Editing Fansite (section)

==Motivations==
A study<ref name=Amberlight>{{cite web|url=http://www.amber-light.co.uk/resources/whitepapers/designing_fan_services.pdf |title=Fan Psychology: Designing Effective Fans Services Online (Whitepaper) |access-date=2008-09-18 |publisher=[[Amberlight Human Computer Interactions]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070125215340/http://www.amber-light.co.uk/resources/whitepapers/designing_fan_services.pdf |archive-date=25 January 2007 }}</ref> suggests that unofficial fansites are often built as an alternative to the "hard sell" approach of official fansites that carry commercial messages. A classification system developed by Wann<ref>Wann, D. L. Schrader, M. P. Wilson, A. M (1999) Sports fan motivation: questionnaire validation, comparisons by sport, and relationship to athletic motivation Journal of Sport
Behavior (JSB), 22(1), 114–139.</ref> breaks down eight motives of fandom. These motives, particularly those related to group affiliation and self-esteem, are a driving factor in the creation of unofficial fan sites.

Satisfying the social psychology needs of group affiliation and self-esteem by visiting fansites, and, in particular, participating in the [[online community|community]] aspects of fansites, appear to serve to increase [[fan (person)|fan]] behavior.<ref name=Amberlight />

Research on interpersonal attraction indicates that people generally prefer to socialize with those who are similar to them.<ref>Rubin, Z. (1973). Liking and loving. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.</ref> For example, sports fans fulfill this need by attending sporting events in person. In the online world, fans fulfill this need by building or participating in online fansites.

Many fans prefer to visit unofficial fansites for fan-related services,<ref name=Amberlight /> but still prefer an official fansite as the primary source for accurate information since it affords the closest affiliation with the target itself.