What makes a chess site popular?

That question might have been easier to answer a decade ago, but what with the proliferation of do-

it-yourself site building software - the complexity of the question has grown immensely.

Once protected by the need to understand CGI, HTML, XML and WXYZ (ok, that last one was a joke) the

once complacent chess site webmaster now finds himself in the middle of a feeding frenzy, with the

chess public demanding content - and the website master struggling to differentiate his site from

those of his competitors while providing it.

At its core - the game is the same. It's all about content - no doubt always will be. A website is

like a televsion channel - indeed it may BE a television channel - for the 21st century! More of us

can own one - but there is still the age old question of how to get the viewer to watch.

And here - is where things get tough for the chess site webmaster. Chess is chess. If it were new -

we might be able to say something fresh and exciting about the subject - but it is ages old - and

really - what hasn't been said?

Have there been any new wrinkles added to the game? Not really. The pieces have been re-designed,

chess pieces are now constructed from more esoteric materials, the computer has come along and

offered us a tireless ready-made opponent but the game itself? That has hardly changed at all!

Proliferation of chess sites is a good thing for the chess enthusiast, but proliferation of anything

makes a unique option hard to find. Because of the rigidity of the game, chess content is no longer

exclusive. Articles, reviews, etc can be found on any site because of RSS and other technologies.

Any site employing such solutions will offer the precise same content that your site does.

So what today represents a unique site?

Well, yes - content is still king (what's television without any programming?) - but today's chess

site has to be inclusive. By that - I mean that the site owners have to understand that content

alone won't get them there. Who really cares about a chess game played back in 1847 - no matter how

exciting the final 14 moves turned out to be! What can you offer to the player who is alive today?

What will excite them? How can you present the game of chess differently?

Chess-stack focuses on CHESS TRAINING thru personal improvement and offers content to support this

concept. We feel that this is unique content. One look at our front page should convince you that

this is true. But it is not enough. Examine the menu bar. Every item in that menu bar is meant to

offer you - the visitor - an experience that trancends content alone. Those menu items offer you a

place catch the latest chess news yes, but also daily world news, national news, even local news if

you wish.

Other items on the menu offer you the opportunity to be entertained, to shop for chess (and other

types of) equipment, even to send you off to other sites to do chess research or to play a game of

chess against an online chess engine - if that's where you want to go. It's all about what YOU want

- at any specific time. It's about entertaining YOUR whim - and any given moment. It's a chess gym

AND a chess amusement park - all in one.

We are not the only such site (check out our link pages) - although I am not aware of anyone else who

does the one-site-fits-all approach quite as well as chess-stack has. I don't care if you want to

hone your skills or just to take on a chess puzzle against your computer - you can do it on this

site.

But you can't spend your whole life on chess-stack (although that would be fine with me). When

visiting other sites - try and see if putting down roots there is worth your while. What does the

site offer beyond its core content?

Remember too that all sites won't lend itself to this concept as well as chess-stack. Because chess

-stack site is a gym, we can have many places to hang out. What kind of a gym has only a weight room

- and no squash courts?

Chess-Stack is only one kind of site. But if you like chess chat, you'll need another chess home for

that. If you like to read chess reviews - you'll need a home for that too. If you like delving in

chess databases - you'll need still another home.

Chess-stack can help you to find HOMES for these activities. Chess-stack offers links to all of

these sites in it's reference area (see the menu bar) and we thereby EASE the chore of finding a home

for these activities - so that you are not working with a blank slate.

Build your customized chess world using the chess-stack reference tools and then visit your

specialized home sites to conduct the activities themselves whenever you are in the mood. In this

way, the chess-stack site is able to offer you an expanded chess experience encompassing chess

activities that are offered in the chess world beyond the chess-stack site alone. We are able to

serve as a hub into the chess community at large!

So - as you can see - planning your online chess travels requires a bit of planning. That is true of

any really worthwhile endeavor. If you don't know where you are going - how will you know when you

get there?

Define your interests, use the chess-stack reference pages to map out a link strategy, visit some

sites and test your comfort level. Keep at it until you build yourself a macro strategy that will

keep you excited about chess.

You will play more often, you will enjoy your chess play more - and you will play stronger as a

result.

Good luck!