BoyLinks

Template:FSBoyLinks is an index of Web sites of interest to boylovers. Links are sorted into categories ranging from community sites and personal sites to sites on literature and movies. BoyLinks worked together with BoyChat and FPC when Free Spirits was formed and has been a Free Spirits resource ever since. Individuals can submit links for inclusion in the index, but because every link is checked for allowable content, the submission process is not automated. The database is updated with new links on the first day of each month.

BoyLinks has always been the most popular Free Spirits resource, seeing approximately three times as many visitors as BoyChat every day.

History

BoyLinks was founded and hosted by Accord in 1996, growing out of his interest in boy actors. To create BoyLinks, Accord expanded a project he had been working on to compile links to boy actor web sites. Accord and Sean007 were friends and Sean helped Accord set up the BoyLinks site on Digiweb, where BoyChat was also hosted.

After Digiweb dropped BoyLinks, Jimf3 asked Accord to join the BoyChat Steering Committee and secured his permission to salvage BoyLinks and host it as an adjunct resource to BoyChat. Sensitive Stephen took the bull by the horns and set up BoyLinks on the new server. He acted as webmaster of BoyLinks for a couple of years and formulated most of the policies and procedures that remain in place today. Kabouter took over from Stephen as the next webmaster of BoyLinks.

Advertising

Free Spirits attempted on at least two occassions to use BoyLinks to raise money. The site garners a large number of visitors - more than all other FS resources combined. In the summer of 1999, Jimf3 signed the site up for banner advertising with a major Internet ad service. The account earned more than 50 USD a day for the couple of weeks that it remained active. Had such revenue been realized, ads on BoyLinks would have paid for all of Free Spirits' activities and allowed a surplus fund to be used for other purposes. The ad service, however, pulled the account and notified Free Spirits that as customers objected to being linked from the site, FS would not be permitted to advertise with them.

The other attempt was more targeted. Two legitimate, commercial sites which sold items likely to interest BLs were already listed on BoyLinks by 1998 when they were approached and asked if they would like to pay for more prominent placement or for banner ads. One such site was enthusiastic about the offer and accepted, paying a monthly fee for several years - sometimes for banner ads and sometimes just for prominent placement, depending on budget constraints.

List of BoyLinks webmasters

• Accord (1996 - 1997)
• Sensitive Stephen (1997 - ?1999)
• Kabouter (1999 - unknown)
• Anonymous BLinker (February 2000 - 31 July 2001)
• ReTeIp (1 August 2001 - present)

External links

• BoyLinks (https link)
• "BoyLinks" (Original BoyWiki Article)