A Simple Call To Arms: Enough is Enough

1 Comment

I had intended for my next post to be all about the 2016 BSI Weekend, but I believe other issues are a little more pressing.

It seems as though there’s some tittering on the Interwebs about online aliases. I have always called them “noms” (as in, nom de plume), because “Alias” was a TV show starring Electra.

The first and most important point for me to make is that we at AitB respect everyone’s right to name themselves. We reject any sort of fandom policing like this, especially as it can easily target a very specific section of the Holmesian community. Whatever you call yourself, you are welcome to join in our discussions, and your identity will be respected.

This is actually related to a larger fandom issue that includes aggressive “talk” about “Elementary,” but I’ll come to that in just one second.

I have been anonymous online for more than 10 years. Happily so. I engaged with Holmesians socially in the flesh, but I also maintained a robust online identity. I enjoyed (and still enjoy) highbrow and lowbrow conversations with Holmesians of all sorts, both online and off. Until 2015, only a few people knew to connect the Flesh!Me and the Online!Me.

I had serious reasons for setting up an anonymous online identity, but that’s not important. I chose to do so, and that’s the end of the story. For the record: Doxxing is unacceptable. Full stop.

The issue here seems to be rooted in this nasty trend of fandom policing. The Holmesian community didn’t invent this concept, but boy, I feel like we are trying to win the Olympics of Elitism. This makes me sad, but thankfully, it also makes me really damn mad.

We need to stop telling people how to be a “proper” fan of Sherlock Holmes, and then confirm with words and actions that if they do not live up to that “officially acceptable” version, they aren’t welcome at the table. That is an old-fashioned view of the world that is no longer valid.

If you do not like “Elementary,” good for you. If you feel the need to be rude to people who are fans, there’s something wrong with you, not the fans. Fans of one show aren’t subordinate to other Holmesians. Back when God was a child, when Art in the Blood was Holmesian.net, I was breaking up fights between fans of Rathbone and fans of Brett. This adversarial attitude isn’t new — it’s just gotten even nastier and more aggressive.

The squeaky wheels need to stop getting the grease. We as a community should be advocating for inclusiveness and happiness, not exclusivity and a misanthropy.

UColor_Le-Chat-Noirntil we meet in person,

Le Chat Noir

 

 

More on registration!

Leave a comment

Dear friends,

So, we are having some issues with registration. Because, if things went smoothly, where would be the fun? *kicks WordPress* Here’s what’s up: People are getting error messages, but the contact forms seem to be coming in correctly. So, you need to wait until either ScarletSherlock or I see your form and then put you in as a user. The system is then SUPPOSED to shoot you an email with the temporary password. Again, it seems to be failing to do this.

1. The temporary password is SherlockHolmes for now. When in doubt, try to sign in with your user name and that.

2. I have submitted a question post to the support forum to try to figure out why this is happening. Everything “looks” okay on our end, but obviously it is not. Tiny Holmes in the banner must be angry with me for some reason.

3. I am actually going out of town today and will be away from my laptop until Sunday night! Lawd, help me. I will have internet access though, and ScarletSherlock is almost always online, so it’s not like we’re just abandoning everyone, but I will be a little out of pocket. When I get an answer regarding the error message and email issues, I will definitely let everyone know.

Please comment here if you’re having any additional issues. I will be monitoring everything as best as possible. You can also email us at 221bartintheblood@gmail.com. I’ll be checking that as often as possible. Cheers! – Chat

 

additional message from ScarletSherlock: I’ll be around…basically forever. I’m at a Sherlockian Symposium in Dayton, Ohio this weekend so I’ll be checking in often! Please bear with us. We realize this process is a bear, but given the hacking issues that plagued HN from the beginning, we’re being a lot more militant. People are already posting in the forums with no issues once we’ve got them in, so hopefully as soon as this process is streamlined it’ll take off like gangbusters! I’ll be on twitter @Art_intheBlood and my own @HolmesBlazer too so you can yell at me and I’ll see it basically immediately (unless it’s 3 or 4 am, then it might be a couple hours. XD) .

Opening Day!

Link Leave a comment

“Opening Day” for Art in the Blood will be this coming Friday, March 20, 2015.

You can currently sign up for an account, comment, start topics, and do just about everything else on the site, but we decided to have an official opening, as well. Prior to that date, and possibly right after as we adjust, please excuse our dust if we are slow in replying or ironing out bugs. We have tested just about everything but a live site with users is a lot different than us shouting into the abyss! If you encounter problems of any kind contact Le Chat Noir, Scotland Yard, or ScarletSherlock – we are here for you!

We chose March 20 for our opening as Watson says it was On 20 March 1888 when the King of Bohemia came to consult Sherlock Holmes about his affair with and blackmail by Irene Adler (“A Scandal in Bohemia”). There is an excellent timeline of the Sherlock Holmes canon over at Sherlock Peoria 

 

Illus-scan-paget-06

“I shall wear it on my watch chain in memory of the occasion.”

More details forthcoming about our opening events! Please join and spread the word. -SS