This article is from the Science Fiction Fandom FAQ, by Vicki Rosenzweig vr@panix.com with numerous contributions by others.
This one is open to debate. Most fans, regardless of whether
they attend them, would agree that being devoted to a particular
television program, or a particular author's work, doesn't make
something not an sf con. On the other hand, if the main activities
involve actors, and most of those are autograph sessions, a lot of
people don't think it's a real con. In other words, of course a con
can discuss Babylon 5 as well as, or even instead of, the writing of
Philip K. Dick or Ursula Le Guin; if it isn't interested in
discussing much of anything, it's not a convention--a gathering of
people with shared interests--it's a show.
 
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