Why writing fan accounts is really hard

So this post is something I've been thinking about for awhile. I need to get some worries off my chest regarding fan account inaccuracies and why writing fan accounts is sometimes really complicated. I don't want this to turn into a pity me fest, I just want to confess a few things. I've been writing fan accounts publicly for only a few months now. I don't have too many followers on twitter, but I am aware that my fan accounts are spread in forums, re-tweeted and translated into different languages. The problem is that I make mistakes. I make typos. In the heat of the moment I write something and mean it one way, and without meaning to my words can have a different interpretation. It's something I've begun to really worry about as I see the problems bad fan accounts can cause. 

I've thought of three really good examples of why fan accounts can sometimes be really problematic for SHINee and confuse SHAWols to the extreme. There are definitely more scenarios than this, but these are just the most succinct I could think of. Also I would like to take note that people who write fan accounts are from really different language backgrounds. Some of us study Korean full time, some of us have no Korean understanding, some of us are at a intermediate level. Some fan accounts are taken from Chinese or Japanese and translated to English and even then the people who wrote the original Chinese or Japanese account might have differing levels of Korean understanding. For that reason alone fan accounting is tricky business. 

1. To Heart KBS Music Bank recording

Back during Delicious promotions for Woohyun and Key I went to a Friday recording at KBS for Music Bank. That night To Heart were going to have their first fansign. As we were waiting for the staff to finish setting up Woohyun and Key were making conversation with the fans and asking questions. I wrote this fan account after the recording was finished: https://twitter.com/locketmin0923/status/446908008862216193

Key and Woohyun were asking who was going to the fansign tonight. Not many people raised their hands ^.^;;;

I made a huge mistake. I felt really embarrassed and sad about it much later when I realized what damage I'd caused. The question that Woohyun had actually asked was: Who won access to the fansign tonight [and will be receiving autographs]? The reason not many people raised their hands is because not many people in the studio at that time were lucky enough to win the lottery. I mentioned this briefly in my post about fansigns.

What I later found out was because I worded my fan account poorly, it had posted it on a To Heart discussion forum and some fans were dismayed that people appeared to not be supporting To Heart by not attending the fansign willingly because it was a collaboration between Infinite and SHINee. People were upset with Korean fans because of a misunderstanding that arose as a result of my bad wording. I often write long fan accounts and have to edit and remove from my writing to make allowances for the word limit on twitter. I'm learning to be much more specific and explain myself more thoroughly but I still make a lot of mistakes. I'm sure this is the case for people in a similar situation to me. We're lucky enough to have a few lovely girls fan accounting from Korea, but we're all human and we all make mistakes.

2. Key's last Bonnie and Clyde musical 15/05/25

As a lot of you may know Onew was spotted at Key's last performance of Bonnie and Clyde last week. I was super lucky enough to be sitting a few rows in front of him so got a pretty good look at him. My friend that was sitting next to me is a huge Onew fan, so she was watching him pretty closely. As many fans might already know, Onew came in with his manager and Akdong Musician. He sat with his head down low, hiding his face with his hands and most fans didn't really realize he was in the room. Akdong Musician are really popular in Korea and were getting a bit of attention, but the fans were just peering at them curiously and chattering. 

Now at the time I'm sure most people couldn't see what was going on too clearly. A theater usher appeared and spoke with SHINee's manager briefly and then Onew and the manager left the room quickly. At the time a lot of people wrote fan accounts saying that Onew had to leave because the fan reaction was too loud and disruptive and they needed to start the musical. People didn't actually make a huge reaction until he stood up to leave. The real reason he had to leave the room was because they were sitting in the wrong seat. A couple appeared and sat where Onew was previously and Onew and the manager snuck in and sat nearby after the lights had gone down. Which is completely normal. I've been to a few musicals now and when famous people come they always sneak in after the lights go down and sneak out before the lights go up. Minho did it at Three Musketeers and when I went to see High School Musical with Luna and Ryeowook with a SJ fan friend, Donghae and Eunhyuk snuck in after the lights went down. 

I don't blame anyone for making this mistake. Really I think you can only try and understand the situation as best you can with the information you have. But because fans came to the wrong conclusion it ended up making SHINee fans and fangirls in general look bad when, in this situation, they didn't deserve any criticism. It's just an example where a really honest mistake can sometimes cause trouble.

3. Jonghhyun, Onew and Taemin Incheon Airport 14/05/31

I wasn't personally present for this one but I know a bit of confusion arose. I can only share what I've heard. Jonghyun, Onew and Taemin left for SHINee World Concert III in Shanghai this Saturday morning. The initial fan account that came out was that the fans were waiting for SHINee outside like they normally do, but SHINee's van pulled up at the wrong gate. All of SHINee got out and all the girls who wanted to take their pictures had to run down the road to reach SHINee if they wanted to get their shots. Fans could see Jonghyun pointing at something and laughing, bringing the other member's attention to it. A few people thought that Jonghyun was pointing and laughing at the fans (who admittedly looked pretty ridiculous running with all their massive lenses and stools down the road if you look at the news pics). Conflicting fan accounts arose later saying that there was a SHINee advertisement that Jonghyun was pointing and laughing at, not the fans. I couldn't honestly say what the truth was because I wasn't there, but I think fans who were telling the second story were upset that Jonghyun was being accused of laughing at fans suffering. 

Once again, a really honest mistake and I'm sure no one was lying, but something as simple as where you're standing, what you can see and what you're able to hear makes a huge difference in how you understand the situation. Some people might be privy to other information and so they have a better understanding, while other people in the same room, at the same event, might not be able to see the same thing because they're sitting at a different angle. Rarely do I think anyone would purposely lie about a situation but I guess what I'm trying to say is I hope fans can A) be aware that fan accounts aren't always perfect and double check information. And B) be a little understanding of us. Sometimes when attending fan events we're tired, unfed and un-caffeinated so we make a lot of mistakes. 

In conclusion: I'm sorry for any mistakes I make and thank you to all the people who send me lovely thank you messages and support. I worry that I can come off as a super obnoxious know-it-all. Since I primarily use my twitter and blog for SHINee fan accounts and for commenting on issues, maybe I seem like a stick in the mud. Hopefully I can improve my people skills in the future ^.^;;;; 

I'll probably add more to this post later but I want to get it off my chest at the moment and I'm super sleepy~