I would like to be that unnoticed and that necessary

[winkingstar]

I was working on my Fanlore paper, and I made a definitions section because 1) it is meant for a general audience, and 2) it takes up room! So naturally I had fun with that most hallowed tome, the Oxford English Dictionary and especially the usage history (which is probably my favourite part).

Comments

[fish_echo]

Oooh, lovely poem. And neat word derivations. (I know I can always count on you to have fun with the OED.)

I'm surprised the stats on the 'core' and 'active' groups are as high as they are. I wonder how much variation is seen among those percentages on different communities of practices because I get the impression that the lurkers/nearly-lurkers are a greater percentage than 60-70% in fandom at large.

Interesting and full of thinky but my brain has decided to ooze out my ears and make friends with my shoulders so perhaps I am to bed now.

[winkingstar]

I looked up the origins of "fanboy" and "fangirl" before, when propinquitine was enraged that some (lesser, far inferior) dictionary had added fanboy but not fangirl, so I soothed her with the OED, which had both. But then I never documented them here for the rest of y'all, and I had to look the terms up again for my paper and I am a huge nerd, so I just have to share these things. :D

Yeah, as I mentioned, Wenger (and, I think, most others who study communities of practice) specializes in business/organizational communities. I, of course, am trying to open this up with my paper. *g* Though I'm not looking further into the statistics, just saying, hey, fandom is a community of practice, too, and it's interesting.

My brain is oozing out my ears, too. Unfortunately, I still have much paper-writing to do. Also unfortunately, the paper-writing is hard when there is brain-goo on one's shoulders.

[fish_echo]

I, of course, am trying to open this up with my paper. *g* Though I'm not looking further into the statistics, just saying, hey, fandom is a community of practice, too, and it's interesting.

And then other people will be interested and do the statistics on us all and if I had your VM icon I would totally be using it right now...

My brain is oozing out my ears, too. Unfortunately, I still have much paper-writing to do. Also unfortunately, the paper-writing is hard when there is brain-goo on one's shoulders.

*gets a gardening trowel and a funnel*

*scoops brain off of shoulders and scoops into funnel. Applies funnel to top of head*

*spritzes shoulders with a nice mint spray to get rid of brain-fumes*

[dossier]

It's great to have some real statistics to back up the phenomenon that I've come to understand through the long years of fannish non/participation. fascinating!

[winkingstar]

Glad you found it interesting! :)