You (Didn't) Ask(ed) For It
Well, Dan's blog prompted me to explore my corner of internet fandom, The X-Files. And the massive amount of websites, forums and blogs has prompted me to consider delving deeper into this, perhaps culminating in a final paper. So, without further ado...
X Marks the Spot, or Good X-Files Sites:
-For a brief synopsis of the show's characters, plot lines and history, Wikipedia actually does a pretty nice job. I guess that makes sense because, as we've talked about, many of the people on Wiki are geeky, passionate types with strong (obsessive?) interests in one or a few subjects. Perhaps glaring errors on The X-Files Wiki page have been avoided because the fandom is enormous and its members are so fastidious.
-A great episode guide, including summaries and memorable quotes, can be found here.
-There are quite a few forums, but the definitive one (in my opinion) is Idealists Haven, a registered users only forum with scads of XF material. It's a wonderful fan space. This one is newer and smaller, but a bit more personal. Television Without Pity has one. TV.com has one, too. To name a few.
-Myspace has an interesting set up of all of the characters. Mulder and Scully's blog entries are voice overs lifted from various episodes. I'm not at all sure how this works. Is one person controlling them all? Is each one a different individual pretending to be a character? Do many people edit each one?
-Livejournal has great a blog community of XF fans.
Even though this particular topic is of interest to no one but me, it's interesting to consider both the vast amount of websites, blogs and forums there are for only one subject and to consider how they are run, how the information spreads and what codes or what rules each website follows.
The internet has been a perfect place for fandoms. Before, if you were really interested in something or someone, you could join fan clubs for a fee and wait anxiously to receive a newsletter or a promotional piece or new information. There wasn't as much contact with other fans. You might have known they were out there, but meeting them or communicating with them was a difficult process. With the internet, obsession can blossom. You can communicate with other people who are interested in or passionate about the same things as you. You can blog about your obsession. You can explore many fan sites for free and with just a click of the mouse.
It's kind of brilliant, really.
X Marks the Spot, or Good X-Files Sites:
-For a brief synopsis of the show's characters, plot lines and history, Wikipedia actually does a pretty nice job. I guess that makes sense because, as we've talked about, many of the people on Wiki are geeky, passionate types with strong (obsessive?) interests in one or a few subjects. Perhaps glaring errors on The X-Files Wiki page have been avoided because the fandom is enormous and its members are so fastidious.
-A great episode guide, including summaries and memorable quotes, can be found here.
-There are quite a few forums, but the definitive one (in my opinion) is Idealists Haven, a registered users only forum with scads of XF material. It's a wonderful fan space. This one is newer and smaller, but a bit more personal. Television Without Pity has one. TV.com has one, too. To name a few.
-Myspace has an interesting set up of all of the characters. Mulder and Scully's blog entries are voice overs lifted from various episodes. I'm not at all sure how this works. Is one person controlling them all? Is each one a different individual pretending to be a character? Do many people edit each one?
-Livejournal has great a blog community of XF fans.
Even though this particular topic is of interest to no one but me, it's interesting to consider both the vast amount of websites, blogs and forums there are for only one subject and to consider how they are run, how the information spreads and what codes or what rules each website follows.
The internet has been a perfect place for fandoms. Before, if you were really interested in something or someone, you could join fan clubs for a fee and wait anxiously to receive a newsletter or a promotional piece or new information. There wasn't as much contact with other fans. You might have known they were out there, but meeting them or communicating with them was a difficult process. With the internet, obsession can blossom. You can communicate with other people who are interested in or passionate about the same things as you. You can blog about your obsession. You can explore many fan sites for free and with just a click of the mouse.
It's kind of brilliant, really.
Labels: The X-Files
