Does anyone else remember when the hubs of fandom exerience were websites that stood like mighty museums? Some were stocked with but a few hyperlinks to fuzzy JPEGs, intermingled with clipart and promotional photos, but one image would be the sole property of that website, and so it maintained its distinction. Others, meanwhile, would be packed full of myriad galleries, shelved with tomes of fanfiction, and perhaps--if they could afford the bandwidth--videos.
And almost all of them had, at the bottom, a door to a special room. Many could come and browse these rooms, but if you spoke with one who held the keys and registered your name and promised to abide by their rules, you could take a seat and join int he conversations. You could submit your drawings and admire the works of others. News and rumous would flourish, sometimes petty squabbles would erupt, and rooms were even carved out for people to simply relax and gossip about whatever.
Sometimes these hallowed halls would crumble to dust. Some still stand, waiting to serve as they have done for decades.
It was a different digital world.