Chris Williams Responds to Our Questions about FanLib

[slashpine]

First, I hafta just add my voice to those saying: What's this we, white man? "Chris Williams Responds to OUR Questions" ... well, yes, but first he avoided responding (civilly; he did real well at the other) to fans politely inviting dialog with the FanLib exec who's all about fandom. It's MIT's Henry Jenkins who CW was willing to talk to,

Comments

sorry, editing for clarity!

[malafede]

I thought this was an amazing analysis of fandom, and it highlighted all the ways in which it's awesome and all the ways in which the Fanlib model is not. Especially this:

Culturally, Dr. Jenkins and others have noted that FanLib's proferred goods beg the question of our even being in the same "community." The FanLib culture may share little more than a language with the online fanfic culture. The actual values of online fandom may go beyond, or not even include, values CW's statements seem to presuppose we all share: a strong desire for contact with copyright-holders or "originating" artists; conversion of fanfic into commercial sales or profits (whomever that benefits); and centralized authority that speaks in a male voice and assigns value on the basis of individual 'rights.' Online fandom, by contrast, strongly demonstrates philosophical, epistemic and cultural values of cooperativeness rather than hierarchy, earned status rather than ascribed, collaboration rather than competition, mutual contribution rather than individual

Re: sorry, editing for clarity!

[slashpine]

Thanks for the comments and compliments!

And ... feel energized to become more involved in fandom and to also do my best. YAY you! Go for it.

[slashpine]

*ahem* Thanks for the compliments, which I share with so many.

And y'know -- we all do what we do, because of what we *all* do. That is, it's the community that lets us all flourish. I get to flourish in my nerdliness (goodness knows, academe isn't always happy to have me, lol), but I wouldn't be able to if LJ wasn't first, and foremost, a place where I could do like you say, "love fanfic and enjoy the sense of community."

I can't think how much I've learned in LJ about so many things - it's been better than almost any "seminar" I've ever taken! That's that community thing again... beats academia, hands down.

[slashpine]

Gosh *shuffles and grins* Your compliments mean an awful lot to me