Website Reveal!

November 2016:Combined FC Logos

Welcome to your new website!  In this area of tiles you will find the latest news which will be updated regularly.  Go ahead and click on a tile title to see more information!

Now keep reading to hear the rest of the story…….When our presence first appeared on the web back in 1995, we didn’t realize we were some of the pioneers. Initially, we had only 2 pages.  Then things took off quickly.  However, in the recent past the content has been rather limited because of the way it was developed.  That’s the way it had been for a long time.

It’s time for a change.

And so…that change is here.  Our new web site revealed.

What’s different?  There’s new functionality, and there’s a new direction.  The old site was about the artist.  The new site is for you…the Fans.  You may find some rough edges.  It might be bumpy ’till we get all the kinks worked out and finish our never ending photo galleries!  We’ll smooth all that out.  Just hang in there with us!

This website took us 5 times longer than we anticipated to develop.  We’ve learned so much and have had fun getting it ready for you. So please, get your favorite beverage, sit back and take a stroll through these new pages – your new pages.  Enjoy!

Joe Cross & Maria Hannam
The Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo Fan Club

 

 

Some History

(the long-winded version)

When our site was first put on the web in 1995, it consisted of two pages:  one with an image and some notes identifying it as “The Pat Benatar Online Fan Club”; the other with news, which there wasn’t much of.  We listed the limited tour information we could glean from our small but motivated membership.  There were a few notes from press releases and news articles, which were infrequent.  Our logo was an image based on the shield from the “Wide Awake in Dreamland” album.  The background was white because all backgrounds were white, as there was no way to change them back then.  We had little to work with.  We all used a web browser named Mosaic.  Netscape didn’t exist yet.  Joe edited the HTML code using Notepad.  That’s right…notepad.

The web developed quickly.  Netscape came along, editing tools became available and the capabilities of browsers expanded.  Things took off at a fast pace.  Amid all that change, we didn’t realize we were some of the pioneers.

In 2014, Joe brought Maria in to help the Fan Club carry on into the future. They both quickly realized having her learn HTML wasn’t the way to go.  It would be a long learning curve (and let’s face it…. impossible! – MDH)  We also needed to expand our capabilities to support the various types of devices being used to view content – tablets, smartphones, etc.  And…the site just needed a general overhaul to become more modern and functional.

The site has been redesigned.  You’ll find just about all of the same information and more presented in a more efficient, artistic way.  The home page is full of tiles that bring you to the latest news and blog entries.  The tour schedule is in a new calendar format that will be familiar to you and more capable. Where the old site was only about the artist, the new site is specifically for the Fans.  You’ll not only be able to add your comments to posts, but also share your thoughts and experiences with others in the members area.  We invite you to contribute photos and stories for others to enjoy.

Some thanks are in order:

Joe:   Maria did a fantastic job in finding someone to redesign the site for us.  She has been a great collaborator, coming up with new ideas and new approaches that I think you’re really going to like.  She’s pushed this old guy to accept things new and novel that I wouldn’t have had the ambition to do on my own.  It gives me a great deal of comfort knowing someone can carry on with this activity as far into the future as there is an internet!  It’s been a learning experience for all of us.  Maria has gained an appreciation for what it took to build this site from the ground up.  She has taken that challenge and almost single-handedly created what you see here by entering all the information and formatting the content for the new design.  We are all in her debt.

We’ve mentioned being pioneers several places on this page.  Our experience in creating this site has further proved the old adage about how you can tell who the pioneers are in the room.  They’re the ones with the arrows in their backs.  We’ll take that as a compliment.  We made just about every mistake there was to be made in creating this new look.  Things worth doing never happen without a little pain being involved.

Maria:  Joe has had the patience of a saint to even consider working with me. While I have lots of new ideas, I don’t always understand the full scope of what’s actually possible.  We both learned to dream big, but then be realistic!  I’d like to thank Joe for believing in me despite my rough edges.   As fans ourselves, Joe and I feel our perspectives help us to bring a unique website with information that all fans can appreciate.  I’d also like to thank all of YOU for coming this way. And of course to Pat & Neil, who have made all this possible . Thanks for supporting the Fan Club all these years! 

Read here about the beginning of the Online Fan Club.

 

 

 

7 comments on “Website Reveal!
  1. Andrea says:

    I love the new site!

  2. Katherine says:

    Greetings Pat and Spider from Canada

  3. LESLEE Toliver says:

    Keep rockin!!! We love you

  4. Rick Sarmiento says:

    Great website. Keep on Rockin!

  5. Barbara Glenn says:

    I was a teenager rockin to your music in the 80’s. I still listen to it today. Your music speaks to my soul. Love you Pat!

  6. Cherre says:

    Pat ur the best, have always loved ur music.from arizona. Rock on.

  7. benatarfanclub says:

    Join our Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/226185757416614/

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