User blog:Jpearson/Reflect and Refresh: Fandom Stars in 2023

Hey everyone!

Happy New Year! Last year, we announced the launch of the new creator recognition program Fandom Stars. Crafting this program was fun, and it was fantastic to see people share their experiences as editors on the platform and serve as ambassadors to the community. In such a short amount of time, we accomplished quite a bit. Stars had the opportunity to attend conferences for the first time, meet showrunners and talent from their favorite IPs, amplify their voice while telling their stories on the Fandom platform, win a few giveaways, and provide feedback directly to our product team. Stars might not realize it, but they’ve contributed so much to the success of this program. They set the tone for the future of Fandom’s creator program by attending Community Connect and sharing their feedback about FanCentral [Beta]. Stars used their voices to uplift others for our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. They used their powers for good to support community members through guides, programming, and much more.

Plans for 2023
This year we plan to do that and more! The plan for 2023 will focus on mentoring, monitoring, and masterclass. We’ll provide resources and opportunities for Stars to continue to share their thoughts as we amplify the voices of creators. Learn more about each focus and how you can join the fun!


 * 1) Mentor - Fandom Stars serve as mentors. They support community members by sharing their knowledge and fostering an environment that allows editors to learn and grow. When members are focused on sharing resources and supporting growth, everyone wins! We’re excited to introduce mentorship matching. This aspect of the program matches Stars with editors on the platform who want to learn more about editing and community building.
 * 2) Monitor - Monitoring is nothing new to users on Fandom’s platform, especially a Fandom Star. Many Stars have done an excellent job monitoring the platform and Discord and sharing what they’ve observed with Fandom Staff. We ask that you continue to monitor and create safe and inclusive spaces, de-escalate situations, be kind to each other, and support fellow Stars.
 * 3) Masterclass - Stars expressed interest in marketing and branding tips, and a masterclass is an excellent start to providing information as you continue to create content on your wikis. These creator workshops are led by Fandom Staff and share the latest tips and tools to help Stars develop their content skillsets. You can learn more about content development and add your original creative touch. This is a chance to connect with fellow creators, network, and develop new projects together!

But Wait, There’s More!!
Fandom Stars will continue to keep the Product Feedback Discord channel active. It has been such a tremendous help to our team, and you wouldn’t believe the joy we get from hearing honest feedback to help us improve. Keep up the excellent work! The conversations from the feedback channel inspired the idea of roundtables with Stars. These conversations allow us to explore aspects of an editor's experience that we rarely discuss. Beginning in February, we’ll have monthly discussions on Discord exploring a topic and open the floor to Stars to share their thoughts on the matter. The goal is to gather takeaways from these conversations and improve or create solutions to support the community’s experience better.

Finally, we’ll invite Stars to stream on Twitch with our Community Team. We have some exciting programming in the works, and we want you to join us! This includes gaming, chatting about anime, or even sharing your thoughts on entertainment trends! We’d be honored to have you join us if this sounds fun.

Next Steps
I’m excited about what 2023 has to offer, and I’m thrilled about the direction of this program. Let’s continue to work hard, have meaningful conversations, and support each other. If you’re still interested in being a part of Fandom Stars and are a current Star, keep an eye out for an email and announcement on Discord with details for the next steps!

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out and message me directly at jpearson on Discord or leave a comment!