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morgandawnFandom usually jumps into technologies, uses them, and then acts surprised when we realize that we have no clue what we're doing or how the use of the new tech has changed an aspect of our fandom culture. Right now a few authors are posting notices that you need permission to link to their fanworks in "public spaces". Or that they'd prefer their readers comment on their fic where it was originally posted. Each author gets to unilaterally define what is public with the expectation that every reader will follow because that is part of the "social contract". So for today Goodreads = public and is not a place to list or review fanfic. Tumblr is OK (for now) because it is not seen as a "public" space.*
It used to be easier to know what to expect of other fans but the moment we went online, the fannish social contract was voided due to sheer size and complexity of online interactions. Add the fact that new platforms and new ways of interacting keep coming out every 20 minutes and you have a hot conceptual mess filled with poorly understood expectations.
I know that when we went online in the 1990s few of us had any idea that fans would be publicly posting their porn fanfic** to open access websites (no. stop. think of the children!), displaying their explicit art where anyone could see (blush), and tweeting their love of RPS and knotting fic (OMGWTFBB!). By those standards, we have all breached the original fannish social contract of keeping fandom a "safe space" simply by interacting with one another in public and online. And I suspect that 20 years down the road, we will again struggle to recognize "fandom" as it continues to be reshaped by technology.
So I would rather see us practice mindfulness and awareness that the tools and platforms we use change us and our culture instead of snapping at one another because we've changed and that we no longer know what to expect from one another.
Because to be honest, I have no clue any more. And I'd be wary of anyone who claims otherwise.
*Keep in mind that most fans don't bother to turn off Google indexing on their tumblr blogs (or their LJ...or their DW..or their twitter or their.....). And even if they do, every time someone else reblogs your content, if *their blog* is searchable by Google it will still be "public".
**A few of us did have in inkling but we all kept it quiet because we did not want to scare our fellow fans with our crazy visions of the future filled with flying fans sporting jetpack keyboards and tinhats.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-17 07:44 am (UTC)And regarding the "crit wasn't offered unless you asked for it"... when was that, because there are letterzines going back to the 70's that were packed with unrequested flaming critiques, including declarations of the authors' education, personality and moral standards, based on either their fic or their participation in the social aspects of the zines.
To be fair, the crit was rarely in the same zine as the stories... but critique on GR is not the same as commenting on the story with it. GR reviews are for readers, not for the author--and I very much want review sites to be comfortable places for readers to say "I didn't like this, and here's why." Even if the "why" translates to "because I'm an immature, close-minded bigot, and this story contained ideas that made me uncomfortable" or "because the author supports [cause I hate] on her website."
FWIW, I think posting fanfic on Goodreads is more than a bit ridiculous. But I'm not a Goodreads user; I don't get my book recs or my social activity there. So I'm not comfortable saying "Fandom: they're doing it wrong;" obviously it's not how I do fandom, but if I got to declare who and how is "doing fandom wrong," GR is nowhere near where I'd start.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-17 09:20 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-17 03:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-17 03:25 pm (UTC)ABB?
Someone sent me link to the horrific author-reader interactions in the past years on GR and after reading just a little bit, i understand the GR reader vehemence.
I understand the fanfic writer vehemence as we've been living in the midst of it for decades.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-17 03:29 pm (UTC)I've only seen the authors behaving badly thing in passing but that was enough to make me have very angry thoughts... I stand by what I tell my 101 students: if your reader misunderstands you it's more than likely YOUR fault. Not theirs! You can't run after your paper/story/essay/book and tell folks, you're reading it wrong! That's how you should interpret it!!!
(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-17 03:39 pm (UTC)Seriously, turn off Google indexing. The shit anyone can find on you in 5 minutes is terrifying.
Oh and even if you turn it off someone else may be reblogging or quoting or linking to it and that is being indexed. And if you forget to lock it for 5 frigging minutes (yes this happened to me), it will be snatched up. Blogging on tumblr is about as public as you can get. Facebook has more privacy protections in comparison.
Railing at Goodreads readers is like yelling at the one ocean wave for getting you wet. Stick around for another 5 minutes. There will be another wave. And you will be wet.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-17 07:08 pm (UTC)I think this whole thread is so fascinating, thanks for starting it, MD. I guess I was fortunate, getting into fandom right in time to enjoy the zine culture AND the comfort of email lists. I remember someone saying that she didn't like email lists, because she didn't know who those people were, but she'd gladly participate in LJ (which was wide open at the time). As elf sez, we might as well make a drinking game, and sit back with the popcorn.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-17 07:43 pm (UTC)I know, Virgule and the other mailing lists were a wonderfully controlled environment. And then everyone swept past us and pored onto the Internet and the Kraken was released.
mmmmm...thinking of sushi now.