Posted by Geocities was more than just a collection of various websites, it was a deeply connected network of communities comprised of like-minded individuals exploring a new way to share their interests. There are many different types of neighborhoods that appeal to various kinds of people from all around the globe. It should come as no surprise, then, that upon entering the Colosseum, the sports and rec neighborhood, it doesn’t take long to find many pages dedicated to the one interest every Canadian citizen shares, hockey. One such site, and the topic for this analysis, was created by Rob Mills with assistance from Chris Clow, two hockey officials who jointly made The Hockey Referee’s Home Page.
This site was initially launched in 1997, but it was later revamped and republished in 2000 with a few updated features and a slightly adjusted look. At its core, the site functioned as a place where referees could come together and ask questions, share experiences, and otherwise learn from each other in a locale that had not previously existed online. The immense multitude of entries into the “old” guestbook, as it was called after the 2000 revamp of the site, displays that the site was accessed by many people, ranging far and wide. Even though a large portion of the information published was targeted towards the Ontario Hockey Association, the organization in which Mills worked, people were using the site from different parts of Canada, with different hockey organizations, and even U.S. enthusiasts and referees got involved as evidence by this “new” Guestbook entry from a user in Alaska:
(Image taken from Wayback Machine capture of the GeoCities page)
It is important to emphasize again the deeply personal nature of the website that Mills created. This was a place for people to truly feel welcome to connect, share, and if all goes well, leave being a better referee, or at the very least more knowledgeable about the game of hockey. Users can clearly see this in the dedication made at the bottom of the page, which dedicates the page to the memory of his father and highlights the professionalism, integrity, and dedication that he hopes to create, with a little humor sprinkled in.
(Image taken from Wayback Machine capture of the GeoCities page)
It can also be seen in the way Mills interacts with his community. The Q/A section of the site, which is updated so often that multiple versions have to be looked through to find new information, displays the dedication Mills showed to creating his vision for the site and following the standards his dad laid out for him. One of the easiest examples to find is in a version of the website from 1999, where he is answering a question that was made by a 15-year-old player/ref asking about a goal he scored in a playoff game a few days prior:
(Image taken from Wayback Machine capture of the GeoCities page)
Mills politely answers the kid, stating that he got lucky that the goal counted, and citing the specific rule that would have disallowed the goal had it been considered at the time. What he never does, however, is bash the refs involved or fault them for making the wrong call, and he also doesn’t undermine the youth and experience of the person by faulting the young referee for not knowing the rules either. To consumers, he is not only adding credibility to the site through his ability to pull specific rules from a book of thousands, but he is also reaffirming the community-like identity of his site through the tone of the writing and the way he expresses himself. Additionally, Mills also includes images of himself and the other refs involved with the page, further creating a personal connection between the producers and consumers of content on the site, also conveniently providing a perfect look into refereeing twenty-five years ago as well.
In terms of the site’s design itself, it is incredibly easy to navigate and find the information you desire. Aside from the title and graphic on the front page, as previously shown above, there is a series of hyperlinks, each to the different pages previously discussed, flowed by another graphic and the dedication to Mills’ father. This makes less techy-savvy users more comfortable accessing and navigating around the site, meaning that consumption is not limited to those with experience on the web. The site also very helpfully links a variety of other hockey-related GeoCities pages that not only provide a convenient way for those who like hockey to find more sites they would enjoy but also continue to build this wholesome community that Mills seems to want consumers to enjoy.
Upon first glance, the crazy amount of information that has been placed in various locations on The Hockey Referee’s Home Page GeoCities site may seem like it is just a place for current referees to go and search for answers to any specific refereeing concerns they may have. However, when you take the time to explore the site and really experience all it has to offer, it is clear that when Rob Mills and his friends created the page, they did so intending to make it a community for consumers. From youth referees to plain, old hockey enthusiasts, and even to those working on school projects, this site is a place they can go with any degree of knowledge and still feel welcome to share their thoughts and questions, or simply learn something new. In this sense, there is little difference between those who produce and those who consume information on the site as everyone’s goal is to cooperate and make the world of hockey just a little bit bigger and better.
Works Cited
Mills, Rob. The Hockey Referee’s Home Page. Rob Mills, 1997, web.archive.org/web/19990209135648/www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Field/1251/. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.
Internet Archive. “Wayback Machine.” Archive.org, 2019, web.archive.org/.
Cultural History of the Internet 