I've been involved with the CSI fandom since season two, and I have to say that being a part of it really hasn't changed the way I look at the shows. If anything, I wish I didn't read spoilers. Reading spoilers is so addicting and I wish I could just have a spoiler detox, but I don't think it's ever going to happen. :lol:
It has changed my perspective. On the positive side I'm now more aware of things I used to miss and and I love knowing spoilers. On the negative side there are times when something happens on a particular episode and I know there's going to be people saying how they hated it and how it's ruining the show and sometimes knowing that negative reaction makes me enjoy the show a little less. That is why I've decided not to participate on boards of any other show I like. Now I just enjoy my shows and like what I like and dislike what I dislike. I came across Talk CSI because I was a big fan of Vegas and could not for the life of me understand why they were making Grissom and Sara a couple. I was convinced that Grissom should be with Catherine and I was sure there were tons of other fans who felt the same. So I wanted to know if there was something being done to stop the madness. So I searched... To my surprise I found there were a lot of GSR fans (I understood ship names later on) and the whole thing with ships, spoilers, and discussions intrigued me so much that I decided to join .
No, I watched the show no matter what and the views of other did not change how I enjoy it. I'll admit that the writing on Vegas (which was my favorite show when I signed up) has changed drastically and all the good characters/actors seem to either quit or fired etc. But I've still stuck with the show and have seen an improvement.
I'm not deeply involved in fandom. Being on the fringes, for the most part, has a positive impact on my experience. I'm not very active on the boards, but I read a lot of them. What I don't like is seeing the negativity, especially towards characters. I strongly suspect that my dislike of Lindsay on NY came from this site. I doubt I would actually care enough without people pointing out how annoying she is all the time. I probably wouldn't notice some of the annoying quirks of the shows if no one was pointing them out. I'm a little further removed from the Criminal Minds fandom, but the negativity there, and the fierce loyalty really do turn me off. After any given episode, there is so much criticism from the so-called fans. I used to see more of that here, but I think the CSI fans have mellowed somewhat over the last couple of seasons (vegas, at least, I don't really keep up with NY and I rarely watch Miami). Either that, or I've gotten better at avoiding the worst of the threads. I think it's interesting what everyone says about the spoilers-- for me, spoilers enhance viewing. I always have to watch any show (or read any book) twice to get the full effect because the first time through I'm so wrapped up in the plot and what happens next that I miss the things I actually love. So the more I know going into the show, the better I like it.