Oh, yeah -- I nearly forgot. You began your post with the question, wasn't the fandom and all for the sake of getting noticed?
The answer is no.
It came together for the sake of sharing a common interest with others who had the same interests. Same as happens with all fandoms. Wanting to get noticed by the rest of the world is a whole other goal, but not the reason for the origins of the fandom.
Oh, yeah -- I nearly forgot. You began your post with the question, wasn't the fandom and all for the sake of getting noticed?
The answer is no.
It came together for the sake of sharing a common interest with others who had the same interests. Same as happens with all fandoms. Wanting to get noticed by the rest of the world is a whole other goal, but not the reason for the origins of the fandom.
-Chuck Melville-