Never Got That Memo

[kevin_standlee]

Inspired by a side comment by redneckotaku, and not intended to be critical of him or of anime conventions:

Is is somehow distasteful or otherwise socially unacceptable for someone working on a genre (SF/F/etc.) convention to ask for the autograph of any of the people there? For instance, if you were a particular convention's GoH liaison, would you consider it bad form to ask for that GoH's autograph?

I'm wondering if there's been a social convention (ahem) out there of which I've been completely unaware of for all of my years of convention attending and volunteering, or if it's a recent development, or something that only happens in some areas, geographic or otherwise. Also, I've never (except see below) been a huge collector of autographs, so it may be something I've just never noticed.

Let me also establish that getting someone's autograph and acting all gushy over someone are not the same things. Surely it's possible to admire someone's work and be interested in collecting an autograph without looking foolish, isn't it? (Says the person who took a huge stack of very heavy Elfquest stuff with him to L.A.con II in 1984 to collect the Pini's autographs because he was hugely enraptured by the series and even to this day has an in-remission case of Elfquest Fanboy Syndrome.)

I'd set this up as a poll question, but I can't come up with answers that I think cover all of the likely answers.

Again, I stress that this should not be taken as criticism of any person, genre, region, or convention-running style. I'm honestly curious.

Comments

[cmdrsuzdal.livejournal.com]

I get the impression that it's one of the relatively small and relatively rare perks some staffers enjoy, so unless the guest is made uncomfortable or there's massive abuse I'd think it was natural.

Else that would mean that chronic staffers never get the chance to have things signed, no?

I do know that in a few (mainly media) conventions of the recent past there has been a feeling that (some) con runners have organized an event basically as an excuse to meet/socialize with their guests while having other people (attendees) foot the bill for them. But that's a whole other ball of wax.