What is Fandom Coming Too?
Anyhow, anyone who follows my Twitter knows my life has gone to shit. Nervous breakdown, complaints against school being dismissed, false allegations made against me, unable to get a new job, and not paid since November last year. Outside of my beloved bf and my family, my solace comes from my friends, both online and offline.
I counted those on Torchwood Australia as amongst my friends. I had been a member on there since it's earliest days, and we wrote some brilliant stories (see the "It Started With..." series). There was some great conversations and games, and some brilliant meet-ups. The last one was a cocktail night at mine and Pugs' house where we did a marathon screening of Children of Earth. We're well overdue for another meet-up, but real life is a bitch.
But RTD and Miracle Day has put a wedge in the fandom as a whole. RTD, as most old-school Torchwood fans are aware, has insulted us on many occasions and alienated a great many fans to the point they have left the fandom. Then we have Miracle Day, and there is little coming from it that one could consider positive. It's an entirely new show, a spin-off if you will, from the Torchwood we know and love. So far it has mostly received negative reviews from the media who have previewed it.
Don't be negative about it on Torchwood Australia, though. I mentioned that I didn't want to watch it, and was told to gtfo of the thread and go make one for those who aren't watching it. I made the thread, and when I posted my reasons and that many people are boycotting the show and there are those who are watching it via means that it doesn't attract ratings, I came under attack. Not from the members, btw. From the mods and admin.
The worst thing about it all is that I used to be a mod on this site. I lost my rank as I was unable to log on much because of the bullshit at work, and even lost my title as "group leader" of Melbourne even though people in Melbourne still treat me as such. As my role I have given speeches at the Melbourne Science Fiction Club, handed out pamphlets for the forum, had advertising placed in fanzines, managed to arrange the very first interview for the forum, and was amongst the small group to put the site on the map.
I can tell you now, of those people in the group, the only one truly left is the admin. Right now the admin seems to be set on chasing me off the site for daring to speak negatively about RTD and Miracle Day. I have even been accused of not being a Torchwood fan, when this is further from the truth. I AM a Torchwood fan - the original Torchwood, not this mockery that RTD is making in America that features a few of the original characters and comes complete with token CIA agent.
What saddens me the most is the closed-mindedness of those involved. They fail to see both sides, and have gone so far as to give me an official warning while ignoring the forum rules. Rule three clearly states as follows:
3. Abuse, swearing or personal attacks are not welcome.
This includes trolling (posting with the intent of causing dispute and disharmony) and flaming (posting with the intention of attacking another). Any post seen as such will be deleted and the offending member warned. Repeat offenders will be banned.
I know the rules of the forum well - I wrote them. And I wrote them using my experience as a moderator on the Star Wars forum The Galactic Senate, of which I have been a member since 1998, and a moderator since 2001. It disappoints me that the admins/mods can't follow the forums own rules, yet are willing to officially warn someone for responding to a post from the admin who seemed set on having the last word, even though that word was against forum rules.
Another disappointment is the Torchwood Australia Twitter. For a long time now I have frequently sent the admin messages about it, politely asking them to refrain from using the account for their own personal use. The account was created to give updates on the forum and any news in Australia about Torchwood, but it has been connected to the admin's Facebook, it is often filled with personal updates and Status Shuffles. This is unprofessional, to say the least, and my requests have gone unheeded until today when I was told they can do what they damned well please with the Twitter. This is true, but as said - unprofessional.
Now, I'm sure you can tell I've held my tongue here. I haven't mentioned names - just the forum in question. Sadly, Torchwood Australia is not the only casualty of the rift created by RTD, and sadly there is no Rift Manipulator to keep it from destroying the fandom. Like in the show, the Rift Manipulator was destroyed in COE, and now the Torchwood fandom is coming crashing down around our ears. It's like watching a good friend dying in front of our eyes and not being able to do a damned thing about it. While the plot in Miracle Day is that no one can die, the same cannot be said about the fandom.
R.I.P. Torchwood.
I counted those on Torchwood Australia as amongst my friends. I had been a member on there since it's earliest days, and we wrote some brilliant stories (see the "It Started With..." series). There was some great conversations and games, and some brilliant meet-ups. The last one was a cocktail night at mine and Pugs' house where we did a marathon screening of Children of Earth. We're well overdue for another meet-up, but real life is a bitch.
But RTD and Miracle Day has put a wedge in the fandom as a whole. RTD, as most old-school Torchwood fans are aware, has insulted us on many occasions and alienated a great many fans to the point they have left the fandom. Then we have Miracle Day, and there is little coming from it that one could consider positive. It's an entirely new show, a spin-off if you will, from the Torchwood we know and love. So far it has mostly received negative reviews from the media who have previewed it.
Don't be negative about it on Torchwood Australia, though. I mentioned that I didn't want to watch it, and was told to gtfo of the thread and go make one for those who aren't watching it. I made the thread, and when I posted my reasons and that many people are boycotting the show and there are those who are watching it via means that it doesn't attract ratings, I came under attack. Not from the members, btw. From the mods and admin.
The worst thing about it all is that I used to be a mod on this site. I lost my rank as I was unable to log on much because of the bullshit at work, and even lost my title as "group leader" of Melbourne even though people in Melbourne still treat me as such. As my role I have given speeches at the Melbourne Science Fiction Club, handed out pamphlets for the forum, had advertising placed in fanzines, managed to arrange the very first interview for the forum, and was amongst the small group to put the site on the map.
I can tell you now, of those people in the group, the only one truly left is the admin. Right now the admin seems to be set on chasing me off the site for daring to speak negatively about RTD and Miracle Day. I have even been accused of not being a Torchwood fan, when this is further from the truth. I AM a Torchwood fan - the original Torchwood, not this mockery that RTD is making in America that features a few of the original characters and comes complete with token CIA agent.
What saddens me the most is the closed-mindedness of those involved. They fail to see both sides, and have gone so far as to give me an official warning while ignoring the forum rules. Rule three clearly states as follows:
3. Abuse, swearing or personal attacks are not welcome.
This includes trolling (posting with the intent of causing dispute and disharmony) and flaming (posting with the intention of attacking another). Any post seen as such will be deleted and the offending member warned. Repeat offenders will be banned.
I know the rules of the forum well - I wrote them. And I wrote them using my experience as a moderator on the Star Wars forum The Galactic Senate, of which I have been a member since 1998, and a moderator since 2001. It disappoints me that the admins/mods can't follow the forums own rules, yet are willing to officially warn someone for responding to a post from the admin who seemed set on having the last word, even though that word was against forum rules.
Another disappointment is the Torchwood Australia Twitter. For a long time now I have frequently sent the admin messages about it, politely asking them to refrain from using the account for their own personal use. The account was created to give updates on the forum and any news in Australia about Torchwood, but it has been connected to the admin's Facebook, it is often filled with personal updates and Status Shuffles. This is unprofessional, to say the least, and my requests have gone unheeded until today when I was told they can do what they damned well please with the Twitter. This is true, but as said - unprofessional.
Now, I'm sure you can tell I've held my tongue here. I haven't mentioned names - just the forum in question. Sadly, Torchwood Australia is not the only casualty of the rift created by RTD, and sadly there is no Rift Manipulator to keep it from destroying the fandom. Like in the show, the Rift Manipulator was destroyed in COE, and now the Torchwood fandom is coming crashing down around our ears. It's like watching a good friend dying in front of our eyes and not being able to do a damned thing about it. While the plot in Miracle Day is that no one can die, the same cannot be said about the fandom.
R.I.P. Torchwood.