Carol Burrell on Fandom and the Xena Site at Logomancy
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Carol Burrell on Fandom and the Xena Site at Logomancy |
| Interviewer: | Diane Silver |
| Interviewee: | Carol Burrell |
| Date(s): | conducted in the spring of 1997, posted October 1997 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | Xena: Warrior Princess |
| External Links: | Carol Burrell on Fandom and the Xena Site at Logomancy, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Carol Burrell on Fandom and the Xena Site at Logomancy is a 1997 Xena: Warrior Princess fan interview at Whoosh!.
Series
For others in this series, see Whoosh! Interview Series.
Some Excerpts
When did you get involved with online Xena fandom?
Pretty much before there was an online Xena fandom. I started posting in the NetForum as soon as it was placed online. Artemis and I traded war stories about other fandoms we'd followed; Areia and I speculated on how the program would treat paganism. I recall watching the Hercules site and waiting for a corresponding one to appear for Xena...hmm, hard to recall through the foggy mists of time. To the best of my recollection, that's how it went.
What did you do first in online Xenadom and how did your online activities change over time?
The first thing I did was take a look at one of the few Herc sites that were online at that time -- Ms. Moo's Kevin Sorbo page -- to get a feel for what folks were already doing. Then I started my page. I posted maniacally in the MCA NetForum and exchanged a lot of private e-mail with other fans. It was reassuring to know there were other people interested in the program; I needed that reassurance. I didn't feel so strange and alone. Nowadays, I can't keep up with the volume of mailing-list mail, although I'm subscribed to two lists. The NetForum had become contentious and a bit silly, and I haven't visited it in many months. I spend most of my online Xena-time updating my web page and answering mail that comes to me because of the site -- I get a lot of fan mail from little kids who think they can reach Lucy or Renee, and I want to make sure to answer them right away and let them know how to join the fan clubs and connect with other fans; and I get a lot of requests and suggestions for the site, complaints, and the occasional offer of help from other fans.
What was it like during the early days online? How has it changed?
Early days were cosy, safe, a small-town feel -- a special secret you shared with only a few other people, something to smile about in the middle of the day with a certain quiet pride. Politeness reigned perhaps because we were so close-knit. Xena fandom has gone the predictable path of most fandoms. The cosiness evaporates as the fandom grows. I no longer know everyone, I no longer recognise everyone's name. I went from being one of a few fish huddled together in a tiny pond, to a big fish in a medium-size pond, to a nondescript fish in an ocean. But I'm glad to see the program attract so much attention, become a phenomenon. I'd rather it continue to grow in popularity, and the cast and crew achieve success, than see a fine program fade away.
Have your online activities changed your views of yourself, the world, and/or the show?
Of myself? I've discovered I'm not superwoman -- I had huge problems getting the XINE zine done, I overextended myself, I tried to maintain a web site through a serious illness, I became enormously obsessive. Lest this be totally negative, I also learned, through fits and starts and mistakes and successes, a great amount about web design. I pushed myself to learn more programming, more graphic design skills and tricks. The web site attracted clients, even got me a job programming an ancient-world CD-ROM game and web site. I discovered that I can learn to do something difficult simply by putting my mind to it -- acquired some self confidence. Not bad, eh?
Of the world? Well, I've met many people I wouldn't have met otherwise, encountered new points of view; I've seen the broad spectrum of people who get involved in a program like this, puzzled over their reactions, learned what pushes people's buttons and what pleases them. I'm glad so many people have an interest in the type of program I would have wanted to produce myself. It depresses me that (it seems) only a minority of the fans have an interest in learning much about the ancient world or mythology. It gives me hope that a fandom -- or any group of people -- can grow this large and still, for the most part, be very friendly and good to one another.