Poll: Anon Memes

[apple_pathways]

MUST. STOP. SPAMMING. FLIST!

...tomorrow. In the meantime, I have a poll!

So I've mentioned here several times that I like to lurk/post on various anonmemes. The ones I've posted to are: fail_fandomanon, who_anon, and eleventy_kink. (Oh, and I theoretically mod concrit_anon, though it's pretty slow-goings there these days.) I've visited/perused others, but these are the ones I visit regularly.

The idea of "outing" comes up often on fail_fandomanon: as in being "outed" as someone who reads/posts to the comm. I think that's a pretty grandiose term for a fairly frivolous pursuit. Not only that, but people will refuse to name the fandom they participate in for fear of being recognized. Perhaps if you're the only Kimmy/Joey shipper in a miniscule Full House fandom you have something to worry about, but even then, I doubt it: even if you're the most visible fan in your fandom, there are still hundreds of others who are either lurkers or infrequent participants. I think the number of fans who are readily recognizable by only the general details of their fandom participation (i.e. Sherlock fan who ships Watson/Lestrade and is into BDSM) is pretty low.

Also: aren't these people being just a bit paranoid? Would they really be shunned in fandom circles in people knew they posted to an anonmeme? And is it any anonmeme, or is it this one in particular? (I mean, I can understand the panic of anon-failing on a particularly catty/vicious comment, but then: that's just karma. If you're coward enough to keep someone you dislike on your flist and then complain about them behind their back in a public forum, you sort of deserve what's coming to you.)

So, flist, help me out: What do you think? Detailed results are viewable to just me, and as always, feel free to be honest: I have a thick skin, and I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to know. (For instance: you will never hear me ask if my ass looks fat in these pants, so don't tell me! :P)

[Poll #1755088]

(Feel free to share questions, concerns, and any points I might have missed in the comments. Also, a question I forgot to add to the poll: does fail_fandomanon have a particular reputation in your fandom/circle of friends?)

Comments

[rachel2205.livejournal.com]

Wtf?! What is with fandom's obsession with making EVERYTHING INTO A DRAMAAAAAA? zomg. I don't even really see the point of anonmemes but their existence doesn't bother me at all. People using the term "outed" seems pretty appropriative of a term that's loaded with potent history.

So ultimately, I care not where you anonmeme yourself, my darling.

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

IKR?! People are always insisting they would be in so much trouble if anyone knew they posted there, but it just sounds like such self-important bullshit to me. I'm not self-deluded enough to think that 1. I would be easily recognizable outside my little circle of friends or 2. that anyone really gives a damn about my "controversial fandom opinions".

I know that unkind things are said about specific people in fandom on certain memes, and I don't deny that that's hurtful. However, I'm much more likely to spend my time on anonmemes slagging off Joanna Newsom and exchanging recipes for cooking with tarragon than I am to insult anyone's fic or bash my fandom's 'BNF'. (I still could not tell you who the BNFs are in either of my fandoms. If someone wants to enlighten me, please do!) I expect people who've taken the time to get to know me on LJ to trust that I am not going on anonmemes to gossip and be a jerk. As for the people who don't know me well enough to trust me? They don't have to! It's as simple as that.

[switchbladesis.livejournal.com]

I got into the SPN anonmeme (the fandom one, not the one about the actors) when I was first getting back into fandom-Supernatural fandom is go big that there aren't any real general fan comms, and it seemed like the only place I could go to not only hang out with casfans only. The stuff about individual fans didn't seem to matter as much to me-I didn't now who any of them were, and didn't really care. I just like to get different viewpoints about things, and talk about fics with other readers instead of only to the writer. And the random hilarious commentfics and threads were also nice.

Then I participated in a few friending memes, found out who most of the people I enjoyed talking to on the meme were, and added them to my friendslist. It kind of killed my interest in going to the meme proper.

Nowadays, I mostly lurk in the fic discussion post, only dipping into general fandom now and then to make a remark that's only tangentially related to supernatural. Oh I talked why a particular story had unintenional trans!fail in it yesterday, I guess. Still, nothing I wouldn't also say unanon.

Actually knowing who people are in fandom does make me feel differently about fan gossip. I have a friend who is savaged on the meme so often that she's got her own 'leave britney alone' parody macro-nothing about her fic, and nothing even all that specifically about her-just ugh, I hate her, she's so annoying, I don't understand why (BNF) is friends with her, over and over again. Like, once a week. It's really gross and bizarre, and I just don't understand why someone would spend so much time hating someone else.

Edit to add: I don't go to FFA, I know people who do, but the main thing I associate with it is that they dislike Catheryn Valente. Or at least some of them do?

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

I'm out the door to go to work, so I'll respond thoughtfully later, but:

I don't go to FFA, I know people who do, but the main thing I associate with it is that they dislike Catheryn Valente. Or at least some of them do?

I have no idea who Catheryn Valente is, and I've never seen her mentioned there. However, the threads I'm interested in and those that are the most popular/get the most responses are widely divergent!

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

I think it's funny how much activity the anonmemes generate. That's one of the things I like most: how active they are.

I enjoy getting an idea what people are talking about, and what ideas are going around fandom. I stumble across a lot of links to things I wouldn't find otherwise.

Doctor Who fandom is just too big for me to know most of the key players in it. I know the regulars at doctoreleven, and I tend to recognize the names of authors who write the sort of fic I like, but if a specific fan ever comes up on a meme, I never know them. As for Sherlock fandom, outside of the comms I mod, I don't participate much in it, so again: I couldn't tell you who the fandom darlings or the fandom whipping posts are.

I know a lot of my flisters have friends who get picked on on these memes. (Which is why I expected people to have strong opinions to the topic.) But they're in different fandoms from me, so I couldn't say where the drama comes from.

[switchbladesis.livejournal.com]

Cathryn Valente is a fantasy writer-I was reading Palimpsest (which is a book about a sexually transmitted city, if you're into that sort of thing) a while ago and talking about it with an lj friend, and she was really interested in my response to it, since all she'd heard about the author was mean things on FFA. But apparently that was mostly because of silly/stupid things she'd said on twitter.

What I really like about memes is the ability to argue with people. There's this sort of expectation on lj that if you're on someone's friendslist, you'll agree with everything they say about anything, and hold all the same views as them. And while I welcome people telling me wrong and why I'm wrong (mostly so I can come back and tell them why I'm really right :P), it's hard to tell who will welcome the same thing, no matter how polite I am. And while I'd prefer to do it in a frame where I don't get called names, I like it better than not doing it at all.

Also, reading episode reactions from people who are more involved with the A plot means that I hear about things I would have never thought about because I was too busy concentrating on the B-plot.

Oddly enough, I have come up on the spn meme before: Mostly because of my inclusion in this secret BNF cabal that is planning to a) control fandom, b) talk about fandom, c) swap recipes and baby pictures, or d) is actually just a writing comm. (Note: I don't belong to a secret BNF cabal). But that amused me more than anything else. Also, I don't think that's happened recently.

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

And while I welcome people telling me wrong and why I'm wrong (mostly so I can come back and tell them why I'm really right :P), it's hard to tell who will welcome the same thing, no matter how polite I am.

For the record, you are always free to disagree with me. I love discussions and arguments! (I will warn you, though: I have a pretty good track record of being right. ;)

I really think the "all niceness, all the time" attitude that pervades fandom is one of the reasons anonmemes are so popular. I don't know where the idea came from, but it seems to be out there that either you're one of the 'nice fans' who loves and squees over everything, or you're a troll. There's plenty of jerks out there who ruin the discussion for everyone, but I don't see why everyone who dares to have a differing opinion need be lumped into that category. (Though the broken record fans who need to express their dissatisfaction at every possible opportunity also rankle.)

Oh, wait: what is a 'sexually transmitted city'? /intrigued

You know, it took me forever to work out what SPN stood for when I first saw it cropping up! It's funny that Supernatural is such a big, popular show because I had never heard of it until last year when I became active on LJ again. I still have no idea what channel it's on!

[switchbladesis.livejournal.com]

Sexually transmitted city: pretty much, a place that you can go only if you've had sex with someone who's been there. I got distracted by other books, but the parts I read had a nice, dreamy feeling to them. Though I had a hard time remembering what was going on.

[jinxed-wood.livejournal.com]

Not a poster, but I do read who_anon. Most of the time I have no issue with anonmemes and I do believe a certain amount of trolling comes with the territory of being actively involved in a fandom - but I suppose if I were asked to draw a line in the sand, I would admit I have an problem with anonymice quoting or bitching about something in a locked post. I'd be very upset if someone did that to me so I tend to get annoyed when I see it happening to others.

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Definitely! Locked posts are off-limits, forever and always. In fact, a lot of anon memes have rules about posting/discussing content from locked posts. Though part of me would like to remind people that even though a post is 'locked', you should still think twice about things you post to the internet, I am all about doing what I can to make personal LJs a safe space for their owners.

[ladybracknell.livejournal.com]

Anon memes are one of those things I kind of don't get. I've written anon on kink memes and I get that aspect and I think they're really cool, but going anon for general fandom chat puzzles me - I tend to find the anonymity of my totally made up username enough, tbh. Maybe it's just that I never have anything to say I wouldn't stand by?

I think going anon to hate on your fellow fandomers is vile, but there's plenty of logged-in stuff that goes on on LJ which I think is vile, too, so I'm not about to claim anonymity is the root of all evil. I just tend to stay away from them because I hate seeing people talk trash about my friends and I know the misery they can cause people.

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Maybe it's just that I never have anything to say I wouldn't stand by?

Honestly, I only post anonymously on these memes because it's one of the rules. (It's a good thing, too, because I anonfail all the time, usually with some spectacularly banal comment like "I like my toast with peanut butter". FASCINATING, apple_pathways: tell us more!) I figure that if I wouldn't say it with my name attached, it's probably something that shouldn't be said.

But not everyone else is like that. LJ is full of self-conscious, socially awkward types, and I think the idea of posting anonymously appeals to them. I have had some of the most mundane and un-controversial conversations on anon memes: just last week I was talking about herb gardening and what to cook with tarragon. I think a lot of people end up there not because they have anything particularly mean or controversial to say: but simply because they're shy and a enjoy having a conversation without the expectations attached to conversing with their flist.

Also, with the culture in fandom being "all positive, all the time" I'm not surprised a lot of people feel uncomfortable expressing negative opinions online. Not just "I think userx is a jerk whose fic sucks" but also "I actually enjoyed the last series of that show" or "I don't know why everyone else is raving about that book, I hated it."

Anyway, I find a lot of the discussions that come up to be interesting. But if I ever find myself wanting to have a discussion, I tend to bring the topic over here to you folks. At least then I can count on thoughtful responses!

[ladylovelace.livejournal.com]

I do tend to think anon memes are by-and-large full of hateful vitriol and overblown self importance, but I tend to enjoy those things as a spectator.

I rarely say anything in them, though, because I'm too lazy to keep up. And the one thing I've ever thought relating to fandom that I would keep secret is something literally no-one else agrees with me on, so there's very little point.

But then I grew up having it drilled into me that the internet was basically an untested minefield of Bad Things, so I am much less surprised when they happen. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised they don't happen more, so I tend to think people who bitch and moan about trivia like being 'outed' (not the word I would use, unless we're talking about confessing to being a necrophiliac or something and then someone realising who they are) are idiots who haven't realised what the internet does. And I have no sympathy for people who use technology they don't understand.

/cold utilitarianism

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Darling, I love you: you're like the cynically rational side of my conscience!

I rarely say anything in them, though, because I'm too lazy to keep up.

WORD. I never bother tracking the comments I make, and then I tend to forget that I made them. Every once in awhile, I'll think "Didn't I reply to some thread about Mr. Rogers?" and then go back and look for it, but then I can never find it again. *shrug*

And I do think I have a thicker skin than most. Sometimes people will make disparaging remarks about things I enjoy or feel strongly about, but I tend to just shrug and move on. Meh!

[switchbladesis.livejournal.com]

... you know you can track all responses to a comment you make anon without tracking the entire meme, right?

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I know. Still I never bother: the vast majority of the comments I make never get responses, anyway. I think the comment I made about Mr. Rogers was "He spent half the show taking off his shoes and putting on a cardigan, but still I was riveted!" Not really important that I follow up on that. :P

Mostly, I just hate having to go through and clear out all the comments I'm tracking weeks later when I don't want to track them anymore. (Yes, I know I don't have to do this right away, but it's me: I do. :P)

[planejane.livejournal.com]

My main beef is with the 'mean memes'. Those are hateful places and I don't think saying 'but I don't say anything mean' makes you less culpable than if you visit and have a good laugh at someone else's expense.

I love kink memes, and they have a different purpose i.e. to allow people to post/write prompts for kinks they might not want to publicly admit to.

I don't know about any other kind of anon memes.

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

I think mean memes are definitely a special case: I don't get them either. It's like all the kids who got picked on in high school decided to form their own club to pick on people. Just not enjoyable.

I've never been in a fandom that had a mean meme, though. (At least: I don't think so. If we do have one, people are deliberately keeping it from me! Which I'm totally fine with, FWIW.)

[jesterjoker.livejournal.com]

That was an entertaining poll because I have no idea what you're talking about. :D

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Follow the links, my friend! Follow the links! :P

[bwblack.livejournal.com]

I tend to spend an hour or two running through threads at fail_fandomanon when it is linked but I rarely feel any need to post. I don't have time to follow the thread. I might if I could post non-anon but I am all about comment tracking and it is too complicated logging in and out for tracking purposes.

I'm the youngest of five. My family is WILDLY political and very divergent and of a 20 year age difference. I'm argumentative but I have no problem at all being argumentative with my LJ name attached.

LJ is anon enough for me.

But if I spend a lot of time where people feel free to speak their own mind without repercussions they are going there to vent and that much negativity gets to me.

However, on rare, rare, rare occasions when I know I am irrationally angry about something, where I KNOW I'm mostly wrong and am still really angry, I have ranted in an anon rant post anoned.

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

I just wonder, if everyone dislikes anonmemes so much and thinks of them as hate-filled pits of bile: then where are all the people who participate in them coming from? It just seems like a big disconnect to me.

Oh, I love a good argument or discussion--that's why I'm always bringing the topics that interest me on anon memes over here to discuss with my flist!

As far as negativity getting to me: I have a thick skin and the ability to scroll. It usually takes me only a minute or two to find the threads that interest me in a post, and skip over the rest.

I hate being angry and wrong: it's a bad combo! :P

[jacknjill270.livejournal.com]

I think kink memes are all right, because I know some people would be embarrassed to ask for/post something that's really out there. Also: YAY PORN. Though I think everything I've posted to a kinkmeme was under my username, but I used to be into RPF, I had my shame surgically removed years ago.

For the most part, I don't follow anonmemes but I don't really care if you or other people like them. To each his/her own. I prefer to stay in my own little happy corner of fandom, lol.

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Ooh, RPF! What was it: LOTRiPS? Bandom? I like to get all high and mighty about RPF, until I come across that one fic that just sucks me in... (I used to be in Whose Line is it Anyway? fandom, which was crazy for RPS.)

I like to branch out occasionally, and then bring things back into my happy little corner. I'm like the scout who comes back and says "Hey, look what I found!" :P

Anyway, where do you hang out in fandom? Any favorite comms?

[jacknjill270.livejournal.com]

Bandom. I had have a thing for pretty boys. :D

I had no idea there even was a fandom for Whose Line, lol. I guess it's true that you can find anything on the internet!

I like to branch out too, until I get the first hint of negativity or bashing or whatever and then I scurry back. Fandom is my happy place, yo. Haters to the left.

I have the attention span of a hummingbird on crack, so I tend to follow a comm for a week or two and then promptly forget about it. I'm something of a serial monogamist when it comes to fandoms so lately it's all Doctor Who all the time; mostly comms that are Doctor/Rose because I can't let go of my ship, lol.

[wethrowknives.livejournal.com]

the only experience I have with anon things is for kinkmemes, and let me just tell you how fond of kinkmemes I am (read: very). I voted in this poll but I don't think it will be very helpful since I have no idea what these even are xD

[jobey-in-error.livejournal.com]

P.S. Spam away, I like your spam. (Almost as much as the furrows.)

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Thanks, love! My furrows do appreciate all the attention they've been getting.

[zolac-no-miko.livejournal.com]

To answer your last question, fail_fandomanon doesn't have any sort of reputation among my friends in particular, as far as I know, and I wouldn't know if it has a reputation in my fandoms. I have no idea if any of my friends participate in that one, and I've never been there, and my participation in fandom in general is minimalist at best.

I have visited and even participated in anon memes in the past, but it's a rare thing for me. Some of them are cess pools of bile and vitriol and wank. Some of them are circle-jerks. Some of them are harmless. Mostly I could care less about any of them one way or the other, it's just not something I do, and as a Practically No Name Fan I feel it's incredibly unlikely I'd ever catch anyone talking about me, so meh.

[lemniciate.livejournal.com]

ahaha, well, it's no secret that i support anon memes in general. but yes, you really WILL be shunned in certain circles of merlin fandom if you were ~outed. i don't give a shit, but...other people do. personally i think it's overreaction (to an extent) but then again when i'm mentioned on them, people aren't hating on me!

And personally, i wouldn't write something on an anon meme that i wouldn't and haven't said under my own name. i mean--i anon fail often enough anyway!