User:Dream Focus/411mania

411mania is a pop-culture website located at 411mania.com covering "hot topics" in movies, television, music, pro-wrestling, politics, sports, video games, and more. The site dates back to August of 1996 and is independently owned by founder Ashish Pabari. The site's reach makes it one of the larger independently owned media websites currently on the internet.

411mania is often considered to be one of the more influential pro-wrestling media outlets in terms of actually having an impact on the industry and specifically World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in terms of the storylines and booking of wrestlers and matches. Several notable pro-wrestlers and pro-wrestling executives have gotten into online feuds with 411mania writers over the years.

411mania is also currently regarded as one the most powerful members of the Internet Wrestling Community (IWC) due to its extremely large and influential pro-wrestling section ("zone").

The site is often credited with originally developing their current pop-culture format which has since been copied and spun-off on several other websites.

The site promotes a "rebel" image among its columnists who are mostly aspiring writers and/or college students. Due to no significant corporate influence, the site can generally get away with posting whatever it sees fit. Past writers have included author Scott Keith.

The site also houses a large online forum community approaching 10,000 registered members.

411mania consists of six core areas or "zones"; Movies, Music, Wrestling, Politics, Sports, and Forums. Each zone features news updates, news reports, columns, reviews, and more.

As of June 2006, 411mania claimed four million unique visitors and nearly 20 million impressions per month.

411mania survives almost exclusively off of ad sales.

Brief History

411mania started as 411wrestling slightly prior to the boom in pro-wrestling interest during the late 1990s. The site grew to become one of the larger pro-wrestling websites on the internet during the dotcom boom of the late 1990s, competing mainly with SCOOPS Wrestling. The two sites had a brief period where they competed for writers and influence in the industry, as well as getting signs on air during major pro-wrestling events. From 1997 to 1999, signs reading "411" and "SCOOPS" were seen weekly on pro-wrestling TV shows such as WWE RAW on USA Network and WCW Monday Night Nitro on Turner Network Television (TNT).

After the dotcom bubble burst in 2001, 411wrestling and most of its competitors lost significant portions of their revenue streams due to a sudden global lack of confidence in the effectiveness of internet advertising, specifically in the oversaturated pro-wrestling sector. Pro-wrestling, a trendy pop-culture phenomenon in the late 1990s, also lost popularity during 2001 and 2002.

Following in the footsteps of SCOOPS, 411wrestling shifted their core focus in 2002 from pro-wrestling only, adding sections for video games and action figures. The move was mostly met with negative criticism from readers. SCOOPS had tried a similar approach to branching out from pro-wrestling in 2001. Their attempt ended up being a failure and the site eventually stopped operations completely.

Despite criticism, 411wrestling continued to expand out of the pro-wrestling area and by 2003 had established sections in movies, music, television, video games, action figures, comics, politics, and pro-wrestling. The site also re-launched in 2003 as 411mania, a more mainstream-acceptable name.

The resurgence of internet advertising in 2003 also helped 411mania's expansion, allowing for expanded operations and coverage that otherwise would not have been possible.

In 2003, 411mania received global publicity after the site was involved in an elaborate prank on rock band Metallica. The prank received publicity on MTV, VH1, CNBC, and other mainstream outlets. Coverage of the prank was removed after Metallica threatened a lawsuit against the site.

In 2004, 411mania again reshuffled the site structure after the departure of several older writers.

Pro-wrestling remains 411mania's main focus, followed by movies and music.

Site traffic reached record levels in April of 2006. Traffic in general is extremely cyclical, usually peaking during March and April of each year, corresponding with the interest in the WWE WrestleMania event that take place around that time.

411mania Impact

Main article: Internet Wrestling Community

In 2005, WWE created a storyline based on reality between pro-wrestlers Matt Hardy and Edge that was in some ways forced onto them by the internet and websites like 411mania which had exposed the real life problems between Hardy and Edge. Matt Hardy actually got into an online feud with a 411mania writer months before the storyline began.

In general, pro-wrestling organizations following 1997 accepted the role of pro-wrestling newsletters and websites like 411mania into how they booked their wrestlers and storylines. Even WWE has learned to accept this. Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) is often thought to have been supported almost exclusively by smart fans. The promotion secured a national TV deal and PPV deals from groundswell support from the IWC and in return, ECW provided them with a product tailored almost exclusively to their interests and knowledge base. ECW has thanked 411mania on air for past support. Total Nonstop Wrestling (TNA), considered to be the closest thing to a present major North American competitor to WWE, has also thanked 411mania during Pay Per View broadcasts for past support.

Site Editors

• Ashish Pabari - Founder, Editorial Manager
• Larry Csonka - Editor, Pro-Wrestling
• Leonard Hayhurst - Editor, Movies/TV
• Brandon Ratliff - Editor, Music
• Jason Easley - Editor, Politics
• Scott Rutherford - Editor, Sports
• Mike Watters - Administrator, Forums