I know more about fandom and how it works, I can't say I participate more, but I lurker more places and have a better feel for it.

I wasn't looking for some long detailed piece of feedback, but I wasn't sure how recs worked. I mean, do you just rec something, or is it standard to let someone know that you are reccing their story?

I don't. Some people do. I think it's a personal preference thing.

I remember how chuffed I felt when I was recced , but it felt weird because she didn't send feedback.

It's understandable to think it's weird. Or even people who get a little upset or whatever by it. But what drives me crazy are the 17 page long rants about it in LJ. How reading fic is a privilege and it's your god-given responsibility to feedback and blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. There's one BNF that's sort of the B-ist BNF who did that. It was this huge thing and reading it felt like I was being spanked or something. I stopped reccing that person. I also stopped liking them.

Or is my location skewed?

Eh. It's all context, and forum-based. I started in fandom on an analysis newsgroup, and so at the time the BNFs to me were people like Loligo and Maggie Helwig and Matt Hale and Sarah Stegall, people who posted long, thoughtful episode analyses.

But then I moved into fic, and onto mailing lists, and the names all changed. The big names in XF fic were Jill Selby and Sally&Rivka and DashaK. The big names in analysis on the mailing list I was on were Fialka and BarbaraD and Melymbrosia and Marasmus, but they were all ficwriters because it was a fic-and-analysis list.

Now my experience in fandom is mostly through this board, one discussion list I moderate, a couple of fic lists, and LJs/blogs which are mostly Farscape or former XF-folks I consider personal friends. My concept of BNF is going to depend on how I know them, whether lots of people link to them or comment on their LJ/blog, or how often they end up in COMM. *g*

I posted an XF fic recently to all the standard places. At one point I was, maybe not a BNF, but a MNF in XF fic. Now? NSM. Context is everything, forum is everything, and history is very very short.

not a BNF, but a MNF in XF fic. Now? NSM

Whoa, I just went in to acronym overload. Call the EMTs!

Heh.

I live in terror of becoming a MNF.

I'm a happy SNF, but I've seen myself quoted, so, fear.

And yet you're a BNF amongst the Buffistas. See?

I mean, BNF just means people in a certain community recognize your name. Could mean people agree with you, but doesn't have to.

It's all very odd.

And yet you're a BNF amongst the Buffistas. See?

UNDO IT! UNDO IT!

Yeah, I'm aware of that. It's because I talk too much. And I was the equiv. of a BNF in the early 90s insular Seattle BBS scene, at least in a particular subsection of it, because I was active in the community, went to GTs, ran boards, and was always online.

I mean, BNF just means people in a certain community recognize your name. Could mean people agree with you, but doesn't have to.

Yerp. It's very silly.

The Road Rules/Real World Battle of the Sexes is pretty much what happens when you throw Big Name and Little Name and No Name women together.

Jesus, talk about back stabbing and pack mentality. They were already jumping on each other and trying to tear each other's throats out, and then turning around with pretty smiles on their faces. Lots of behind the back stuff.

On the guys side there was the one huge major blow out, but other than that the guys seem to get along.

With the women it's a bunch of small petty stuff and you can see the allegiances forming and lots of "your my friend and you don't like HER so I hate HER too." happening.

All feedback thrills me. I ascribe the minimal feedbacks "Hi, I liked it" to either shyness or inability to put together a more coherent statement. I've sent feedback to strangers, mostly to encourage them to finish a series I adore.

Part of me wants to be a BNF, but that's the small person who was always picked last for Red Rover. She has belonging issues. It's too much work to maintain that kind of presence, and I'm more into everyone having fun. I found Vamp!Giles recced by Te, who specifically said she never recs Works in Progress but she was making an exception, and that's thrill enough to last for months.