Rule 15

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Rule 15 refers to the addition to the forum rules on Hanson's official website that banned all discussion of fanfic from the forums. This rule was added on or around May 8, 2006 After various new versions of the website and forum resets, it is now rule 10 and reads as follows:

10. Fan Fiction, including, but not limited to, links to fan fiction and posting stories in the forums, is not allowed.

Background

Since 1997, Hanson have maintained an online presence and fanclub. The first iteration of this was located at hansonline.com and was updated and maintained by the band themselves. The website's forums were very popular within the fandom. In 2000, hanson.net was launched as an ISP and supplanted the pre-existing MOE fan club. By 2003, after going independent, the two websites were combined together, with the ISP concept being phased out (email and webhosting remained a fanclub perk until 2009). Hanson.net had both a members and a public side, and so did the forums that were relocated there from hansonline.com.

By 2006, it had become popular for fans to use these forums to promote their fanfics. There was some pushback against this, as posts that mentioned sex and/or slash in fics were often deleted.

I know, I know... Free speech and all that nonsense. But in the end, it is Hanson's site. They own that piece of the internet. It is theirs! They get to say what they do and don't want on their site. And they could make a rule that fanfic is strictly forbidden... Heck they could even start patrolling our signatures. And none of us want that.

Please, please, please... don't post things about fanfic that will be deleted or found to be otherwise. We are already fighting such a losing battle with fanfic. They are finally leaving the links where we pimp this site and others up. Let's not get them going again.... Let's not revive the fanfic witchhunt!

4. Sex and fanfic are mentioned all the time. They cannot tell us to stop writing smutty fanfic. Let's be realistic here.
5. I have never, in all my years, seen them deleting tons of amounts of fanfic. Maybe slash, but for the most part they're fine with it.

But I want you to understand that I wasn't referring to all fanfic in general being kept far, far away from H.net - just my own. Because I'm paranoid like that, and I wouldn't want them to see it or even know it existed. Even more so because I chose to do a slash this time, and I know they don't approve of that kind of thing. I'm not suggesting that we remove any and all Hanfic from the site - and I do appreciate your promoting it like that, I really do - but it makes me nervous. More so than I ought to be, and I realize that. But that's just the way I am.

I totally hate to say this... But I could see this day coming. It all started back last fall with Lacey and her posts about "Delicate." Since then, fanfic has become a bad thing, a dirty word, something to be shunned.

Fan Responses

See also: Hanson Fans Against FanAxis

i find it strangely facinating that people are being kicked off of their hanson.net accounts for such things as swearing, posting fanfiction links, etc. they're eliminating their own fanbase.

i haven't renewed my account, and after all of this, i don't plan to. i know that a lot of it probably has nothing to do with hanson themselves, but it makes me really angry at the guys to know that this is going on in THEIR world.

What is fanfic hurting? Who is it hurting?

Rules about stalking? Rules about fighting? Rules about cussing and illegal mp3s? Okay, I understand that. But I don't see the problem with talking about fanfic. There are way more unintelligent posts on hanson.net than posts about fanfic.

I have to keep reminding myself that I don't think this is them (that's what I tell myself, anyway). It's just their management deciding they have total power over everything. The boys need to wise up though. Get people who aren't going to piss their fans off every other day, because in the end, they are the ones losing out.

This is just one of the most ridiculous things I've heard from the Hanson camp. Not cool, dude. Not cool.

But look at it reasonably....Hanson and their administators are only trying to control the environment of their boards. There is a reason they are banning fanfic just like they ban cussing....because children under 18 frequent that board. I know fanfic is mostly harmless, but admit it, there is some nasty stuff out there (fiction involving drug use, incest, sex sex and more sex) that Hanson does not want to advertise to children.

AND, if Hanson themselves are the people who don't want fanfic in any way, shape or form on Hanson.net, then they need to OWN it. I want to know why it's not allowed. I'd totally understand if one of them, or all of them took exception to some of the more over-the-top stories. But, I don't feel Hanson gives a crap. It's been around since way before Hanson.net! They're allowing a few over-zealous people to run their site and it's costing them. Not just fanfic fans, but others as well. Hanson is losing fans quicker than I can keep track and it's going to show in fewer memberships, fewer albums sold, fewer tickets sold. The fans are the reason Hanson is still around. Would Jay Leno have them on his show if he didn't know there'd be an audience? Nope. Would the House of Blues have them do shows there if not enough tickets were sold? Nope.

Actually, this site seems to be a worry to them--only mine and Stephanie's signatures were deleted--replaced with a nice generic "no fanfic please". Months ago when we did the awards, every post I made about it got deleted. At that time, Adam was kind enough to email me a reason being that the link I'd posted linked to a site (this one) which linked to sites with slash stories. So, of course, all the hard work and hours of reading we did went to waste because it was a link that linked to links.

Many fans - not just the writers, either - feel alienated and outraged Hanson would suddenly decide to cut off something that’s been a part of the fandom since the beginning. For the most part, the outrage is due to lack of an explanation. In a fandom where Hanson has always encouraged their fans to be creative, it felt much like a slap in the face to hear they that a popular outlet for creativity among the Hanson fans had been banned.

The ban has raised questions about what’s to become of the Hanfic community. Will the writers stop because they feel that’s what Hanson wants them to do? Will they keep on writing regardless? It’s hard to say what the outcome will be. Hanfic, like Hanson fans, seems to drift in and out of spurts of liveliness. One month there might be tons of updates and new writers popping up left and right, and the next month’s updates might be as scarce as a real answer from Hanson. In the end, the only real option is to wait it out and see what happens.

Links and Further Commentary

Secrets

• hansonsecrets: Secrets Post #90
• hansonsecrets: Secrets Post #96
• hansonsecrets: Secrets Post #235