Snowflake Day 14

[lightofdaye]

Day 14

In your own space, talk about what you think the future holds for fandom. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I have no idea. I'm no good at switching platforms. Hopefully activity will return here or go to other platforms that are about.

For HP in itself, it's shrinking and shrinking. Few fests, fewer people, even the big slash ships are being affected. It's odd but the new canon just isn't generating the same interest in the same way.

Or as I said, I've not moved enough with the times to know where it is.

Comments

[spikedluv]

I'm no good at switching platforms.

Same! I'm very happy here at DW. I was 'forced' to join Tumblr when a new fandom I got into had zero meta presence on DW. (Fanfic comms, yes, meta, no.) I have to admit that I was seduced by the pretty images, but I never ~loved it there because it's like you're shouting into the void. You scroll and reblog, but you don't really ~engage there like you can here.

It's very sad when active fandoms slow down. Especially when you're not sure what it would take to generate more interest. More comms? More discussion? A rewatch/reread?

[lightofdaye]

I moved here when the new TOS and server moves drove down LJ's popularity but then DW made that move super easy.

I do have a tumblr but never managed to figure out how to really interact with people on it either.

[spikedluv]

I created a DW account in 2009, but didn't import my LJ and begin cross-posting from DW until 2013. I love knowing that the people who created and run DW were also fans and care about us.

I'm the queen of the reblog on Tumblr, lol! Very little original content there.

[meridian_rose]

All of this.

[lightofdaye]

:)

Hi, here from Snowflake.

[pronker]

Good post. The switching platforms things is very daunting, I agree. One thing my Youngest showed me last night was Reddit, which seems a possibility for fan activity? Or maybe I'm misreading its capabilities because I don't have an account and haven't explored much there. :/

odd but the new canon Is this canon beyond the final books/movies about Harry? Is Pottermore canon? I'm unfamiliar with a whole lot about HP, beyond reading the first book and enjoying all the movies. :)

Re: Hi, here from Snowflake.

[lightofdaye]

Reddit's a possibility but it's not really built around friends like a journal site is, I think. It also has the voting system for posts so if what you say isn't popular you can get some stick.

New canon, would be pottermore but also the Cursed Child play and the Fantastic Beasts prequel films.

Re: Hi, here from Snowflake.

[pronker]

Thanks for clarifying the canon. I've not seen FB or the play. Youngest's GF enjoyed pottermore but then they broke up so I've not heard first hand accounts any longer.

I might play there on reddit for a while as I did with tumblr; tumblr resulted in online conventions, for Pete's sake, that were lots of fun and this took about 2 years to happen. Originally, the neverending gifsets annoyed me, even though they were put forth by the very folks I toddled after when they quit LJ, but after some time I whiz-scrolled right on by them to discover favorite fanartists' works.

Re: Hi, here from Snowflake.

[lightofdaye]

Definitely worth poking around, you might find your new favourite haunt!

Re: Hi, here from Snowflake.

[pronker]

That could very well be!

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

No interpretative dance, but Clint Barton riding a unicycle and juggling.

Platform change is hard. I'm glad I was pulled onto microblogging while I was post-mailing list.

Reddit has been around for quite sometime, but I know next to nothing about it. How or if it's moderated, the method of account construction, security. I'm not a Hat, just an early settler of the internet.

[lightofdaye]

I don't know about reddit myself. I think it's basically a bulletin board though, with voting which might be trouble.

[torino10154]

I joined a Snapey Discord which I know nothing about but the funniest thing was when my 16-year-old saw me fiddling and said, "You use Discord?" (Or something to that effect.) So I started explaining it and he chuckled and said, "Oh, I know what Discord is." Because he plays video games, of course. Duh. Weirdly he even is on a theater-class related one now.

I am sure there were good things about Tumblr--I just think what *I* want out of fandom isn't happening there. That or I'm just old (see above anecdote) and couldn't get into it.

I started writing a long thing about the new canon but I think that simply depending what it is that appeals to you about HP, Fantastic Beasts, the books/original movies, and Cursed Child are just very different.

[lightofdaye]

Oh discord is a bit like new and improved skype right? Instant messaging and voice conversation?

I do know exactly what you mean about Tumblr. Plus, I just never got the hang of find new stuff on it either.

I'd love to read any new canon thoughts you have! But the new play/movies are entirely different beast from reading the books for sure.

[torino10154]

I'm the worst person to try to explain it because I undoubtedly under-utilize it and therefore don't know all the features. It's more like chat rooms, with different topics having their own "channel." We've got stuff like fest promotion, rules and faqs, writing support as well as general Snape discussion, fic recs, etc. You can send private messages and you can probably communicate other ways I just never have. LOL Apparently on big servers, the conversation can just fly by but we're a smallish group so there are flurries of activity then it gets quiet again for a bit.

I do recall trying to search for stuff when I first started looking at it and yeah, had the same issue. I suppose if I'd truly cared I might have tried harder but since I'm pretty happy with the journals and AO3, it never really mattered.

Oh, well, I'm just a grumpy old lady, really. What I was going to say was that I am very character/individual driven. Not just in fandom either. Like when my sports teams change players it takes AGES for me to get used to it (and to forgive them for it! LOL). So in my case, Fantastic Beasts doesn't interest me at all because those are virtually all new people. It's another universe entirely. The issue with Cursed Child is while you know I like Next Gen characters, it's taken most of the people I like and put them in a place I wouldn't want them to be, for lack of a better explanation. It's simply an AU I don't care for. I think many (??) of the HP people who are into it aren't in our corner of fandom. They aren't the shippers. They're the mainstream HP fen who love ANYTHING JKR does. Again, I know that's not entirely true. I know people here who are into both. That's just my general (and generalizing) take on why we don't quite make a universal HP fandom. We're branches but some have really headed off in wildly different directions and it's only the name that is the same.

[lightofdaye]

Oh I understand what you mean entirely.

Fantastic Beasts is both new characters and movie only, and TBH I was never that keen on the HP movies and visual design so it's not the same.

And, I have massive NextGen headcanons that of course TCC doesn't live up to. I shouldn't blame it for that but everything I here about what it actually did with them seems to bland and uninspired.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I found them very interesting.

[birdsofshore]

I could be wrong, but I think the big slash ships are growing - tumblr seems to have made those explode with activity - but obviously, as per our discussion the other day, I agree comments and so on have gone a bit weird.

I see a massive resurgence of interest in HP fandom among real life fans. I'd call them casuals except some are very invested. They just don't seem to regard anything critically - it's all squee about the new films, buying HP decor, etc etc. I probably sound snobby AF but oh well :D

[lightofdaye]

You well be right about the really big ships. Even on LJ, i think I saw a new specialist drarry fest starting up.

It is cool to think that there's still a big irl following even if they are casuals as far as fic/meta is concerned.

[silveradept]

The Potter canon is also getting a bit of a baleful eye from at least some corners of fandom for the ways in which the new material isn't responding to the criticisms of how it's handling things like minorities or other magic systems. That might be souring new creations based on those works.

Maybe. It's hard to tell.

[lightofdaye]

I had seen a few articles about that but not paid it great attention. I am of 2 minds, fans of course are entitled to complain about whatever they like and indeed frequently does but JKR is also entitled to write whatever she wants without referral to anyone.

[silveradept]

Mm-hmm. Free creator gets to create without having to refer to anyone, so long as tee creator then also accepts there will be backlash from people if they get it spectacularly wrong. Up to and including people going away from the fandom or writing of that material as not part of their own canon.

[alisanne]

*nods*
Agree. It does feel like HP is shrinking, although those of us left seem ~devoted, LOL. :)
I never got Tumblr either. It was pretty, but I never mastered interacting with people there, alas.

I do like DW. And now maybe there will be a resurgence of HP here with the Tumblr exodus?
I guess time will tell. :)

[pronker]

maybe there will be a resurgence of HP here with the Tumblr exodus? I hope so! The tumblr thing has excellent possibilities ...

shrinking The Star Wars Phantom Menace fandom exploded with thousands of fans and there were maybe 8 regular posters in the longest lasting Yahoo group about 4 years ago. What discourse and fics they offered were outstanding, though. It's like the fandom distilled into very fine wine. *gets cosmic*

[alisanne]

I'd be okay with that.
A smaller amount of stellar fan content would work for me. :)

[lightofdaye]

Definitely. If only I convince more people my pairings are totally a thing. lol.

[lightofdaye]

It really would be lovely to see a resurgence in het rare pairs on DW! He's says totally neutrally and without bias, lol.

I guess all that can be done is keep going and see what comes. (Heh-heh)

[colls]

I have to confess I clicked on the link from snowflake in hopes of interpretive dance. ;P

I'm hoping fandom finds a good platform either here or elsewhere. I don't know how much of the general decrease is people drifting away or people drifting elsewhere (and I don't know where).

[lightofdaye]

Well my post was very clear about the lack of that. :) Wouldn't know where to begin.

I guess all that can be done is to make the most of things where you are!