1.) Get fanfic! -- 2.) ? -- 3.) Profit!

[apocalypsos]

So I wasn't going to say anything about the whole Fanlib thing if only because everybody else, professional and amateur writers alike, has covered nearly everything that's bothered me about the whole situation.

However.

1. The sexism view on Fandom_Wank is fucking ridiculous. Not the view that the Fanlib crew don't seem to understand just how much of fandom is composed of women -- that one's fairly obvious considering their advertising -- but the view that fandom has snapped back at Fanlib because they're men. What? I'm sorry, but no. Fandom smacks women upside the head just as often as it smacks men ... hell, more so, considering the high number of women in fandom. And the fact that it's run by men doesn't change the fact that it's apparently run by STUPID men.

2. In the same vein, I really want to contact their clients and investors and ask them if they understand just how many women are in fandom. Because really, the fact that Fanlib's board appears to have no concept of who the average fan is says a LOT about their marketing skills and lack thereof. If they can't even figure out that they should be trying to appeal to women from 21-45 rather than sloppy teenage male geeks living in Grandma's basement, then why would you invest with them? They don't even know their fucking demographic.

3. Again in the same sexist vein, I know a lot of women are offended by that skinny guy/muscular bodybuilder ad because it obviously shows no grasp of who they're trying to appeal to, but am I the only one offended on behalf on the men I know in fandom? I don't know a single guy in fandom who looks like that. NO ONE. And Fanlib thinks you're all scrawny dorks. Smooth.

4. Who in their right mind is still defending this place? We've all seen the TOS. Even if they weren't planning on using it to manipulate the authors on the site -- and their brochure and marketing plans seem to indicate they will -- they have that option. I don't like that a place that wants to profit from what I'm doing also considers me posting a story on their site as signing away my fannish life.

5. I think I hate them most for giving me a new and shiny appreciation for Fanfiction.net. Say what you will about the Pit of Voles but it looks a hell of a lot less tacky and is less likely to pull this shit on us.

Comments

[unperfectwolf.livejournal.com]

#5 ftw. It's kinda of amusing how much we all bitch and moan about the place and then as soon as whatsherface, jdsampson? starts attacking it and trying to put them in the same vein most of fandom reels back and goes NUH UH. We hate The Pit, but it is our Pit.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Exactly! It's like family. It's that cousin we can't stand who steals the silver and raids the fridge every time he comes over, but you better not mess with him or we will FUCK YOU UP.

[unperfectwolf.livejournal.com]

YES. Even if it hadn't been family, I still probably would have jumped in to defend them because NO ONE needs to be put in the same boat as this monstrosity, especially when the people trying to stop the sinking boat are lying through their teeth about it. HI, DUH fandom will have issues with you making money off us. Not because we want the money, but because HI WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO TALK TO LAWYERS and trying to tell us that someone every single one of us has associated with at one time or another is doing the same thing when they're clearly not is stupid, mean and going to get your ass kicked.

I mean, the server space for the HP section alone has got to be triple digits a month, let alone all the rest of fandom.

[amaresu]

Gotta say that I've been comparing FanLib and the Pit in my head recently and come up with some reason's why the Pit is better.

1. It's easier to find the crap that you want. Cause sometimes I just need to read bad!fic, it's an addiction.

2. Occasionally while searching through the crap I'll come across something really fantastic.

3. The sheer number of horrible Full Metal Alchemist/Harry Potter crossovers. See reason #1.

4. At least the layout doesn't make my eyes bleed. Just the fic.

[opportunemoment.livejournal.com]

It's the utter and total lack of logic in the ad that bothers me, even more than the not understanding who their target audience is. Let's just say you do look like the boy in the first panel, and then you take up writing fanfic. You spend a good number of hours watching and reading your fan material, then you spend some more hours sitting at a computer or notebook writing about it. There's probably not going to be any weightlifting at any point during this process.

I do realise that all adverts are lies, but really. Even as a metaphor it's hugely flawed. Because yes. Don't be a geek! Write fanfiction! Oh, wait...

Also, the Nielsen-Haydens found out how Fanlib are selling themselves to businesses rather than fans. It's most interesting.
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/009027.html

[suzycat.livejournal.com]

I just suddenly wondered if the logic behind the ad is supposed to be that without fanfic, you get scraggy dorky men in your life, whereas with fanfic, you get hunky bald ones... um, who are probably imaginary anyway. Perhaps not.

I *think* what they're trying to get across is that without their site, your fic is as a seven-stone weakling, having sand kicked in its face by BNFs and TPTB, but with it, your fic becomes brawny and powerful and kicks the arse of everyone on the planet. Except they cocked up the copywriting. And also, it's a lie.

[anashi.livejournal.com]

Now they are apparently deleting posts in their forums that have teremity to ask if this is good idea.

As for the sexist angle. Dude, what were they expecting. I can't wait till the HP people get a hold of this...There's already article in Daily Snitch about it. Oh fandom.

[skripka.livejournal.com]

apple_pi made a lovely spoof of the ad in question here.

[fyrdrakken]

I have not actually been to their site or seen the ad in question. But some of the discussion I've seen on my friends list led me to have a thought (that I afterwards discovered had occurred to others as well) that this setup looks to be just like one might try if attempting to draw the wrath of copyright holders and finally bring down the lawsuit that pushes fanfic from a legally grey area to declared illegality.

[secondsilk.livejournal.com]

Word!

Particularly on three and five.

[snorkackcatcher]

Love the post title. That does indeed seem to be the fanlib 'business plan'.

However ...

They don't even know their fucking demographic

I don't think they're purely targeting 'fandom' in the way you seemed to use the word above, as meaning the ones who are heavily into fanfic already (they're just useful content providers). They appear to be targeting the wider demographic of people who watch/read the canon material and speculate about it, and could be alerted to the concept of fanfic and brought in. I'm not sure they really 'get' the difference, but on that basis aiming at the 'sloppy teenage male geeks' who are numerous in wider fandom isn't unreasonable.

hi, here from metafandom

[stefanie-bean.livejournal.com]

At least FFN isn't going to steal your stuff, not so far at least.

[faith-chaos.livejournal.com]

here via metafandom.

#5 Not to mention that it's there were most writers start! I mean, that's the first place [outside of the mailing lists] I ever went to!

[ender24]

here via metafandom..

and hell, this is one of the best sentences I have seen out of this whole fanlib chaos:

// a new and shiny appreciation for Fanfiction.net. //

you are brilliant :D
I really should go back to ff.net...