Actifan

An actifan (plural, actifen), a scientificombination for active fan, is a fan who participates vigorously in fandom — clubs, cons, fanzines, and now the internet — by making things happen that other, lazier types (passifans) are content to just appreciate (and/or pay money for). An actifan’s crifanac typically encompasses more than one aspect of fandom.

The term is sometime used as a synonym for trufan, in the sense of one whose fanac takes place in trufandom.

Though not having its own entry, the term was used in both Fancyclopedia I and Fancyclopedia II, and dates back at least to 1941. Joe Gilbert and Harry Jenkins, Jr., are credited with being the first to use the term in print, in a review of Bonfire #1, appearing in Fantasite Vol. 1, No. 4 (July 1941, p. 20): "Official organ of the NFFF, which every actifan should join." Jenkins later used it in a loc in the May 1942 issue of Super Science Stories.

However, their offhand use suggests that term is still older.

From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959

From Fan Depending on the extent to which a given fan indulges in anything more than local club activity he may be distinguished as an actifan (as opposed to passifen); stress on crifanac rather than congoing, among actifans, is the chief extensional distinction between trufans and confans.

From Fancyclopedia 1, ca. 1944

From scientificombination - The archetype scientificombination was Gernsback's "scientifiction", a running into ea/oth of "scientific" and "fiction". Under the influence of Ackerman, many other combinations are in common use, eg, pename, stfunnyarn, whathell, actifan....

---

Fanspeak

1941—

This is a fanspeak page. Please extend it by adding information about when and by whom it was coined, whether it’s still in use, etc.