TWiM, Issue 7: January 30, 2019

[thisweekmod]

Continuing to tweak some small things while the newsletter is still young: new title format! Should make things a little clearer when linking/using astolat's reblog bookmarklet/on the reading page. Hopefully?

A reminder that the content poll will be open through the end of the weekend. Please also check out the comments, as there's some good discussion!

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Eldritch Hat (Medium) posted Fandom-Plus: Metacommentary on Terrible Things Read with Enthusiasm: "There is a certain allure when it comes to being a big fan of something that most people you meet have never heard of and, moreover, seems to appeal to your sensibilities specifically. It is a feeling much like keeping a shared secret, becoming part of a hidden society with in jokes and discord servers that only some are privy to."

Alejandra for The Fandomentals posted Brood and the Sunshine: "You know them.

One is sad and melancholy, possibly grumpy and dry, or maybe even serious and sullen. The other is positive, maybe cheery and possibly even perky."

fansplaining posted Episode 86: The Money Question: "In Episode 86, “The Money Question,” Flourish and Elizabeth complete their inadvertent DISCOURSE TRILOGY with a conversation about the monetization of fanfiction." Transcript available.

fozmeadows posted fandom purity theory: "Theory: fandom drama is inversely proportional to the perceived purity of the original media. Purity in this context is measured by a combination of innocent characters, childlike associations and/or a younger intended audience, and how hashtag Representational - in the sense of being elevated as Perfect And Above Criticism because the creators make a genuine, positive effort towards diversity* - the material is. The more “pure” the source material is seen as being, the uglier the fandom debates surrounding it."

melannen posted on swindles and fandoms: "So I'm still way more worried about predatory publishers going 'ooh, girls are selling fanfic now! Our fandom market's not limited to boys with no social support and WoW-with-the-numbers-filed-off epics!' or about homegrown swindles and for-pay fanfic sites than I am about people using crowdfunding or commissions to fill out that last couple of hundred dollars of rent."

Mrs. Potato Head (Fanlore editor) posted How do I decide to make page for meta?: "Some topics, such as Mary Sue, m/m slash, femslash, concrit, copyright and fair use, rpf are ones that I collect (the older the better) so I can provide evidence of changing views and evolving language. Even if some of these early essays are short and may seem redundant or simplistic to fans today, I feel that it is important to have evidence of where things began and how fans talked about it."

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Flashback - June 18, 2013

Building onto other links regarding past and present discussions of fandom, privacy, and community etiquette, this flashback meta covers the timeline of pre-internet fanworks (particularly fanzines) being put online, starting in the late 1990s.

morgandawn posted The Brick In The Wall Theory: "I have a theory about fandom and visibility: the brick in the wall theory. But instead of adding bricks to build a privacy wall, online life is more like removing bricks from the privacy wall. At least that is the case for many of the pre-Internet fans."

[Linked with permission from Original Poster.]

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