Newbie
| Synonyms: | n00b, neofan, babyfan, noob, neo, newby, Babyphile |
| See also: | regular, Bitter Old Fandom Hag, Bitter Old Fanfic Queen, Fanosaur, Newbieguide, Wirgin |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Newbie is a term most commonly used in online spaces for people who are new to a community such as a fandom or forum, and are unfamiliar with the community's standards of behavior.
One of its antonyms is (forum etc.) regular. Oldbie is sometimes used, and the terms Fanosaur or Bitter Old Fanfic Queen lie at the other end of the spectrum. Babyfan is a newer synonym.
The term is often used neutrally, but it can also be an insult. Some fans dislike it, feeling that its use discourages new fans from joining a fandom or participating. In Starsky & Hutch fandom, for example, Flamingo promotes the use of "new recruit" as a more positive alternative.
Some Anecdotes
Encouraging and Welcoming
(need some comments)
Insulting and Condescending
From a Blake's 7 fan in 1998, a bit of encouragement, more than a bit of condescension:
I am entertained by the new fans. Their passion and enthusiasm is charming and energizing. Now, to old and jaded fans, these newbies can sometimes come on like overexcited puppies pissing on your foot. And one's impulse could be to smack them with a rolled up newspaper - much like what happened to Grace R recently (Grace, if you're still subbed, please lick your wounds and come back to play - we do bite, but not hard enough to break a thick skin). While I'm sometimes puzzled that sensitive people would even be attracted to a show like B7, some are; and they can be easily scared off. And then the list is only full of us old farts. [1]
A 2008 discussion by fans that is not just condescending but also extremely insulting:
From my experiences with various fandoms, I believe that a lot of the readers who "don't get it" are very young and either have only seen a few episodes of whatever show is under discussion or have only read fanfic. Usually they show up after the original run of the series has gone into syndication or a <gak> movie has been made loosely based on the said show.
This happened in S&H where only drabbles or really insipid "stories" were praised to the hilt (excuse the pun <eg>) and cries of "squee!" and "wonderful, where's more" met ever so-called story posted no matter how bad. Yet let any story of any depth be posted and either nothing was ever said or responses such as the ones you received are thrown around.
A similar thing happened with Due South after syndication. A surge (again, excuse the pun <beg>) of under-age newbies flooded the main lists and mayhem soon reigned. Most of the "oldsters" got out fast after multi posts on how Canadians "really" acted and rants about how Paul was so evil to have made David quit the series in favour of Callum.
They just don't have a clue and must be treated like the tiny-brained bimbos they are. Ignore them and write on.
- Okay, I've stopped giggling long enough to chime in. I believe that some of this nonsense coming out in response to stories with more depth than a short story in Seventeen Mag or some such ilk stems also from the lack of READING that goes on with much of the younger generation. They watch tv or movies or vid games. They don't know how to read a word and visualize or read depth and nuance because in visual mediums, it's not there. They have no grasp of the amazing levels of understanding one can find in a good story, how it can show you something different every time you read it. How to read, really READ with comprehension and extrapolative understanding, is a dying art... so they love the insipid, and have no clue what satire is.
- Youngsters can really make things interesting, I know. <G> I read a story on awfulfanfiction.com about a girl leaving a Walmart with Legolas! LOL! [2]