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w-inds.swept United - The Name

The name of the fanclub is w-inds.swept United because that is what we are--windswept and united ^-^v. The name w-inds.swept was agreed upon by the original planning and development team for the fanclub. The United was added after we merged with the unofficial fan club w-inds. Group United.

Club Visions

The visions for this fanclub are as follows:
» To support w-inds. from North America.
» To keep English-speaking w-inds. fans updated on w-inds. news.
» To provide a means for fanclub members to meet other fans in their local area.
» To encourage friendship between North American w-inds. fans and w-inds. fans from countries around the world.
» To promote w-inds. and to increase their popularity in North America.
» To help members have the oppurtunity to see w-inds. live either in Japan or in North America.
» To bring w-inds. to North America one day.

FAQ

Q: Is this w-inds. fan club official?
A: We are an unofficial fan club, but we have been organizing projects since summer 2006 to let w-inds. and their staff know that they have an unofficial fan club supporting them all the way from North America. We are not officially affiliated with Vision Factory, but w-inds. staff know about us.

Q: Can I register for the club forums even if I am not from North America?
A: Any w-inds. fan from any country is welcomed to register for our forums as long as you are willing to be friends with North American w-inds. fans and you can communicate a little in English, the language used in our forums.

Q: Who can join w-inds.swept United fan club?
A: Any w-inds. fan who is interested in supporting w-inds. from North America is encouraged to join our fan club by filling out a join form. If you are not sure whether or not you should fill out the join form for this club, just ask yourself: If w-inds. were performing live anywhere in North America, will I go to watch them? If you answered yes, then you should join this fan club.

Q: What does w-inds.swept United do?
A: By joining w-inds.swept United and participating in our projects, you are helping to further the message that w-inds. have many supporters in North America. The club forums provide a means for North American w-inds. fans to meet one another. We will also hold fun activities which all the members can participate in. Finally, our forums is a way for English speaking fans to keep up to date with w-inds. news.

Q: Do I have to go to every meet-up or participate in every project organized through w-inds.swept United?
A: You are free to choose which meet-ups or projects you want to participate in, if any. Nothing is required. However, we do ask you to consider participating in the projects organized through this club because if more members participate, w-inds. will be aware of more fans from North America . Also, if w-inds. fans in North America are not even willing to show their support for w-inds. in little ways, such as participating in the club projects, how will w-inds. know that their fans will care enough to go to their concert if w-inds. do come to North America?

Q: Do I need to pay membership fees?
A: As of now, membership is completely free. However, we do request that members give back to the club by sharing any w-inds. news or information which haven't been posted yet at our forums.

w-inds.swept United History

The idea for this fan club was first thought up by Jean(a.k.a. Natsuka) during one of the w-inds. concerts she attended with Bethany (sourangel) in Nagano City during w-inds. 2005 Ageha Tour (w-inds., if you are reading this, Bethany is the American fan who goes to all of your Sendai lives!). w-inds.day, the official w-inds. fanclub was recruiting new members, and not only was Jean successfully won over by the staff, but all of the propaganda they spewed for w-inds.day led to the formation of the earliest ideas for w-inds.swept, the unofficial North American w-inds. fanclub. Jean also borrowed ideas from her participation in various North American based fan communities, such as w-inds. Family in 2002-2003 on Xanga and AoL Instant Messaging. The earliest ideas of local fan meet-ups were inspired by the example set by the unofficial Thai fan club over at Vivid w-inds. back in 2002.

The idea for the fanclub was put on hold for awhile. However, after meeting up with Alice, a Ryohei fan and long lost childhood friend, as well as Teresa (a.k.a. Mikan), a fellow Keita Tachibana fan, in the San Francisco area during January 2006, Jean felt that other North American w-inds. fans should also have the oppurtunity to hang out with each other. After a long period of coordination with Bethany and Teresa about both plans for the fanclub and plans to attend w-inds. 2006 concert tour together, this fanclub finally became a reality.

The domain www.w-inds.ws on purchased on May 26, 2006 (Jean first became a w-inds. fan on May 26, 2001). The first ad for the fanclub went live on www.w-inds.ws on June 6, 2006. However, the actual club site and the join form were not opened until July 4, 2006. Within the first 2 weeks of the club's existence, membership surpassed 100. And at 2006 w-inds. concerts in both Sendai and Nagano, Jean and Teresa gave presents made by the members of w-inds.swept on behalf of the club to each member of w-inds. These presents included CDs of w-inds. songs recorded by w-inds.swept members, as well as a booklet about w-inds.swept and a list of the members in w-inds.swept.

In late 2006, Jean met up with Yuichi, the founder of w-inds. Group United. Because both groups were aiming towards the same goals of supporting w-inds. from North America and requesting for w-inds. to have a concert in North America, Jean and Yuichi felt it would be best to combine forces by merging the two clubs together. [History of W.G.U. coming soon...]

In early 2007, the club went into a bit of a hiatus as staff members became busy with real life. After returning from the w-inds. concerts in Japan this summer, a team of mostly new staff members began working to improve w-inds.swept United.