Fan Survey
From Fanlore
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Fans often survey themselves, asking each other for opinions on various topics.
The form often takes the form of informal polls. Sometimes they are more wide-reaching and organized.
As expected, conducting a survey can be not unlike herding cats, and with fans, sometimes even more so.
Results
The results of these surveys have been used to:
- gauge the interest of fans in certain subjects
- investigate a fannish website or print zine's future direction
- influence TPTB in regards to canon decisions
- influence pro merchandisers regarding what they create and sell
- get a feel for a community
- be pure fun
Examples of Surveys Done by Fans
- the Strekfan Roster Questionnaire in 1970/71, the results used for Star Trek Lives!
- the 1973 STW Volunteer Worker Questionnaire
- the Star Trek Animated Version Survey of 1973/74
- the 1974 Star Trek Movie Cast Poll
- the 1980 Star Trek: The Motion Picture STAG Survey
- the survey done by Concerned Supporters of Star Trek (1981)
- Star Trek - The Fans: A Study of the Legend and Its Followers, 1981
- William Shatner/Paramount Salary Dispute (1984)
- The Annual Zine Fan Survey in 1984/1985, the results were to be available at MediaWest*Con #5
- the Comlink surveys, the first was taken in 1985, published in 1986 in issue #25
- the On the Mark survey called "Fantasy Film Survey" in 1987, the results used for an unclear reason, as On the Mark was an official Mark Hamill fan club
- the 1993 Virgule-L Fan Fiction Survey
- the 1994 Virgule-L Memorable Songvids Survey
- the Sandy Herrold's 1996 Slash Fandom Survey
- Cinda Gillilan's 1997 Fan Survey
- The Survey of Pern - undertaken by the person playing the character "Torlan" for their Journeyman Project as a harper apprentice in Harper's Tale MOO, circa 1998
- the 1999 Understanding Slash Challenge, the results are available at TER/MA
- the 2000 Slash Writers Survey, the results were available at Mona's Fiction Page
- Vachon's Library 2000 Fan Fiction Survey
An example of a miserable mundane survey NOT done by fans:
- SurveyFail in 2009
