I have been in various forms of fandom for more years than I care count. Ok I could count them but I don\u2019t want to.<\/p>\n
One thing that always seems to come into play is drama of one form or another. This happened before the Internet allowed it to be more a part of fandom all the time.<\/p>\n
As a young fan I learned various phrases like FIWOL (Fandom is a way of life) and SMOF (Secret Master of Fandom) and BNF (Big Named Fan). I also ran into some bigger than life personalities that left nothing but flotsam and jetsam in their wakes. <\/p>\n
I made mistakes and backed the wrong individuals who later proved to be anywhere from untrustworthy to dangerous. I admitted to those mistakes and move on. My BS radar got to be pretty good and after the Dr. Who incident, I am cautious about what I read and hear within a fandom. <\/p>\n
Having crossed the line from fan to pro, my activity in fandom changed. But I still observe from the outside. I don\u2019t comment much at all but like the Watcher, I watch what is going on. <\/p>\n
Occasionally I will do something behind the scenes but I don\u2019t say anything about it.<\/p>\n
I sometimes get frustrated. I can see where fandom is about to tear itself apart but I can\u2019t say anything or do anything because of who I have become. I also see individuals who are bad news hopping from fandom to fandom leaving a trail of figurative bodies behind them. <\/p>\n
Fandom can be inclusive and very much exclusive. I am cautious about groups that have an \u201cus vs. them\u201d attitude. But I also have trepidation about groups that bend over backwards to keep people in the fold that are hazardous to the group as a whole. <\/p>\n
There is a balance and many groups have struck that balance which is good. The fandoms that haven\u2019t done this and tend to eat their young are the ones that I try to avoid which can be harder when I have done something professionally that puts me on their radar. I am polite but keep my distance. <\/p>\n
There are times that I wish I could just open up and give some individuals both barrels and maybe save some people from the agony of dealing with the aftermath. But I also know that the Internet has a long collective memory as does fandom so I sit on the side and watch.<\/p>\n
I am grateful for fandoms that work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I have been in various forms of fandom for more years than I care count. Ok I could count them but I don\u2019t want to. One thing that always seems to come into play is drama of one form or another. This happened before the Internet allowed it to be more a part of fandom […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t