On Fanlore and Squee

[stultiloquentia]

Here's the thing: I want to play with Fanlore. Specifically, I want to run around adding links to more rec and master lists than anybody could possibly want, and citations of specific stories that I think are good illustrations of trope x, and author blurbs! "Author X is influential in this corner of fandom, and here's what she's known for, and here's her website."

But I'm embarrassed!

I'm not afraid of being biased, because that's hopeless; of course I'm going to be biased; I'm a FANGIRL. But I'm afraid of looking like I'm just sucking up, scurrying around kissing the velvet slippers of my favourite BNFs. I already maintain a recs site in which I fawn with perfect complacence, so it's a dumb hang-up, really.

But I think it's Fanlore's big problem right now: people are afraid to add stuff, because they might do it wrong, and accidentally let loose a squee or something. Oh noes.

I have a proposal.

How about we declare it Shameless Fangirl Week at Fanlore (I am open to catchier titles), and go out and persuade everybody to pick one fan -- reccer, mod, maker of good things -- who helped shape their own fannish experience, and give them a page. Doesn't have to be comprehensive. Needn't even contain adjectives, if you still fear being flogged by a ghostly Salmon of Objectivity. Just needs to be a start.

Fanlore can still get down with its judicious overviews of Major Trends and Prominent Figures. But can we make it a crazy, Willy Wonka-esque Clearinghouse of Goodies, too?

Comments

[kass]

I'm not a member of the wiki committee, so take this response with the proverbial grain of salt, but I tend to think we should err on the side of adding too much awesome stuff rather than too little. It's always possible to trim later if upon conversation it's decided that something doesn't belong there; I don't know much about the history of filk, or the Jedi religion, but I'd love to read those pages once people who do know them write them. :-)

[elf]

I know just enough about the history of filk to be thoroughly intimidated at the very idea of trying to write about it. Especially knowing that very few other fen involved in Fanlore are likely to notice & fix my mistakes. Makes me twitchy, it does.

I might try anyway, on the theory that flawed info is better than no info, and eventually the flaws would be noticed & fixed.

I don't know much about the Jedi religion, and I'm pretty sure the Fanlore page shouldn't say "some fanatic poseurs in the UK decided they loved Star Wars so much, they declared it to be their religion." (Which isn't quite how I think of it, but isn't far off, either.) (And don't get me started on Klingon Wicca.)

I think I'd like some kind of gathering, either in-person at a convention or an online chat group, with a goal of "let's add 50 new pages to Fanlore by pooling our info."

I'd be delighted to share what I know of the history of filk. I'm intimidated at the idea of a Fanlore page that's basically "Elf's take on the Off Centaur wankstorm." (Especially since I was nowhere near involved; I dated people who dated people who were involved.)

FWIW, drive by comment:

[francescacoppa]

It's actually not true re: filk; Mel Tatum was working on filk pages and linked fanlore in some filk communities, and there are other folk around, too.

You should totally add "Elf's take on some filk issue" and if you're worried, you should just say its your take and explicitly invite people to add more/different.