?

If your site now meets both requirements, of course you can! There is no bar set against you if you've failed to meet the requirements before. If you've worked on the site and think it's better than before, submit again!

You list hentai on your site?!

Yes we do. To the best of my knowledge, none of the staffers are hentai fans but we don't begrudge the people who are. To each their own, right? Sex isn't evil, and we leave the responsibility of policing the internet where it belongs: in the hands of the parent. Besides, we wanted this directory to be thorough and that includes hentai.

It says you accept gaming sites. Is this limited to certain games?

Not all games are alike, some computer/console games are heavily connected with anime in artistic and entertainment style, while others are not. Sites based on games like Final Fantasy will be accepted, while others based on Super Mario Brothers or Tomb Raider will not. Most gamers are pretty aware of which are which, so follow your gut if you think your site belongs here!

How are the sites for Website Spotting chosen?

For the most part, sites are generally chosen from the new links every month but this may not always be the case. The staffers all look through the links to find a few sites that appeal to them for their content, ease of use and visual appeal (not necessarily flashy or intricate, can be tastefully clean) and then submit them to the group for consideration. Then we all decide as a group on the site to be chosen for that month from the ones nominated. If there's a close call between a few sites, the sites that lost out may be considered in the future for recognition.

How do you become a staffer for ShoujoStation.com?

To become a part of our staff, you have to sign up on the staff page and then you'll be asked to write a guest article or two so that we can have a sample of your writing. If you're prompt with your assignments and turn in quality work, you'll be asked to become a permanent member of the staff!

Can you just write guest articles without joining the regular staff?

Of course you can. Just sign up on the staff page and specify that request and provide your idea for an article topic. If you enjoy it, you're always welcome to do another, but are under no obligation to contribute regularly.

Is there any way I can be a part of ShoujoStation without writing articles?

At the moment we're not looking for other members outside of the writing staff, but in the future as the directory grows large we'll be grateful for volunteers to do link maintenance such as sorting through new links or checking for dead ones. We'll keep you posted!

Can I suggest an article topic?

You're sure welcome to try if you have an idea for a tutorial, editorial, webtrend article, or anime to review. Just send it to us through the feedback form and we'll take a look at it. Don't be offended if we don't take the suggestion immediately or at all. We still appreciate your input, but it just didn't work with us at the moment.

Why does it sometimes take a long time to update your directory?

We're normally pretty good about updating, but you do have to realize that the staff is full of young people who have high school and university to attend, and sometimes updating just takes a back seat to real life. If your link isn't added to the directory within a week, don't worry! We still have your submission, and it will get listed as soon as we can get it done.

Are you accepting site affiliations?

Yes, ShoujoStation is currently looking for good affiliate sites. We won't accept just any site, though -- we expect a good site that offers something to the anime community (resource sites, other link directories, tutorial sites, things like that). If you think your site is a good candidate to be affiliated with SScom, contact us!

What's your policy on content theft or plagiarism?

Any site that is found guilty of image/content theft will immediately have their links deleted from the directory -- not just the offending site, but any other sites that are made by that person. Both the owner of the copied site and the copier will be notified, and the plagiarizer will not be able to submit sites to SScom in the future. SScom takes a firm stand against plagiarism of any kind, and we want our directory to be free of theft and stolen content.

If you happen to find a site that is plagiarizing from another site, let us know via the feedback form. If possible, please also send any other corroborating evidence (screencaps, etc). We will not act on an accusation, unless there is clear proof.

Should both the copier and the owner of the site that was copied somehow work things out (honest mistakes do happen), all we need is an email from the owner of the site that was copied, letting us know that things are all right -- then, the former copier may once again submit sites to SScom.

Want some further clarification? Let us know.

What's your policy on temporarily closed sites?

When we've noticed that a link has been down for some time (ie: over two weeks), we generally start considering deleting the link. There's any number of reasons why a site may be closed or down, and some of them are good reasons. In the case of sites that are moving, you can submit your new url, and all will be well.

Sites that are down due to bandwidth consumption, moving servers, or other technical problems are good reasons, and we treat each case differently. In most cases, we'll just leave the link there, and keep an eye on it. If the site is still down after a long period of time (ie: a month or more), we may delete the link.

When a site is placed on hiatus (for whatever reason), as long as there is a way to access the existing site, the site isn't considered on hiatus. Just because something isn't being updated doesn't mean we'll delete it. You can go ahead and place a hiatus notice on the index, so long as you provide a way to access the actual site. Sites that are no longer being updated (but are still up and accessible) will not be deleted.

Basically, as long as we can access the site, it's still good. But if we can't access the site (or if there's nothing there), and it's been that way for a certain period of time, we may delete it. You can always resubmit your link, if we happened to delete you by accident.

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