Yes-- I fixed. Need more coffee.

I'm conflicted.

I made the proposal because I felt bad, yes, and a lot of that came from knowing that personally, I don't use Boxed Set except to post about SPN, and that a lot of my posts consist of nothing but inarticulate drooling.

That said, I was spoiled by Veronica Mars, and the feeling of intimacy in there, of fans who could shorthand stuff to each other about the show or characters. There are times when I've watched an episode of SPN and wanted a bit of conversation but I've *not* posted, because I feel as if we take up enough space in there as it is.

I understand the toaster thing, and recruiting new fans, but I suppose because it doesn't quite work that way for me (with the exception of Dr. Who, a little bit, because I've caught it once or twice and am intrigued by the premise and everyone's enthusiasm), it didn't occur to me that others may appreciate the cross-pollination. Most of the other Boxed Set shows are simply not something I'm going to watch, so I skip right over that stuff. (Oh, and Eureka! I'm waiting to get the S1 DVDs.)

I'm considering withdrawing the proposal, because I don't think I considered the issues before proposing it (hello, impulse control issues), but I'd like the conversation to continue a little longer first.

It feels a bit to me like media fannishness is a secret rule of thumb, only known to some

Well, call it a subtext. It's been around for a long time -- the reason we came up with the named "Boxed Set" was because that was the era of cult (read: fannish) TV shows suddenly getting put out on DVD, as the vanguard for every TV show coming out on DVD, as happens now. It's also the reason we always knew there would be thread-drift (Due South to Stargate to the now quasi-formal "anything on the Sci-Fi Channel plus other stuff that wouldn't be out of place there"), since media fandom is a flighty thing, and if not polyamorous then definitely serially monogamous.

The media-fannish subtext is the reason why Spooks/MI-5 has historically been mentioned in Boxed Set, and then meticulously shooed out after a moment. Spooks isn't science fiction at all; but it is a media-fannish source text.

The joy of subtext is that it can intermingle with the text alla time, and those who aren't into it can just read along with the text and be happy. I think what non-Supernatural watchers are describing is their sensation that the subtext is overwhelming the text.

I like the thought of a dedicated SPN thread. It's going into its third season, it's not like folks haven't had a chance to get exposed to it. Even if it moves out of Boxed Set and it was the only show I was actively watching in Boxed Set, I would still subscribe to BS because I have picked up new shows to watch just by doing that (Dresden Files and Blood Ties, for example.) I don't think Boxed Set loses anything by SPN moving out. But, if folks want SPN to stay, it won't affect my attitude towards either Boxed Set or SPN.

As someone who hasn't been able to use boxed set in a long time I'm reallybin favor of getting a show out of there and into a separate thread. As I've said many times the bucket threads are a complete train wreck for me. The crosspollination idea doesn't work at all for me since I just end up going in and getting spoiled and then ignoring the thread.

I'd be more likely to rejoin Boxed Set if SPN were separate, I think. Not because I don't feel it belongs there but just because it's more and more unwieldy if you're not a watcher. The flip side of that is that I've just bought the SPN season 1 DVDs, and I think I'd also find it easier to dive in to the discussion in a dedicated thread.

Let me feel my way through this, have patience.

Part of SPN discussion (ETA: or discussion of any BS show that I watch) for me is certainly the sharing of squee and flail--which is, I believe, the primary element that's offputting for Boxed Set users who are not SPN fans. But when I use the term cross-pollination, I don't just mean discussing more than one show, and learning about shows I may not be watching currently, though that is a large part of it.

Part of cross-pollination, to me, is discussing shows *in relation to, and in comparison to or with, each other*. I think this is what Boxed Set is all about, the energy created by fans who watch *all* these types of genre show, and the spillover from one fandom to another. This is why, though I do perceive the signal to noise problem, I'm resistant to moving SPN into its own thread. It feels to me that a lot of that discussion energy would be lost, in both threads. And that feels like a real loss, to me.

EATA: I know there are posters (Hi, Drew!) who want separate threads for each show, so they can discuss what they've been able to watch, and not be spoiled or subjected to discussion on shows they haven't watched or won't watch. I can understand that impulse. But realistically, you're looking at eight posts per week in each of those threads, with the same four or five people posting, and never talking to anybody in any of the other threads. That's not a posting board, or a fannish community. I don't feel that experience is what b.org is or ever has been. Maybe that's where we're going, ultimately. But it doesn't sound like a lot of fun, to me.

Also, I have to be away for a few hours, so I'm not posting and running--well, I am, but not because I'm a wussy little girl. I'll be back if anybody has stuff to discuss.

ETA: Eh, you know what, never mind. I think SPN is clearly within the purview of Boxed Set, and if the SPN folks don't want their own thread, they shouldn't be shunted off into one.

I don't really have a dog in this "fight", but I think it is worth having some discussion of a proposal upthread about 1-2 dozen posts:

What about a "watch & post" thread? Would that relieve some of the pressure from the Boxed Set thread?