Can You Be a Fan Without Being a Fan?

As I sit on my couch with my laptop comfortably resting on my lap I am happy to be watching one of my favorite television shows: Grey’s Anatomy I realize that while I may be a fan of The Food Network and Bethenny Frankel I am not nor do I want to be a fan of Grey’s Anatomy.  Is that possible?  Is it possible to be a fan of something without being a Facebook Fan?

It kind of makes me think about the tree falling in the woods and if no one is around does it make a sound.  Now I am not sitting in my living room alone.  My faithful companion Spades (minus the puppy Molly) is chilling with me watching the fictional doctors’ repair dismembered patients but does it count?  Am I really a fan if I don’t login to my Facebook Account and search for Grey’s Anatomy and hit the like button?  I say yes!

While I like getting updated on recipes that I will never make and where to buy Skinny Girl Margaritas that I will never purchase (I’m a Patron type of girl) I do not want to deal with overzealous fans and spoilers!  I want to sit on my couch every Thursday and enjoy the show for what it is… an hour (minus the commercials) of escapism into the world or Seattle Grace!  I don’t need to stay up to date on all of the fanfare I just need to watch the show.

Does this make me any less of an advocate than the over 9 million fans on the Fan Page I say no!  I will still discuss the show with my girlfriends and anxiously anticipate the next episode.  What does it all mean?  It means do not get wrapped up in the number of Fans your business has (or doesn’t have) enjoy their patronage but don’t forget about all of the other Fan not Fans outside of the interweb (and Facebook).

Facebook is just one location for a community to gather.  Don’t forget about the water cooler community and the cocktail hour community and all of the other subcultures that exist that like to discuss things amongst themselves and not with the 9 million “official fans.”  Facebook is just one part of an overall marketing strategy and while it needs to be embraced it is not the end all be all for advocacy.

Stay tuned for next week’s episode… I know I will!