Old Timer.

[v_o_x]

 I used to big into Livejournal but it has bad memories for me. I don't want to go back. But, I miss the sense of the community that used to be there. It's one of the main reasons I started up this Dreamwidth. The other being that I can be here to answer questions and have a place to correspond with people who may read the fan-fiction I write.

I feel old. I am old now. I'm not quite to the stage of yelling for those damn kids to get off my lawn but I'm pretty close to it. I have no idea how to network anymore or if blogs like these are even popular anymore. Should I give in and just grab a Tumblr and hope for the best? Or should I stay here?

Most of the communities seem long dead. Just a little early morning thoughts since I can't find myself getting to sleep. I need a time machine, I believe. Then I might be able to grasp what it is I'm supposed to be doing.

Comments

[mxcatmoon]

It's much quieter here than LJ was. Most of the fans who are here have joined because we don't like the often toxic environments in places like Twitter and Tumblr - and also prefer to have real conversations with people. There doesn't seem to be much of that in fandom anymore. I'm an old-timer, too; I think the fandom experience of young fans is so different from the fandom I knew.

Many of the active communities here are more multi-fandom, like exchanges and prompt comms, rather than dedicated to a specific fandom.

fandom_on_dw and fictional_fans are a couple of good places to start to see what's going on here. It requires a bit more effort to find things here since there is no algorithm throwing stuff at you. But of course, you can always check out Tumblr, too, and see if you like it.

[v_o_x]

LJ was very loud indeed. I remember it being a rat race in all corners. Most scratching to become the top name in that fandom with the most views. I had tried Tumblr before. From my experience, it seems as if there is a vast population of toxicity in any fandom that I see. Granted, back in the day, there was still some toxic things that happened but never on the scale I started to see while being part of say the Teen Wolf fandom for example.

I need to just stop wading in the water and go in. I've tried looking through interests for people and places but most of mine come back with places and people who haven't been active in weeks, months, and even years.

[mxcatmoon]

With the rise of social media platforms fandom went mainstream, and the internet in general is a pretty toxic place, so it makes sense there would be more of it. Fandom used to be more insular.

I'm not sure there are many active fandom-specific communities on DW, but then mine are mostly all old and/or rare, so I'm not the best judge. That could change; you never know. The way people have been getting disillusioned or angry with policies on Twitter, Tumblr, and most recently Reddit and leaving them en masse.

You can take a look at my profile page for suggestions if you like, I'm subscribed to 117 communities, most of them multi-fandom. They're probably a mix of active and not, but you might find something you're interested in.

[binary_sunset]

I like being on Dreamwidth over other social media sites. It's just... cozy, I guess. I can just hope onto a post and, as long as I say something nice, it's totally fine to interact with most people! The big thing I've noticed with DW is that you just kinda have to keep using it and eventually you'll find where people are.

I've also noticed that a lot of the most active fandoms around here are for fandoms that were big on LJ (you've got your big names like Harry Potter, Supernatural, and Lord of the Rings, and then a whole mess of other stuff that I've basically only seen here like Stargate and Buffy). It also just swings older (mostly because most people have never used a version of the internet that doesn't have any algorithms these days).

Anywho, I personally enjoy engaging with events to beef up my journal and meet new people! sunshine_challenge starts July 1st if that's up your alley!

Edit: also as someone who grew up on tumblr, the site is riddled with issues. Not only did we have the NSFW ban back in 2018 that brought me here, the site is slowly going under financially and doesn't have very many users. I encourage you to join because it's kind of the last fun place on the internet to me, but know what you're getting into. The company is hemorrhaging money (esp since the NSFW ban, which was brought on by Apple basically completely banning all NSFW apps from the store). I don't think we'll still have it in 5 or so years.

[v_o_x]

In a way, Livejournal was the same way back in its golden years. The fact that it swings older is a plus. I often find that the younger individuals in fandom are more prone to start debates on posts simply because you don't like a certain ship. Granted, I know that goes without saying to every generation.

I do enjoy a good fandom event or challenge. I used to do the prompt ones back when I was first around and was trying to find good ones here. I'll look into that one community without a doubt since I can jump right in before July 1st.

I remember the NSFW ban. While I never held a private Tumblr, I was very active in the RP scene and even the 1x1 scene for a time being. I remember how the reaction caused waves in the communities and from what a friend of mine has said, it still is!

[binary_sunset]

Oh, I love prompt challenges too! One of my favourite tiny fandoms has a prompt fest going on soon that I'm chomping at the bit to participate in!

Yeah, the shadow of it still looms above a lot of the community. We all kind of know that if The Powers That Be want something gone, it can simply disappear overnight. To the people who are still there, it's very disquieting.