Where Have All the Good Disney Sites Gone?

Recently, I looked at my Internet viewing habits and wondered why I wasn't spending as much time on the various Disney-related websites that I used to visit each and every day. There was a time that I simply went from one bookmark to the next reading as much daily information as I could. Certainly, I don't have the time that I once had to dedicate to scouring the world wide web for nuggets of news but that wasn't the sole reason I wasn't viewing these sites anymore.

The truth is that many of the sites began to resemble one another with very little original content. The same news was reported and discussed ad naseum. When I first started looking at daily Disney sites, there were but a handful of them, but more and more continued to pop up, making it not only harder to keep up, but also making them all look more and more like each other. Some sites with discussion boards again had the same topics over and over - many times with the same poster, posting the same information on each site. Some boards were becoming too negative for my tastes, others were too cliquish. At least one site began offering so many ads that finding content was next to impossible. Plus, after years of reporting on many of the changes in the World of Disney, there wasn't as much to report on without the opening of new theme parks, etc.

I know I was suffering from this very burnout when trying to figure out what I wanted StartedByAMouse.com to be. The fact is that I didn't want to be just another Disney site and I wasn't going to be able to compete against some of the megasites that had larger staffs and more readers. There are posts on some of the discussion boards by average Joes that I would have made entire articles out of for posting here. As time has become a precious commodity that I no longer have much of, I've sincerely thought about closing the doors to this place for more than a year and a half.

But while I've kept pressing on, at an admittedly slower pace, one site this week decided to fold up shop after a recent server crash. MouseInfo.com has been around for about 10 years and was one of my favorite spots on my daily list years ago. Looking back on a review that I had once posted to this site about MouseInfo.com, I was impressed by its Disneyland Resort News & Information Updates, chats and discussion boards. Webmaster Michael McSparran seemed to be able to provide first-look scoops and the interaction between staff and readers was incredible.

Somehow, I'd drifted from frequenting the site in recent years. I'm not exactly sure why. More of the same, I guess. I don't think I loved a format change that had all the information served from their discussion boards rather than a dedicated website separate from the boards. Whatever the reason, MouseInfo.com's closure didn't affect me so much personally but did make me sad that a Disney site that I had once felt such a part of wasn't available anymore. Some of the site's members are working hard right now to take over the defunct site and get it back up and running again. I wish them luck since I know how hard it is to do and I understand the owners' decision not to continue with the venture.

Though I've decided to keep StartedByAMouse.com going for the time being, there might be some closures affecting this site as well. With little activity and too many would-be spammers requiring my administration, our own discussion boards may soon cease to see the light of day. We had a nice, little community even recently but there just isn't anyone talking so I may ax it. I never wanted my list of Disney links to be overwhelmed with commercial ventures such as travel agencies or services. I may get rid of a bunch that I deem unworthy, perhaps pulling the ability to submit sites and just going with a smaller, more intimate list of my favorite places. Sections of this site, such as Mousellany, hardly ever get updated so I may consolidate sections and have a more narrow focus going forward.

One of my "Flickr friends" recently left a comment on a photo saying, "thanks for bringing Disneyland close to me :)" It is this sentiment that makes me want to continue sharing my Disney experiences with others and continues to drive me to keep this site up and running. I'm sure there are many people who lament our lack of updates and may question where all the good Disney sites have gone as well. Hopefully, we're still here. We're just waiting for a little extra time in our day to return to greatness.

Matt