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Welcome, traveller, to Outpost Zeta One!

This is a web clique themed after Star Trek. Anyone with a personal website can apply to join the clique to be listed here as a regular visitor to Outpost Zeta One, and therefore let their website be discovered by others in the Trek fandom.

What Is A Web Clique?

In Ye Olde Days before search engines were incredibly useful and social media practically collected all people on the web into their neat little boxes, discoverability was one of the biggest issues for a fledgling web user. Anyone could have their own snazzy website: but who would click on and read through it? Where would they even stumble upon it? That is where several community strategies were developed to make likeminded people discoverable among each other. One such idea was that of a webring, a "ring" of websites each linking to the previous and next link in the chain until it all wrapped around. Another idea was that of a fanlisting, where anyone could apply to be included in a list of "fans" about a subject, including ways to contact them on early social media, via e-mail or otherwise.

A web clique on the other hand is a loose community of people who opt to be included in a list with their website, and also at the same time link back to the entire clique on their site. It is similar to a fanlisting, but with the requirement of having your own website, driving more traffic both ways instead of just being a directory of people. Often, members of a clique can additionally customize their entry in some way: like "claim cliques", which are usually (but not always) fandom-focused cliques where each member "claims" a character or thing for themselves, and nobody else can pick them: like a canon character, or a guardian deity for their site, or something more abstract like a color or a smell. The choice is then both displayed on their website and on the clique page itself.

A web clique therefore is both a vehicle for discovering your website, a loose community, and a way to express yourself in relation to one of your hobbies, interests or fandoms.

Outpost Zeta One

Outpost Zeta One (ζΑ) is a Federation space station that primarily serves as a communication array. However, due to a bizarre project by an eccentric Vulcan proprietor called Maruk, Zeta One or more specifically, his all-in-one dance club, café, bar and recreational center "Maruk's", has earned quite the reputation of being a hidden gem for spacefarers of all creeds to socialize in. In and around Maruk's, anyone is welcome, no matter the species, heritage, job, allegiance or criminal record; as long as they leave their differences at the doorstep. An unspoken rule states that Zeta One is neutral ground, even in times of crisis and war; making it an underground hangout spot for all kinds of unlikely friends, and one of the few safe spaces in the quadrant.

On Outpost Zeta One, you can register as a regular: just submit your name, ship and ship class to the station recordkeeper.

Rules

  1. You must have a personal website in order to join Outpost Zeta One. This only includes sites you have direct control over the (X)HTML for, therefore excluding social media profiles or theme-based blogs such as Wordpress. (Using Neocities or similar website hosters is fine, as long as you are able to edit your own site's source.)
  2. Your website may not advocate for any hateful or bigoted ideas.
  3. You cannot remove the link/acknowledgement from your website, that defeats the purpose and you'll get removed from the clique until you re-add it.
  4. NSFW content on your site is fine, but it will be marked as such in the members' list.
  5. Your website does not have to be about Star Trek; it's of course a big plus, but not a requirement.
  6. Your claimed spaceship and commander's names have to be unique, but everything else is free game, including picking a ship of a class that someone else already has.
  7. You can claim canon characters and ships, but remember that it locks them for everyone else.

How To Join

Your character wants to become a registered regular at Outpost Zeta One? Just send me an e-mail containing the following:

Before sending that e-mail, make sure your website already contains a link back to the clique. You can choose any format, as long as it links back here, including images! It's encouraged to also mention your character and ship name for some creative self expression. See below for some examples:

Feel free to invent your own format, or get all creative with it! Put Star Trek-related graphics or badges around it or in its place, or throw pictures of your character or ship on your site. Or perhaps submit your whole Star Trek shrine or fansite to the clique!

Changelog / Who Is New

Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan site is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial website intended for recreational use. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures.