Build a Website

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Create a custom web site for your marathon if at all possible. This helps in several ways. First, you have a place to post all of the fan art, donor lists, games completed with their stats, FAQ, etc. It's also very easy to embed the Ustream (or whatever streaming site you use) feed and chat into the front page of your website which is easier for people to watch. Secondly, choose a simple domain name people can remember if they want to return later. For example, it's much easier to remember mariomarathon.com than ustream.tv/channels/mario-marathon.

Try to create a professional looking web site if you have the resources. This gives your marathon a little more credibility since it shows that some time and planning was invested in the project. There's never a rush to get a marathon running, so spending time creating a nice website should always be possible. It also gives you an established space to build a reputation with and go back to if you ever decide to do more gaming marathons.

Be sure to include your video feed AND a chat client on your web site. The Chat provides a way for people to come together in support of the event and have a good time chatting to each other, or to you. This is easy to do with any streaming site as they provide codes to embed both the video and the chat which makes it a simple cut and paste job.

If you can't afford a domain name or even the simplest free website, Ustream or BlogTV pages are very customizable and will suffice if need be, but it does make the marathon seem less professional. But at least that is better than just using the stock Ustream page, which is a no-no. Think of your gaming marathon more as a brand of entertainment with your name on it rather than a one-off event, and show the best face possible to the community.