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taraljc's LJ got me thinking about what it takes to be considered part of a fandom. Now, as with a lot of things dealing with media and so forth, you're not really going to get any three people to agree on a single definition. But I'm going to throw one out there anyway.
First off, I'm talking now about specific fandoms, not generic ones. In other words, "comics fandom" is too broad to come under this definition, but "X-Men comics fandom" is borderline and "Pyro fandom" is definitely covered.
Second, this isn't meant to be a "fanlier than thou" measure. It's not to compare the fannishness of different people. Rather, it's intended to help people rank their own interests. Because, when you're a media geek, you probably LIKE a lot of stuff but reserve your LOVE for only a few.
For a given fandom, give yourself one point for each yes. 1-3 are about monetary outlay, 4-6 about creative stuff, 7-9 about the identity you craft for yourself in the fandom, and 10-12 about getting involved with the prodom in some respect.
1) I go out of my way to track down everything that can be bought in stores related to this fandom.
2) I have spent more on a single item related to this fandom than I spend on food in a month.
3) I spend more total on this fandom in a year than I spend on food.
4) I have written stories based on this fandom.
5) I have created visual art based on this fandom.
6) I have engaged in performance art based on this fandom (LARPing doesn't count, there has to be an audience).
7) My main online ID is taken from this fandom.
8) I have made a permanent or semi-permanent change to myself based on this fandom (for instance: tattoos, legally changed name).
9) I maintain a web presence of some sort (discussion board, review archive, gallery, etc) for this fandom, and invest money and/or significant time in it.
10) I have attended conventions dedicated to this fandom that required more than a day trip from me, or if they were local, I was part of the group running the convention.
11) Pros involved with the creation of the object of the fandom know me on sight. Bonus point if there's a restraining order.
12) I have done official, credited work for the object of the fandom, such as getting a research credit in a comic or appearing as an extra on a TV show. (Only count this if your involvement with the project came after you got interested in it as a fan.)
Okay, that seems like enough. Off the top of my head, I'm not sure where to draw the line between "casual interest" and "member of the fandom", bit given the extreme nature of most of these items, 3-4 is probably the dividing line. One or two can be flukes, after all (for instance, I've attended conventions for mainly social reasons, rather than because I was heavily into the topic of the convention), but once you've done three or four of the things on this list, you're probably Of The Fen. And some fandoms are harder to score in than others, especially focused fandoms that don't have conventions and have little to no merchandise.
For reference, I got a 6 for Transformers, and I'm pretty active in the fandom. #11 is a lot harder for Transformers than it is for, say, comics (a dozen or so comics pros know me on sight, for instance). On the other hand, I only have 1 point (2 if you're lenient) for Galaxy Rangers.
Later addition: I score 6 on Shadowfist (buy everything, stories, art, webpage, pros know me, I've been credited). I also score 2 for White Wolf games (11 and 12 only). :)
taraljc's LJ got me thinking about what it takes to be considered part of a fandom. Now, as with a lot of things dealing with media and so forth, you're not really going to get any three people to agree on a single definition. But I'm going to throw one out there anyway.First off, I'm talking now about specific fandoms, not generic ones. In other words, "comics fandom" is too broad to come under this definition, but "X-Men comics fandom" is borderline and "Pyro fandom" is definitely covered.
Second, this isn't meant to be a "fanlier than thou" measure. It's not to compare the fannishness of different people. Rather, it's intended to help people rank their own interests. Because, when you're a media geek, you probably LIKE a lot of stuff but reserve your LOVE for only a few.
For a given fandom, give yourself one point for each yes. 1-3 are about monetary outlay, 4-6 about creative stuff, 7-9 about the identity you craft for yourself in the fandom, and 10-12 about getting involved with the prodom in some respect.
1) I go out of my way to track down everything that can be bought in stores related to this fandom.
2) I have spent more on a single item related to this fandom than I spend on food in a month.
3) I spend more total on this fandom in a year than I spend on food.
4) I have written stories based on this fandom.
5) I have created visual art based on this fandom.
6) I have engaged in performance art based on this fandom (LARPing doesn't count, there has to be an audience).
7) My main online ID is taken from this fandom.
8) I have made a permanent or semi-permanent change to myself based on this fandom (for instance: tattoos, legally changed name).
9) I maintain a web presence of some sort (discussion board, review archive, gallery, etc) for this fandom, and invest money and/or significant time in it.
10) I have attended conventions dedicated to this fandom that required more than a day trip from me, or if they were local, I was part of the group running the convention.
11) Pros involved with the creation of the object of the fandom know me on sight. Bonus point if there's a restraining order.
12) I have done official, credited work for the object of the fandom, such as getting a research credit in a comic or appearing as an extra on a TV show. (Only count this if your involvement with the project came after you got interested in it as a fan.)
Okay, that seems like enough. Off the top of my head, I'm not sure where to draw the line between "casual interest" and "member of the fandom", bit given the extreme nature of most of these items, 3-4 is probably the dividing line. One or two can be flukes, after all (for instance, I've attended conventions for mainly social reasons, rather than because I was heavily into the topic of the convention), but once you've done three or four of the things on this list, you're probably Of The Fen. And some fandoms are harder to score in than others, especially focused fandoms that don't have conventions and have little to no merchandise.
For reference, I got a 6 for Transformers, and I'm pretty active in the fandom. #11 is a lot harder for Transformers than it is for, say, comics (a dozen or so comics pros know me on sight, for instance). On the other hand, I only have 1 point (2 if you're lenient) for Galaxy Rangers.
Later addition: I score 6 on Shadowfist (buy everything, stories, art, webpage, pros know me, I've been credited). I also score 2 for White Wolf games (11 and 12 only). :)
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