Coke is going to be Coke no matter what you call it or how you market it, and people who see soda in a can or bottle are going to be getting soda. If you're marketing specifically to niche markets as I gather you do, people who know about a convention only that it features a media guest of honor and or only that it will have an academic track or only that it will have a famous writer as a guest will not necessarily know what they're getting when they actually show up.
I am not changing conventions in broad strokes, I am trying to push them more open to new people.
I never said you were and agreed that you weren't in my last message. I'm also not suggesting that we emphasize fannish in-jokes and things that people might not be familiar with when trying to sell them a convention. However, what I'm trying to grapple with is the specific instance of not mentioning someone you're supposedly honoring because some people might not understand the terminology you're using. If you really feel that the concept is strange and offputting and won't be welcome by your target audience, then I personally would rather see you drop the whole idea than make the honor incomplete in case some people get offended or put off by it.
It's very frustrating to constantly see people decrying the lack of new people in SF fandom when at the same time they're beating away new people with sticks.
I guess I fail to see where mentioning the Fan Guest of Honor as one of your guests, possibly with an explanation or possibly without, is beating away new people with sticks. And as someone who has gone out of her way to try to make new people feel welcome -- encouraging the existence of and participating in "Conventions 101" panels, meeting with different writer fan groups to bring them into the fold, making sure whenever I'm on a panel that we explain whatever terms we're using that people might not be familiar with, etc. -- I kind of resent being put in that category.
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Date: 2008-03-27 11:45 am (UTC)I am not changing conventions in broad strokes, I am trying to push them more open to new people.
I never said you were and agreed that you weren't in my last message. I'm also not suggesting that we emphasize fannish in-jokes and things that people might not be familiar with when trying to sell them a convention. However, what I'm trying to grapple with is the specific instance of not mentioning someone you're supposedly honoring because some people might not understand the terminology you're using. If you really feel that the concept is strange and offputting and won't be welcome by your target audience, then I personally would rather see you drop the whole idea than make the honor incomplete in case some people get offended or put off by it.
It's very frustrating to constantly see people decrying the lack of new people in SF fandom when at the same time they're beating away new people with sticks.
I guess I fail to see where mentioning the Fan Guest of Honor as one of your guests, possibly with an explanation or possibly without, is beating away new people with sticks. And as someone who has gone out of her way to try to make new people feel welcome -- encouraging the existence of and participating in "Conventions 101" panels, meeting with different writer fan groups to bring them into the fold, making sure whenever I'm on a panel that we explain whatever terms we're using that people might not be familiar with, etc. -- I kind of resent being put in that category.