Hi, about your userinfo page, what's the alt(.)tv before x-files for? Also, out of curiosity and since I don't know who else to ask, what are the major platforms that fandoms (as a whole) have been on throughout the years (i.e. Ao3 (is it meant to be referred to as OTW or Ao3?), Fanfiction(.)net etc.).
Good question!
alt.tv.x-files is a Usenet group. The “alt” hierarchy was where the random new groups were added, especially the fandom ones. (Other parts of Usenet were often restricted to serious science topics or whatever.) Fandom means a lot of different things, but looking at the Kirk/Spock type fanfic fandom history, here’s a list in vaguely chronological order. For perspective, fanfiction.net was founded in 1998. LJ was founded in 1999 but got big in fandom in 2002.
- Zines, conventions
- Usenet, privately hosted mailing lists
- Forums, early archives, eGroups/Onelist/Yahoo Groups mailing lists
- Hand-coded websites (Geocities, Angelfire, Tripod, etc.)
- Fanfiction.net, efiction archives, Media Miner
- Livejournal, LJ clones
- Quiz sites (??? WHYYYY?)
- Tumblr, Wattpad, AO3
OTW is the parent organization that runs AO3. The archive itself is AO3. OTW also runs other things, including a wiki on fannish history, Fanlore.
This page should help: https://fanlore.org/wiki/Fandom_and_the_Internet
The tumblr post ‘the three generations of fanfic’ has good responses, but it’s hard to follow now. This fanlore page summarizes and quotes from them: https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_three_generations_of_fanfic