The Rareslash Community

Hello everyone,

I checked the community profile to see if this was against the rules, and it doesn't seem to be, but if it is I will take it down. I'm also making an assumption here that fans of obscure fandoms are also fans of larger ones, Xena being statistically likely due to its size.

My name is Melissa Stanfill and I am a graduate student in Media and Cultural Studies at California State University, East Bay. I am currently seeking Xena fans who reside in the San Francisco Bay Area to participate in a study of fan culture. I am doing research on fans who have participated in internet activity around the show through writing fan fiction, blogging, or discussion board postings in order to better understand fans’ experience of these activities. I have been fan of the show myself since it was first aired, and have been an avid reader of fan fiction for nearly as long; watching the culture develop has made me interested in researching it more formally!

If you volunteer to participate, you will take part in a one-on-one interview of about 1 to 1½ hours, with the possibility of follow-up interviews if you are willing. The interview(s) will focus on your participation in internet activity and will take place in a location selected by you. These meetings will be tape recorded with your permission. However, you may ask to turn off the tape recorder and/or end the interview at any time.

Only I will have access to the data. Data will include the audio recordings and will be kept in a secure place. Your name will not be used in any transcription or report, and data that identify you will be disguised unless you specifically agree to be identified.

If you are interested, please email me at mstanfill [at] horizon.csueastbay.edu.

(crossposted everywhere)