Hercules and Xena |
Pictures At An Exhibition | Hercules and Xena essays |
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Hercules and Xena |
Pictures At An Exhibition | Hercules and Xena essays |
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Pictures At An Exhibition
Online Fandom has been around for a long time. The first discussion groups I know of were started in the early to mid 1980s by traditional members of SF Fandom. As online services and the Internet became more accessible, affordable and popular, online fandom grew into a multitude of special interest groups. What I find unique about Hercules and Xena online fandom, however, is that it started online. The Originals, the first people to post to the MCA NetForums, started the first mailing lists, newsgroups, web sites, and even the fan clubs. Hercules and Xena fandom was very much born and nurtured online. The fans are still looking for ways to express their creativity and appreciation for the shows. We have an online journal, and there are both official and unofficial fests and conventions which are promoted and sometimes organized through online groups. But recently I was privileged to be part of the 1998 RocStock, the first annual online fest sponsored by the Clan MacConnor, fans of Reneé O'Connor, who plays Gabrielle. The 1998 ROCStock was an online celebration of fandom. I served as one of the judges for the art show, and for my efforts I was rewarded with an evening of looking over the shoulders of the clan members as they gave out the awards. The judges panel must have seemed like a Who's Who of Xenite fandom and production. Steven Sears, Co-Executive Producer for Xena: Warrior Princess, was there, as was Kym Masera Taborn, founder and publisher of Whoosh! and The International Association For Xena Studies, the organization that produces Whoosh! every month. Other judges were Betsy Book, one of the original IAXS members and an editor for Whoosh! and Tracy Barnett, who just happens to be a member of the XOR Team, the fantastic group of people who put together Xena Online Resources through my own domain, Xenite.Org. We were invited to subscribe to the Clan MacConnor's mailing list for the evening's festivities on Monday, August 31. I have no idea of how many people were attending the special event but the place seemed pretty crowded. The clan managed to flood my mailbox with dozens of messages in the space of a few minutes. It was interesting to go through them and see how each one of the Gabster's fans interacts with the others, but to be honest I was quickly overwhelmed and fell far behind the action. Fortunately, Kate Maynard, who was in charge of the Art Exhibition, summarized events for us poor "outsiders" in a post-event message. The artwork was pretty good. Some of it was even of professional or near-professional quality. Believe me, as founder and owner of Xena Online Resources and other link directories, I've looked at thousands of Web sites. Online art is nothing new to me. I've seen good stuff and bad stuff, and there is some good art in the exhibition. You can see the artwork by visiting the RocStock Web site. I wouldn't dream of stealing the Clan's thunder by telling you who actually won what -- you'll have to visit the web site to find out. But please remember that the artwork is for show only. Never take art from the Web without asking for permission. It's not only courteous to do so, you're violating the artists' copyrights if you don't ask and get their permission. As a final note, I want to thank the Clan MacConnor for including me in the ROCStock. It was a pleasure and an honor and I enjoyed spending some time browsing a nice collection of artwork. My schedule was a bit hectic and they may have wondered what happened to me on occasion, but they're a great group of folks, and anyone looking for other GabFans should definitely check out Clan MacConnor. |
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