I put this on my tbr list on the strength of the title alone, I think. This book is a look at how fandom - specifically online Buffy/Angel fandom - changed one woman's life.

I haven't been deeply involved in a fandom since I was in high school, but I was deeply involved for several years and it has effected my life in some ways similarly to Allyson's - the threads of that involvement linger in old friendships and in-jokes and fond memories. It was fun to read about a fandom that was as close and intense as the one I was involved in, but because it was filled with adults rather than teens, the members could do things like travel across the country (or in some cases, across the globe) to gather and meet, contact the actors and other people involved in the shows and actually have them respond and occasionally get involved, and so on.

Overall it was a very enjoyable book, often laugh-out-loud funny and at times poignant (the story near the end about everyone donating money to bring their friend from Israel to the US for two weeks almost brought me to tears). It was a fairly easy read, too, especially for non-fiction, written in a conversational tone, perhaps similar to blog or forum posts. ( )

A collection of essays about fandom.

I'm never too sure how I feel about fandom. I have a few things I'm particularly interested in (Buffy and Angel among them), but I don't think I'm really comfortable engaging in any hardcore fandomy activities.

I am interested in what others do, though, and on that level I found this book just fascinating. Allyson has hardly a word to say about Buffy itself; instead, she focuses on the friendships and connections she's made through her fandom. This isn't a book about the shows themselves. It's about the people who connected over them, and who have formed lasting bonds because of a shared interest.

The essays are quick and entertaining; I found it easy to whip on through 'em. Even though I've never really been involved in fandom, I have been involved in a few different internet communities. (Y'all might have heard of one of them? LibraryThing?) I found that I could relate as Allyson discussed forum liars, random acts of PayPal, and the stigma attached to "internet crazies." It made for an enjoyable read that I'd certainly recommend to anyone interested in reading about fandom from the inside. ( )

I checked this book out of the library thinking I was getting a book about Buffy fandom. Instead, it's a book about Allyson Beatrice and what fandom has meant to her, how she's engaged it, what sorts of experiences she's had because of it, and so on. Name-dropping litters the first half of the essays, and there's no sense of coherence or continuity to the stories -- they read like blog entries polished up and shoved at a publisher in hopes of looking important on the Internet. Some of the experiences in fandom were totally familiar, even though I've never been a part of Buffy fandom; some of it was stuff I'm completely happy to have missed out on. All in all, this was not the book I was looking for, but it was very interesting to see someone's perspective on fandom in a printed format -- usually when I hear fen talking about fandom, it's on the screen to an audience of other fen. ( )

I tried but I just couldn't get into this one. I don't think it had as much to do with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer aspects but more that I don't really participate in an online community like the author writes about. I don't participate in fan forums or bulletin boards, so it just didn't appeal to me. ( )

Allyson Beatrice lives a not-quite-ordinary life. Her job and almost everyone she knows are the result of spending too much time on the Internet talking about vampires, slayers and lesbian witches. And her encounters are even more unusual than you'd imagine.

A hilarious collection of true stories from Allyson's days as one of the Internet's leading cult TV fan gurus, her mind-boggling escapades include meetings with network executives in dark steakhouses to try to save doomed TV shows and one hastily arranged wedding for two committed Buffy fans. Honest, emotional and side-splittingly snarky, Allyson Beatrice brings a fresh voice to these wild but true stories. Will the Vampire People Please Leave the Lobby? welcomes you to a fun and sometimes bizarre world where stupidity frustrates, wit triumphs and connections are made in most unlikely ways...a world, in fact, not too different from our own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and Beatrice’s writing style. The pages flew by with funny stories and mental images of crazy fans. In one essay titled “Munchausen’s by Internet” Beatrice writes about a forum member who duped the community into believing she was a married mother of two with a sick child whose woes were never ending. I’m sure anyone with more than one year experience on message boards can admit to knowing someone who has tried something similar.

Although the book is mostly based on the fan world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other shows of its creator Joss Whedon it’s a great read that I recommend to all. ( )

Fast, enjoyable read. I had no idea there were people who liked Buffy so much. I'll have to watch more episodes. Favorite essays in this book: Gay Wedding Tree and Together, Alone. ( )

This is the story of one woman's adventures in internet communities. (This is an internet community - you know what they're like.) Excellently written which makes it a joy to read.

This is a quick and interesting read, but it doesn't really bring anything new to the study of fandom. While it may serve as a nice introduction to the world for outsiders and skeptics, for those on the inside Beatrice's stories are almost a dime a dozen. What does set Beatrice apart, and what kept me reading, is her biting (get it?!) wit and clever turn of phrase. Fast and funny, Beatrice will have veteran fans laughing and cringing with recognition all the way to the end. ( )

Enjoyed the snark, but the whole thing felt a bit too thin for me. There was a lot more to the bringing-our-Israeli-friend-to-the-U.S. story that doesn't appear here. For instance, I particularly enjoyed the group's "Letters to the Parents" efforts explaining why Nilly would be safe while visiting us. Glad she got it done, though. Do I win a toaster for having convinced someone else to buy a copy?

The reason to read this book is to enjoy Allyson's biting wit. Her observations are hysterical. A light, easy read, great if you're on vacation or waiting at the airport. ( )

Ugh -- mildly interesting, but this author seems sort of pompous-assy to me. And there a loads of editorial mistakes in it. Bah.

This was hilarious, and I'm not even a Buffy fan. I bet if I were I'd have been even more entertained. Beatrice makes some really good points about the unfair stigma our culture attaches to certain fan groups (when, for example, sports fans are considered totally normal) while at the same time poking fun at the very people she's defending with perfect accuracy.

I'm not one to hang out at Sci-Fi conventions, nor have I ever seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer, hence my initial resistance to Will the Vampire People Please Leave the Lobby. But as a veteran of many internet discussion boards, I was not surprised how many times I was nodding my head in agreement. This isn't so much about Buffy as it is how we form relationships online. The bad: trolls, cliques, shunning. The good: an overwhelming sense of community and brining together people who wouldn't have found each other otherwise. It's all there.

It's a pretty easy, light read. Something I'd recommend for anyone who's spent even a small amount of time at online fan forums -- of any kind. ( )

http://taras-wizard.livejournal.com/1...

In addition to my comments posted in my LJ. I must say that paghababian's comments above are very to the point and I agree with evaluation especially the essay regarding Allyson and her friends bringing their online friend from Israel to the US.

Everyone has up till now commented on Allyson's wit, and I don't think I would agree with most of those others definition of wit. Since IMO the book shows a lot of heart and even some sympathy and for those of us who have chosen to engage in online fandom (in general) and those who entered the online fan world for the show with the silly name. ( )

This book follows Beatrice's path through Buffy (and Angel and Firefly) fandom. Most of the essays are funny, relating her experiences as a reliable member of these fandoms. Her writing is biting and sharp, and she's clearly not afraid to speak her mind.

The two essays that hit me the hardest, though, were the last two in the book. "Random Acts of PayPal" proves that the internet isn't full of crazy people. Beatrice and her fellow message board members (including producer Tim Minear) raise enough money in a matter of hours to bring a poor graduate student from Isreal to America for a 3-week visit. I found myself tearing up at this, which really surprised me.

The other essay is titled "Together, Alone", and it illustrates the difference between introverts and extroverts. Beatrice and her friends (whom she all met online) go on vacation together. The first night, she's surprised to see them all gathered in the living room, each facing their own computer screen and not talking. It doesn't take her long, though, to realize that being together but alone is a great way for introverts to recharge. ( )

This book is just wonderful. As an obsessive TV fan, I love it because it's a look at pop culture fandom that doesn't make us all all look like that dude who still lives in his mom's basement. As an all-around social networks nerd, I love it as a serious answer to all the voices of "online community isn't real community". But most of all, as a reader, I love this book because Beatrice is a big new voice in the Vowell/Sedaris/Glass school of quirk, and also because I've re-read some of the essays half a dozen times since I got the thing yesterday and they keep making me tear up. ( )