Sharing the joy.

[dalekboy]

Some people seem to think that the only reason someone would want to encourage new people into fandom is because it will create bigger conventions, be good for fandom, etc. These things may happen, but they are only side effects of welcoming in more people. I could do a big diatribe on growth versus stagnation. I could talk about how it's really

Comments

[kaths]

I was quite nervous about going to my first fan club meeting as I didn't know anyone, but by then I had got over most of my childhood shyness, so the interest in going outweighed the fear.

Paula, the president of Austrek at the time, took me under her wing when I arrived. I was actually there because I'd seen an article in The Age where she was interviewed about the club. If she hadn't I probably would have managed (and still become the secretary the following year, when it had over 1000 members!), but I could understand that a lot of people wouldn't.

I think because a lot of SF fans are a bit (or a lot) shy, they tend to cling to people they know, even in what has become a 'safe' environment, which makes it even harder for new shy people to break in than if we were more 'average' overall in terms of outgoingness.

[dalekboy]

And if you had been shyer, or hadn't been made to feel so welcome that you wanted to go back, there wouldn't have been a Frontier Magazine.

And on a personal note, I would have never had your friendship, something which means a lot to me.

[kaths]

All true :)

Can't imagine what my life would be like now without fandom and the people within it! Even though I don't go to many of the events these days, I still see the people quite frequently.

I remember feeling a bit lost socially my first year of my Music degree, as I wasn't really interested in the whole going to the pub and getting pissed thing. The previous three years I'd been in a good social group at another uni, but that didn't really continue on.

So the timing was just right to lauch myself into a new social sphere.

[arcadiagt5]

Well said. I try to make it to the 'first con' panels so that the first con goers at least know who I am.

And now that I think about it, maybe that should be a feature of those panels. Something like:

"Who here is an experienced con goer who wants to make the first timers welcome?"

"Where will you be, what will you be doing?"

[dalekboy]

Actually, that's a really easy one that's not particularly forced. Asking some of the established folks who come along what panels they'll be attending, and suggesting that if people want they can look for the familiar face in the crowd to sit with at those panels. It then gives them someone to talk to about the panel afterwards.

Or something like that, anyway...

[drjon]

People don't necessarily come to conventions because their friends go. But people sure as hell don't come back if they don't make new friends there. "Making friends" isn't something you as a Planner can reliably engineer (not unless you want to make a whole bunch of enemies), but nurturing it is.

[fe2h2o]

I visited Unisfa in first year, because Emma_in_oz dragged me along.

But it was two years before I went back! And that was only because I had other reasons to be on campus, and wanted somewhere other than on my own on an oval somewhere to eat my lunch.

I can't imagine my life had I not gone back. Pretty much my entire social circle (including livelurker) arose from that.

[purrdence]

If it weren't for Perth fandom, I wouldn't have found Drhoz.

(and I'd be a mite bit richer after every Auction if you had run out of the shop ;p )