The Lost Interview with DarkUFO

TLI: Why do you like Lost so much?
Really a combination of the story, the characters, the writing and the acting. I think if any of those were weak it would not have held my interest for so long.

TLI: How did you come up with the idea to start DarkUFO?
I started posting spoilers over at the IMDB Boards back between the S1 and S2 Hiatus, at the same time I started to collate a list of the outstanding mysteries on a little blog. We also started posting some screencaps and easter eggs as well on Lost so it was a natural progression to start linking these pages together on the blog. Since then it has grown as we included more and more sections.

TLI: Why is Lost the number one series to make a fan site for?
Hmm good question. Again I think it's a combination, of the Internet Age we live in, the way the show captured our imagination and all the mysteries easter eggs they put into the show. But the no.1 reason is the fans, without the fans participating and contributing to the sites it would simply not be what it is.

TLI: How many hours do you spend in front of your PC screen daily?
Ha! far too long. It ranges, the day after an episode airs it can be up to 16 hrs. Normally I try not to spend more than 8 hrs a day on the screen. I will take breaks, sit in the garden when it's not raining, do a quick workout on the excercise bike or go grab a beer or 10

TLI: Can moderating brighten or ruin your day based on the comments that you read?
Great question. If I'd been running this site 15 years ago I migth have said yes to a day being ruined but I'm pretty thick skinned these days and comments don't affect me personally at all. What I do find upsetting is when people post overly and non-constructive critisim of others peoples hard work, be it a Theory, Poll, Fan Fiction etc. You tend to find these people never compliment or contribute so I just ignore them.
As for the other side of the coin, yes, nice comments and emails really make a difference.

TLI: Besides people posting spoilers in non-spoiler sections or the bad comments, what’s your least favorite part about managing DarkUFO?
I think the hardest part is the time difference here in the UK and US when the show is on. Having to stay up to 5:00am on Wednesday/Thursdays is a bit draining but apart from that I cannot really complain about anything.

TLI: Which question do people ask you the most?
There are 2 or 3. 1) Is LOSTFAN108 coming back 2) What time is LOST on in [insert country here] 3) What does DarkUFO stand for

TLI: What has been your favorite or most memorable part of running your blog?
At last an easy question! The community of people I've met and had the pleasure to work. There are far to many to name here but they know who they are.

TLI: At what point did you realize that you were going to have to make the site massive, and devote a lot of time to it?
I've never really thought of that, nice question. I don't think there was ever that "lightbulb" moment when I woke up and thought.. shit I need more time. I think it was more a gradual progression. As the site got more popular I spent more time on it and the more time I spent the more popular it became.

TLI: What are your top 5 favorite sections on your own blog?
LOL tough one. Ok, lets see. 1) Spoilers 2) Screencaps, 3) Homepage, 4) Theories, 5) Continuity

TLI: And which part of your blog don’t you like?
The only part that never really work was the Connections section (now removed). After Season 3 is was not really relevant and was too time consuming to try and update.

TLI: What is your favorite spoiler you posted from season 1 till season 5 episode 13?
For me it was the very first spoiler I posted which was a full synopsis of Desmond in the Hatch over at IMDB. Most people thought I was crazy or a troll :) I wish I had saved that thread (now deleted) as it was hilarious.

TLI: How did you “meet” your sources and why do they help you so much?
I think without question they all contact me. It's a chicken and egg sort of thing. As the spoiler section grew and got more well known, it got observed by various people involved with Lost from the writers, set/crew, people on the island, ABC post production and they saw that I was someone they could trust to contact and not reveal their identity etc.
As for why they help, I've no idea to be honest. Some people just like sharing what they know, and I'm glad they do.

TLI: Have you ever had any warnings from Disney or ABC for posting certain spoilers?
Never for spoilers, I once received a fake DMCA takedown notice from ABC for the Eggtown spoilers but when I investigated it appears that it was sent using a fake emailer.
The only items we've had to remove are the HQ Promotional Photos. As soon as ABC ask me to remove something I will.
To this date they have never asked for any spoiler to be removed.

TLI: How would you describe LostFan108?
Brave or Stupid. Risking his job to reveal spoilers is going too far.

TLI: Why do you think your blog is so successful?
Who knows to be honest. Probably a combination of hard work, time dedicated to running it, an awesome bunch of helpers, users/readers who take the time to sumbit so much info to us, and a HUGE slice of good old fashioned luck.

TLI: Have you ever been approached in real life because they recognized you?
Not for the blog no. I used to be in a Band back in the 90's and got recognised a few times .. it's actually quite embarassing when it happens.

TLI: Did you ever consider to quit with DarkUFO or asking someone else to manage it?
No although with my good friend The ODI we share a bit of the workload,especially when I'm on vacation of when I'm asleep and any breaking news/spoilers etc develop.

TLI: Besides your own, what is your favorite Lost fan site?
For the last 2 years I've hardly visited another Lost site, not becuase there are not 100's of great sites out there but simply because I don't have the time to participate and join in myself.
The only site that I visit a lot is Lostpedia which I use to check facts/easter eggs etc
Note: I have about 50 Lost sites in my RSS feed reader which I skim through each morning checking for any new info/spoilers/stories etc

TLI: What are you favorite character, episode and season?
At the time of writing this.
Episode: The Man Behind the Curtain
Season: 5
Character: Ben

TLI: What will you do when Lost ends? Will you maintain the site for discussion and if so, for how long?
Probably have a nice vacation :)
I'll keep the site up and I suspect for about 6 months or so there will still be some activity with various Polls, Cups, competitions etc as well as info on the S6 Soundtrack/DVD and Series box sets etc.
After that the site will be kept for as long as I'm around and Google/Blogger are around. I've zero plans to take it down.
I also hope to continue running SpoilerTV and hope that another show comes along to capture my attention.

TLI: Thank you so much for taking the time for this interview! What would you say to all the fans who read it?
Thank you and thanks to all the readers who read my ramblings and thanks for all the support in running the site, without the readers the site would not exist as it does today.