How To Become a BNF

[kerravonsen]

With the recent HP fandom controversy going the rounds, I've been wondering about what makes a BNF, and what you have to have and do in order to become one.

ETA: Please note, I do not want to become a BNF. Note that my "mood" is "cynical".

1. Get in on the ground floor.
You have absolutely no chance of becoming a BNF in a particular fandom unless you are one of the first few people in that fandom. It doesn't help if you're more talented than an already established BNF, because by then it is too late. You have to get in while the fandom is hot, and the number of people required to impress is small -- once you've won them over, they will indoctrinate the latecomers.
This also requires a bit of prescience, since you have to know what fandoms are going to become big fandoms, before they do become big (you can't really be a BNF in a small fandom).

2. Live in the USA.
It isn't that there aren't BNFs outside the USA, but the culture of the USA seems more amenable to BNF-dom, possibly because modesty isn't considered a virtue in the USA.
Also, for fandoms based on US TV, it's easier to do #1 if you live in the USA.

3. Do something admirable.
If you want to be admired, you have to be able to produce something which other fans can admire.
(a) writing or art
This is a common method: "I worship your writing" has been uttered by fans of BNFs. You don't necessarily have to have fantastic talent (fans are easy to please) but you have to have some talent.
(b) connections
Have an "in" with actors/producers/writers of the fandom, and use that to score coups which can be shared with other fans.
(c) Organisation skills
Run a convention or a website, so long as it is the biggest convention ever, or THE website for that fandom. It helps if it's the first convention or website for the fandom (see #1)

4. Be prolific and/or tireless.
It's no good being a good writer or having connections if your work isn't appearing before other fans regularly. This is aided by having a spouse who earns the bread, or possibly having a job which is connected with fandom.
You also have to concentrate all your efforts on that particular fandom -- if you are interested in multiple fandoms, you are doomed, since your efforts are spread out over more than one fandom.

5. Be or know a gatekeeper.
The best way to become a BNF is to not only have the talent, but to also control the information flow to other fans. In the old days, this used to be along the lines of running a club or putting out a popular fanzine. Nowadays it's more along the lines of running a website or moderating a forum/mailing list. To avoid an apparent conflict of interest, it may be better if you yourself aren't the gatekeeper, but your best friend is.

---

All of these demonstrate why I will never become a BNF myself -- I'm interested in far too many fandoms, and I always seem to come in on the fandoms too late. Not to mention that I'm no good at self-promotion.

Comments

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

I'm really kind of weirded out by the "it's all about popularity" vibes I keep getting off of random people in fandom lately. Like it somehow proves your worth as a person if you get x number of feedbacks or have x number of people friend your LJ, and that other people daring to draw attention away from you or to convince others to hold a different opinion from yours are doing you some horrible injury equivalent to throwing bricks through your windows. It just leaves me scratching my head.

I occasionally wonder if I'm just old. If maybe there's a difference in perspective between people who got into this stuff pre-internet vs younger people, or what. I just so vividly remember being that lonely geek kid in junior high school, when it absolutely meant the world to me to find three people who actually wanted to talk about the stuff I was interested in, never mind attracting hordes of admirers and being the Fannish Prom Queen. I just honestly don't get why people care about the six billion people who aren't interested in talking to them once they've found the precious handful who are on their same wavelength.

To me, fandom was a place to get away from the stupid popularity games of high school and find people with whom I could have passionate debates about the Prime Directive or whatever. It would never in a zillion years have occurred to me that the goal was to become a BNF, or that there was something unsatisfying about being unknown outside your own personal circle of friends.

[kerravonsen]

It would never in a zillion years have occurred to me that the goal was to become a BNF, or that there was something unsatisfying about being unknown outside your own personal circle of friends.

Oh, I agree -- I guess should have noted that this post is somewhat cynical and sarcastic... because I never considered my goal to be an BNF either. If I did, I'd probably be better at self-promotion.

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

No, I didn't think you did, although it was a bit hard to tell from the tone how serious you were intending to be. :)

Most of that wasn't aimed at you, I should clarify. It was just stuff that's been bumping around in my brain, and you apparently hit the button that caused it to spill out.

[kerravonsen]

I occasionally wonder if I'm just old.

Aye.

I think I got over my starry-eyed-ness after I'd been to enough conventions to realize that the Actors were People too. And if the Actors are just normal sods, that goes double for BNFs.

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

I don't think it ever occurred to me that actors weren't just normal sods. But, I dunno, most people don't seem to think that way...

It has occurred to me that the whole popularity contest and "I wanna be a BNF!" attitudes in fandom are very likely just more manifestations of the whole Cult of Celebrity thing. These days, fame doesn't seem to be about doing something that people like and attracting attention to your work, it seems to be all about building a name for yourself, not about being popular for what you do, but about, as they say, being famous for being famous. Me, I figure, hey, if people like my fic or find me interesting to talk to, yay! But the idea of people wanting to friend me because they think it makes them cool by association or something is just kind of creepy. Not that it's anything I'll ever have to worry about, of course. :)

[kerravonsen]

(derned typos!)

It has occurred to me that the whole popularity contest and "I wanna be a BNF!" attitudes in fandom are very likely just more manifestations of the whole Cult of Celebrity thing.

Yes, I was wondering that myself.
This post by synaesthete7 goes on to explicitly compare the whole thing with, well, idolatry. Which fits.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

It has occurred to me that the whole popularity contest and "I wanna be a BNF!" attitudes in fandom are very likely just more manifestations of the whole Cult of Celebrity thing.

That makes a kind of sense. People who are smitten by the worship of actors may be those who desire that kind of fame themselves.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I do love this icon :)

[kerravonsen]

8-)

[watervole.livejournal.com]

One of kerravonsen's. Someone just gifted me with a paid account, so I've been out snaffling all my favourite icons.

Right now, I need to find a couple of good Firefly ones...

[labingi.livejournal.com]

Interesting discussion. I think you may be right about a generational thing. In our generation fandom is/was geeky almost by definition. The people who admitted to being into, say, Star Trek didn't expect to be "cool." But I think the internet may have changed that somewhat. Today, it's so easy for so many people to connect with so many others about so many things that it's not just "geeks" doing it anymore, so there may be more of a mainstream popularity vibe. (In a way, it might be analogous to newspaper personals vs. contemporary internet dating.)

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

I really do find it utterly impossible to imagine what it's like for young fans growing up with the internet, instead of in isolation the way I did.

I do wonder whether it is that it's not just "geeks" doing it any more, or if it has more to do with the fact that, due to the inernet, the geeks don't ever have the experience of feeling that popularity is impossible for them, because there's always the possibility of finding circles in which their geekiness is cool.