Fan Behavior

No,  I don't mean fan like ceiling fan, or exhaust fan, I mean like fanatic, faithful follower, adherent, enthusiast, groupie.
There are fans of all sorts of things out there.  Sports fans, fans of TV shows, genre fans, music fans, fans of authors, you name it.  All of these fan groups are supportive of the objects of their interest.  They buy tickets to games, movies, concerts, events where their idols appear.  They buy memorabilia, pictures, t-shirts, toys, cds, dvds, books, just about anything to support the team/show/star they are fond of.  Go to any social media site, and you will find all sorts of fans in groups, or individually, either on Face Book pages, or following their idols on Twitter, or haunting websites and chat rooms about their favorites.
Fandoms are the separate little kingdoms of each type of fan.  Star Trek fandom is probably one of the largest and most active out there, but Doctor Who fans, also known as Whovians, are a very large fandom, also. (These also overlap, Trek fans also being fond of The Doctor in many cases.)  Star Wars has a large fan base, and they are also pretty active.  Most of these fandoms are fun to participate in, and most people are nice, at least in the Star Trek fan groups I have associated with.  That being said, there are trolls everywhere.

Fandom tends to fall into two general camps overall.
FIJAGH, or "Fandom Is Just A Goddam Hobby"  - Mostly folks like my husband and I that enjoy our enthusiasm, but do not base our ENTIRE life upon the fan experience.  (Though we DID meet in a Star Trek fan club...)
and
FIAWOL - Fandom Is A Way Of Life.  These are the die-hards, the fans that live and breathe for their favorites.  Some of these people's zeal would put the most earnest missionaries to shame.  They are the fans that go to EVERY convention, the ones who have ELABORATE costumes, the ones who get a little scary to talk to sometimes...
But most people in BOTH camps are kind, generous, and caring, especially of fellow fans. 
Perhaps the kindest, most dedicated, and most true to the tenets of the program they admire are Classic Beauty and the Beast fans.  These are people who, more than 25 years after the show first aired still have an annual convention, still write and share fan fiction, are very active online, and the best thing of all, they raise money at their conventions and at Winterfest Online for charity.  Each convention chooses a worthy local charity, one that exemplifies the principles of the show, and they raise money through the dealers' room and the silent auction and straight donations to support that charity. I have not ever heard of a group of fans doing something like this with such regularity, and so generously.  This is NOT a really large group, and yet, they raise decent amounts to donate.

 I have come across few fan groups that are openly antagonistic, but you will , as I said, find "trolls" or troublemakers in almost any group.  You will find "snobs" who think THEY are more dedicated fans and therefore will not associate with "lesser" fans, but I haven't found any of those in BATB fandom.  There are a few Trek fans like that, especially  when you get proponents of different types of Star Trek together.  I like the Original Series best, but I do not DISLIKE the other series that came later.  Some of the later fans openly detest the Original Series, which to me is a bit like hating your grandparents.  You came from them, you better have some respect, 'cause everything about you started there...
Since I have been on social media and finding some of my favorite actors on line, I have seen some fans who perhaps know these actors from other roles, who are downright nasty both to the actors and to other fans.  Now, how can you call yourself a fan and be rude and disrespectful to that person?  Doesn't seem logical to me.  A fan is a supporter, someone who enjoys the work of an actor, musician, artist, or sports star, not a critic.  Your job as a fan is to be SUPPORTIVE, to show your appreciation.  You are not a critic, and really, if you disagree with someone, just stop reading the posts, or don't say anything if you can't say something nice. (Basic manners you should have learned from your Momma.)  As for attacking other fans, hey, the social media page isn't a place for you to vent your cruelty.  I know of at least one star (William Shatner) who has blocked and banned people for being rude and crude to others on his feeds.  He shouldn't have to be enforcing such discipline, as though his fans were a bunch of unruly recruits at StarFleet.  It is to his credit that he does, though.

Some fans, myself included, have been quick to encourage when people we follow are seeming to be down or discouraged.  One celebrity thanked all of us who had sent him encouragement and support, saying he was overwhelmed by how much we cared.  I, for one, responded that hey, that's what fans are FOR!
True fans don't rub it in when you have a setback, they don't desert the team when it loses, they stick around and keep believing.  Sports fans are perhaps the best example of this.  True Sooner Fans will always root for OU, no matter what.  The Sooners could be playing the worst football EVER, and Sooner fans will still come to games, still cheer, and still love their team.  I have seen it over and over since we moved here.  (And we are only about 7 miles from Norman, our best friends are OU alums, as are many, many other people we know.)

So, to the actors, writers, and musicians that I admire (ahem, Ron Perlman, Elton John, William Shatner, Rod Stewart, Michael Ornstein, Wil Wheaton, Anne Lamott, Kurt Sutter, Katey Sagal, Josh Groban, to name a few) know that you have my support, and I will still root for you no matter what.  I appreciate your talent, and I will be here.
 To my fellow fans, I will support you, also, and as long as you are willing to play nice, so am I.  If you are going to be mean, though, you will be ignored and blocked.   Life is too short to waste energy feeding trolls.
Love to all my fellow PerlGirls, ladies, you are the best!

Katie