Big ole hug

[lettered]

*shakes fandom hard*

Don't you ever leave me, you fool, don't ever leave me!

*hugs fandom hard*

You. Hey you! Yes you, walkin' on by, thinking 'bout leaving all this behind. Why aren't you writing brow ridge fic?

*shakes fandom again, harder this time, jouncey trampoline grip I've got*

I love the Angel theme song. I love it like whoa. I heard it last night and I cried.

I don't cry much.

Comments

[darkapple.livejournal.com]

Please don't say the party's over! I just got here!

Actually, that's not true. I've been lurking for a year, but your post made me feel guilty for not standing up and being counted. People should do lurker days on their LJ's when they ask lurkers to sign in. It could give you a head count of how many people are really reading your journal. Could be a cheering number; and then again, you might find out there are only two lurkers hanging around your LJ like Ghost Dennis.

Slipping back into lurk mode... And yes, the music does give rise to crushing nostalgia.

[tkp.livejournal.com]

OMG HI! Hi hi hi!

I understand lurking, really, I do, but it's so nice to meet new people! So hi!

A couple months back there was a meme going around; you posted something in your journal and asked the lurkers to say hi. I didn't do it because I didn't think anyone lurked on my journal, and because if anyone did I thought they'd say hi if they wanted, you know? But, speaking just for yourself, would you rather be encouraged by someone to participate in fandom, or would you rather just be left alone?

I'm asking because I've been in lots of fandoms before, and I've always found it very hard to start up in a fandom, to get to know people and feel like you're one of those people whose fanfic people read and such. And because I've had such a sucky past with it I've been really thinking about starting a comm for newbies, where newbies all go and introduce themselves to each other, but also do stuff like post the fanfic they feel all weird about because it's their first ever and they're afraid they won't get fb, and also do stuff like discuss "how to get noticed in fandom." Not like I have all the answers, but discussion is good.

But the reason I haven't moved on the comm is because a. I find it hard to find new people, and b. do new people really *want* that kind of support system? Myself, when I was really new, I'd've blown it off. Well, I would've looked at it longingly, and thought, "I am too new and inexperienced to even join that comm." Anyway a comm like that might be one way to keep fandom vigorous because maybe more new people would join.

OMG I'm sorry I'm rambling. You bravely ventured forth from lurkdom and I like dumped all fandom woes at your feet and tried to make you carry them in a bag with holes in it and strange worms eating it. But hi! I'm glad you commented! And I'm glad you love fandom! *shakes your hand*

[darkapple.livejournal.com]

Hi, and thanks for the handshake!

Re your idea of a newbie comm… if you’re thinking of one for BtVS/AtS fandom, I’m not sure it would work. The fandom is populated by people with such divergent interests that I’m not sure a newbie group would necessarily help fans gain entry into whatever subset of fandom scratches their itch. My own interest, for example, is pretty much limited to Spike, and also pretty much limited to fiction that engages in serious analysis of his character and that’s written to a high standard. To find people with common interests, I just need to know my way around LJ.

That said… yes, it does feel difficult to get started in fandom, and to get to know people. LJ, is seems to me, generates a thousand shallow interactions for every serious conversation. It has a cocktail party atmosphere that favors breeziness and wit over deeper discussion. LJ as a medium creates an incredible number of doors into fandom, but it also shapes fandom’s culture in ways that are not altogether hospitable to people who aren’t glibly gregarious or already steeped in fannish ways. Of course, that is a different concern from your interest in what can be done within the LJ setting to ease the way for new fans.

So, whether other fans would find a newbie comm helpful, I couldn’t say. Maybe it would be just the springboard into fandom that some need.

At any rate, thanks again for the friendly hello, and I’ll continue to lurk on your LJ. It’s certainly one of the more interesting ones around. Probably I’ll even post something again eventually.

[tkp.livejournal.com]

I think you're right about the subset issues. That was one of the things that flummoxed me as well; most of the other fandoms I'd participated in before this one were either much smaller and without all these little sub groups, or were much more divided than even Jossverse is, and there was never this overall feel of interaction with people who's interests might be divergent from yours like you get here.

I know what you mean also about the difficulties of lj as a medium, but I'm not sure it's necessarily true that it doesn't favor those interested in deep discussion. I want to, and often do, use my own journal as a forum for fannish discussion, where we all really get into the meta of it (either of writing or canon or fandom itself), and for the most part I've had some fantastic results. People leave big long comments and sometimes we get into really interesting discussions in which we both learn a lot.

Thanks for your opinions, these are definitely big points to consider. And hi again, thanks for commenting, feel welcome to lurk and delurk as you please, and you won't find as much about Spike here as you might like, but you're always welcome in discussion!