I am a technical writer! ...for Glee.

April 13, 2013 6:35 AM

Does the stigma against fandom also count against whatever marketable experience you gain from it?

I am a Fan. I used to be a very dedicated fan years ago - dissect the canon, discussion of meta, write fanfiction, etc; nowadays I mostly just surf casually and lead a healthy social/professional life outside of fandom as well. Because of the stigma associated with fandom, I generally keep my fan works on tight lockdown and very few people in my real/meatspace life know about my fan works, and even fewer still have read them.

A fanfiction website I peruse is asking for volunteers: coding, media outreach, documentation and the like. I'm interested, it can be useful experience in a (semi) professional capacity, it has a lower bar for entry, it all sounds good...

...but would any experience I gain there be taken seriously? Assuming I put in enough time, and get past my mental hurdle of using my real name...if I actually wrote on a resume "managed documentation database and FAQs" for a website that a 2 second google search will reveal is heavily involved in fandom, will any employer take me, or that experience, seriously?

My current career trajectory is completely unrelated to fandom, documentation, coding, etc, but if in the future I was to look for something related to, say, documentation, I'd like to be able to mention this experience WITHOUT requiring that the company I'm applying to be in creative media or something that's obviously (or likely to be) open to fandom. I mean, FAQs are FAQs, right? Writing code is writing code, but I'm curious as to whether no one BUT super creative media types would take volunteering for fandom seriously.

posted by anonymous to Society & Culture (20 answers total)

There was a similar question about this over on Ask A Manager: I Work for a boy band site. She was generally in favor of including it, especially if you have notable and quantifiable achievements. She also notes that it is, if nothing else, interesting, and you might get people who want to talk to you/it will make you stand out in the crowd. Definitely read the post amd the comments for some different perspectives!

I say go for it! It would be a legit volunteer experience that you could get skills from.
posted by itsamermaid at 6:44 AM on April 13, 2013 [2 favorites]

I'm assuming you're talking about the OTW/AO3, right? Definitely go for it. I've done some volunteer work for them and listed it on my CV. My work environment is the furthest thing possible from creative media, and it has never been a problem.
posted by Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo at 7:02 AM on April 13, 2013 [2 favorites]

Websites are websites are websites. Databases are databases are databases. Put it on there.

(Seriously, I think the only exception is in "profound moral objection" territory; don't put your work on the [insert horrible racist site everyone knows about here] database on your resume, obviously.)
posted by SMPA at 7:06 AM on April 13, 2013 [2 favorites]

Absolutely list it. If it's real work where you really accomplished and proved that you can do something and it's not for the KKK, it counts.
posted by 168 at 7:20 AM on April 13, 2013 [2 favorites]

I think its likely to be regarded as much as any other non-professional work, such as "my church's website/database," which is to say that some managers would take it seriously and others would not. I wouldn't assume a widespread prejudice against it, but I wouldn't rely too heavily on it, either.
posted by rikschell at 7:32 AM on April 13, 2013 [1 favorite]

I took another track, which was to funnel my fannish interests into a marketable creative career of its own (now I write books about spaceships instead of just reading them). My therapist has specifically encouraged me to embrace these parts of myself because the compartmentalization and shame isn't really healthy--plus it contributes to the stigma other fans experience. So by hiding this, and acting ashamed, you're making it harder for all of us--including yourself!

So if you can, why not pursue a career that melds your technical skills with fan culture--with stuff that you love? I think this volunteer work is a great start. As I once heard a big time SF editor say, "Fan money is as green as everybody else's."

But barring that--jobs in fandom are hard to find--put it on your resume, yes. The vast majority of people aren't going to know what an archive of our own is. If they ask, sure, tell them it's a transformative works archive. Because it's true.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 7:34 AM on April 13, 2013 [5 favorites]

Unless it's something that is going to offend people, you should include it, and while I am offended by how glee manages to mangle some of my favorite music, even I wouldn't use it against you. Any experience is good experience, even if it's for a fan site.
posted by markblasco at 7:44 AM on April 13, 2013 [1 favorite]

Be aware that many "super creative media" types don't actually consider fans and the work of fandom to be on the same level as the original works. The author/director/artist likes the attention, but doesn't consider those fan efforts to be serious. I think that attitude is more about fanfic, etc. than building a site.
But I don't know why you wouldn't want to take advantage of this opportunity to expand your skills and contacts.
posted by Ideefixe at 7:51 AM on April 13, 2013 [2 favorites]

I agree 100% with PhoBWan that "compartmentalization and shame" is an absolutely bad thing. I wish fans wouldn't be so ashamed of their hobbies. For one thing, it reinforces the feeling that fandom is something to be ashamed of, and for another, at least in my experience people are not nearly as Judgy Judgerton as you'd think they are (and if they are, that means they're assholes not worth your time). For all you know, some hiring managers might be fans themselves!

Doing professional work on a fannish website like A03 is just like professional work on any other site. List it on your resume. It's experience.

Being "in fandom" is nothing to hide and, honestly, it makes me upset that people still think it is. (Now if you were doing work on some hate site that espoused really awful, bigoted views, then yes, that would be something to be ashamed of and conceal. But fandom is a hobby. If you did pro coding work on a knitting website, would you want to hide that?)
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 8:33 AM on April 13, 2013 [1 favorite]

If you put it in a resume or cover letter and you're worried that the person reading it will judge you, you could refer to it thusly: Customized code and maintained database for a site with over 15,000 active users and 200 unique visits a day (or whatever).

You don't have to name the URL, and you can name the site owners as your employers. Then, you can talk about it more transparently in an actual interview where people are less likely to form a snap judgement.
posted by Lieber Frau at 8:41 AM on April 13, 2013

Update from the poster:

Bonus question (Thanks, everyone!): should I decide to go through with this, would it be better to use my real (first) name on the site, a shortened version of my name, or a (new, not linked to my fanworks) pseudonym? Does a real name make linking the experience to me more credible?

posted by LobsterMitten at 8:50 AM on April 13, 2013

I think if you want to list this gig on a resume, and you'll be proud/glad of your work, it looks more dodgy to use anything but your real name.
posted by Ideefixe at 9:12 AM on April 13, 2013 [2 favorites]

I definitely would add this to your resume. It shows a great mix of initiative and focus.
posted by greenland at 9:35 AM on April 13, 2013

ooh, i can answer this!

i was a freelance journalist for many years while also being an active member of fandom, and after about ten years my journalist career collided with my fandom blogging when i got invited to become a writer for the Mary Sue, which led to my eventually getting hired as a full-time fandom reporter for the Daily Dot, which is basically my dream job.

but long before fandom paid off for me professionally in that very direct way, it paid off professionally in other ways. i put down any relevant fandom experience that i had on resumes whenever i applied for jobs. I spent three years as a project manager after i was hired on the strength of a resume where i listed a portfolio that included fanfic challenges i'd modded and fandom websites that i'd built and coded. I often got freelance editing jobs when i mentioned specific fanfics that I'd written or beta-read--sometimes when people recognized the fanfics.

also don't be afraid to draw on your strengths from fandom to build your resume. Fandom taught me how to use Photoshop and Excel and organize communities and moderate panels and be a public speaker and all kinds of cool stuff. So use those skills, and celebrate them. And good luck! :)
posted by bookshop at 10:02 AM on April 13, 2013 [4 favorites]

I work in video game development and have recently transitioned to marketing. I have seen so many fans ascend to dev and marketing that it is nearly common. I have actively recommended many a fan for hiring. People who are passionate about the product are the best. Any person who looks down on your fan experience likely just has ego problems.

I will say that you don't want to appear as the overly obsessed, easily angered, hyper critical fan. It is a fine line, but scrub your writing (and your attitude) of any assumption or implication that you know better than the creators. Employers in a creative environment want collaborators and team players who can be passionate but put reality ahead of their purism when it's called for.

Also, be proud and vocal if the real work you've done. Don't boast, but don't shrink, or be overly reverent of those who do a "sanctioned" version of what you do.

Tl;Dr yes put it proudly on your resume!
posted by pazazygeek at 10:49 AM on April 13, 2013 [1 favorite]

Fandom is a very real part of media studies. I have studied it as part of my research into the creation of social and resource capital in community media. The question is, do you want to be doing this for free? Do you know what the payoffs might be? There is a real (high) risk that your work will be co-opted by those who will profit at much higher rates than you. Be sure you know your real equity position.
posted by parmanparman at 11:04 AM on April 13, 2013

Does a real name make linking the experience to me more credible?

Absolutely unequivocally yes. A pseudonym would look a lot sketchier than using your real name, and is kind of at cross-purposes to revealing the connection in the first place. If you're going to do this, just do it.

Maybe this is just because I know a few of the AO3 folks who are "out" about it already, but I have the impression that fandom is a lot more mainstream-accepted than it used to be; I really wouldn't be that concerned about it.
posted by ook at 11:16 AM on April 13, 2013

You've gotta model the attitude you want others to take. If you present this like it's a shameful dorky secret that makes you look like a total loser, most people will believe you. If you present it like it's a serious project that clearly demonstrates your skill and professionalism, most people will believe you. So the further you go down that second road, the better it will be.

Ideally your angle would be not just "Yeah, I did this" but "Of course I did it! Why wouldn't I? A client is a client — everyone deserves good code and documentation, even niche websites. Anyway, this was a really interesting project, because..."

For mega bonus points, don't just leave the connection in the open, but make a point of discussing it. Write blog posts about "The unique challenges of doing XYZ in an all-volunteer fan community" or "What story codes can teach us about ABC aspect of maintaining user-submitted taxonomic data" or, I don't know, you get the idea. Just own it and present it the way you want it to be seen, and others will follow along.
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 12:35 PM on April 13, 2013 [4 favorites]

On your resume, it can say Coded thinga that does A, edited and commented code for thingb, etc., for site Gleegeeks.com/forums(yes, I'm a Gleek in my off time; the work was personally as well as professionally interesting and valuable). and you would, of course, spend the time to say it better than I have. A tightass might not value the work, but N% of managers are likely to give your resume a few moments of extra time, appreciating/noticing your work and your comment. That's generally a good thing. Working for a tightass is generally a not-so-good thing; trust me on this.
posted by theora55 at 2:09 PM on April 13, 2013

I agree with others that it depends a lot on the organization and the hiring manager. I used to interview technical writers, and I wouldn't have thought less of a person who put fandom-related experience on their CV if it was quantifiable or otherwise measured or evaluated somehow.

Like, I'm not convinced that maintaining FAQs on a website means you'd be a good technical writer -- it's not the same as a workplace situation where you have a manager evaluating your work, or where your customers' business depends on the quality of your work. That doesn't mean it's a mark against you or anything, just that the bar for "is this relevant work experience" is higher. That would be the case if it was fandom, or a sports website, or pretty much any topic.

I think work like coding or testing a website is easier to justify because it's more quantifiable in that regard. Of course, you could have some kind of unique situation where the site management conducts user surveys about the effectiveness of their help or documentation, which would be the kind of "proof of evaluation" I'd be looking for.

Having said all that, I think my manager at the time -- who was very concerned about our team's image within the company -- would hesitate at anything fandom-related. I don't think she'd know what to make of it. But that would also be a sign to you that the company culture might not be right for you.
posted by neushoorn at 9:23 PM on April 13, 2013