Fandom History, part 2

[deathpixie]

So, it's been established the site I pimped yesterday is run by a crazy person who seems to think pairing lists are more important than actual history. Now, given the response to both the pimping of the site and the disappointment of discovering said crazy, Frito, Dex and I have been bouncing around some ideas.

Yes, you know where this is going. I apparently have too much spare time in my life. *wry*

Dex will be purchasing webspace sometime soon in order to host the Dexcon website. It's possible, if there's sufficient interest and need, that we can set up our own comic fandom wiki - Frito, Dex and I have already created and maintained one for X-Project, so we know how things operate, and given the fact wikis can be edited by anyone with user permissions, it'd be a good way of maintaining a CFAN-like list of archives, journal communities and mailing lists, given the most common complaint about comics fandom these days is that people don't know where the active sites are any more.

The thing is, I certainly don't want to end up writing large chunks of this thing, especially since I'm one of the 'third generation' of ficcers and there's whole reams of history I'm not up on. So we'd need the support and effort of a good chunk of the comics communitiy - writing, pimping, researching, producing images, etc. We already have a basic framework (we were hoping to institute it in CrazyGirl's site, but alas, no), that would cover hopefully the full gamut of comics fic, but there's a lot of work involved there. And it'd be preferable that we don't start this and see it dribble off into inactivity within a month or two.

So, who's interested?

Comments

[frito-kal.livejournal.com]

Hee.

I'm totally down for all the techie stuff - most of it'd be a pretty easy port from the XP wiki to a new one. I DO need to sit down with you and Dex about hosting stuff if we're going to do this. You'll need a host that can do a couple of things - it's a short list, but very specific.

[dandesun.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm certainly happy to help.

[amyamy.livejournal.com]

See, and now I'm thinking I should have replied yesterday to warn you of the crazy. The lady who created the "fandom history wiki" is one of the Harry Potter crazies. She largely started the site, as you found, to do shippy stuff, and also to participate in the omnipresent Cassie Claire bashing. -shrug-

[dexfarkin.livejournal.com]

Looking back at this, it comes dangerously close to us standing in a circle tossing each other off about the 'good old days' unless we can fulfill the following:

a) provide a reasonably comprehensive and current list of fan groups, lists, mailing lists, LJ communities, etc, without relying on a nebulous 'volunteer fan' base to do so. That means researching and reaching out to these communities in order to accomplish this.

b) provide an accurate overview of the history, as opposed to simply ours. While most of the 'internet based comic lines' were the enjoyable equivilent of shitting into your own mouth, they need to be covered. Weird mutant hybrids like the Uncanny X-Page, the Aerie, etc. The smaller and isolated DC and Image communities. That means recruiting on a focused and dedicated fashion.

c) create and enforce a policy of scope that adequetely addresses media outshoots and adaptions. Determine what the range of allowable overlap is and how to accomedate and differeniate it.

Those three requirements alone make this a project that makes the XP wiki look like a stroll in the park. While I really like the idea as finally the format to a workable successor to CFAN fit in with the balkianized community, it would involve a lot of work led by people who are ostentizably bearly part of the community as is. I mean, seriously, I've read maybe two dozen stories in the last year, have been completely left behind by the comics, and have very little intention of producing new comic fic. So to the outsider, this could easily seem like a gasp for continued relevence or something.

I don't want to dampen enthusiasm, but it is important to understand the kind of scale this project would entail. To my mind, we'd need at least 6-8 people to get this off the ground before the first lick of content hits the pages, and that includes some people with serious pull, past and present. I like the idea a lot, which is why I don't want to make it turn out as a joke.

[deathpixie]

Which would be precisely where getting people to pimp/spread the word would come in. Hell, we can even use the myriad LJ comms to ask for people to volunteer in areas we don't have a lot of experience in. But yes, it would definitely be a big job, and would definitely have to include all the variations. Use the chart Frito came up with yesterday as the foundation, then subdivide into the different media. Yay for categories within categories.

I agree, there's definitely no point in doing this unless we're willing to be open about what we include in terms of comic fanficdom. And get the people wanting to put the effort in. Which is why I was asking.

[yshyn.livejournal.com]

You know, I really wish that I knew more than a smidgeon about comics fandom background in order to help out, simply because I think this sort of project is something completely worthwhile for historical purposes (and no, I was never very impressed by that FanHistory wiki). Alas, I don't, so I'll just cheer you on from the sidelines, because it's something I'd love to read myself. I only saw the comics fandom briefly through Subreality, and I'd love to know the history of it all.

[neonnurse.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'm glad I saw this post of yours today before I did anything more than a little Google-searching. I was going to join and add some info about how I (er, JUST I, aktuly. Indigo volunteered to help later) started OTL, but now I guess I won't bother. Or, if I do, I won't be surprised if the weirdiemod changes it all back.

If you do start up a wiki or history page or whatever, I will try to contribute what I can. I noticed when I looked last night that the OTL archives on Topica go back to 1999, and there are some useful posts there referring to meta things which could be helpful.

[merhawk]

I've still got lots of stuff from the beginning of X-men fiction on the Internuts, though some of my stuff was lost during a computer move (*growl*). I am more than willing to help out with the early day stuff; though you'll want to do more than give me a hand-wave and "please do".