Fandom School (7th period): Discussing Your Fandom Online

Last time we had this class at Fandom School, I talked about how to connect other fans. Now, I'd like to go more in depth about how to talk with others in your fandom online. There are a few ways to do so.

1. Social media- I think it's safe to say that most of you reading this have some form of social media, whether it be facebook, google+, tumblr, twitter, etc. This is a great way to find other people who like the same things as you to follow/friend/[insert appropriate verb here]. Also, some forms of social media (e.g., google+) have groups/communities, and you can often find one for your fandom. If there isn't one, you can create it. Find other fans by editing your profile to include your fandoms, following people in your fandoms, and joining communities for your fandoms.

2. Discussion boards/forums- I haven't really participated in any of these, but they are a great place to, well, have discussions. You can't interact with others as much as you can on social work, but there's still lots of room for great discussions about your fandoms.

3. Start reading fanfiction- yeah, you probably do that already. So, I'll be more specific: get an account on a fanfiction website (fanfiction.net and AO3 (aka archiveofourown.org) are both great). Even if you don't want to write your own fanfiction (if you need some posts to refer to, see this post about what fanfiction is, this post about types of fanfiction, and/or this post on another great blog about how to write fanfiction), you can still read, review favorite, and follow other people's stories (trust me, we fanfiction authors love it when you do that). This is a good way to see other fans' works and interact with the authors. Also, on fanfiction.net, you can private message people, so you can interact with them directly.

4. Join a fanart website- like discussion boards, I haven't joined any fanart websites, but there are websites dedicated to fanart where you can meet other fans. A quick google search reveals deviantART and Fanart Central, but I'm sure there are lots of other websites. Similar to fanfiction websites, fanart websites allow you to appreciate other fans' works and interact with the artists.

5. Youtube- like 3 and 4, youtube allows you to share your own fandom content and see others' fandom content. 

6. Start blogging- if you blog about your fandom(s), people will notice eventually. And maybe some of those people who read your blog, comment on it, etc. will become your friends. (Right, guys?)