Although it is hard to connect with people online, many fandoms are united by Instagram fan page accounts. Yiseth Nunez, a WMS student, says, having a fan page is a way to “show your love” for your idol. Rupita Refat, another student at WMS, who shares a fan page with her friends agrees, “You express what you like. You can inspire people who also like it.” However, it is difficult when someone first starts; many people are easily confused when it comes to setting up a fan page.

The first step of creating a fan page is coming up with a username. Fan pages take pride in their usernames; it’s how other fan pages know them. Inside jokes, or something special the fandom shares is something that can be intertwined in the username to make it unique, or funny. For example a Dan, and Phil account could be called @dansladydoor, and an Adelaine Morin might be called @beepbopmorin.

A picture is also needed for an account. Usually, for a personal Instagram account people add plain picture, but most fan pages create their own profile picture to use. A free app that lets you edit photos is Pics Art. Most people create their icons by cropping their photo into a circle, and adding stickers on Pics Art.

Bios are also extremely important for a fan page. They reveal, and let you share a bit about your off screen personality. People include a variety of information in their bio, but it is necessary to include who the fan page is for. It is also important to include pronouns, first name/ nickname, and age range. In bios people may specify if they are a teenager, or a middle schooler. However, giving out personal information like your exact age, last name, or where you live can easily turn a fun fan page into a dangerous situation.

After someone gives Instagram the information needed to create an account, she will need to make a first post.  A first post affects the way other fan pages look at each other; everyone wants to a have a good first impression, like in life. Usually, for a first post people repost a picture of their idol with a caption. For a first post caption people may include facts about them, like sports they play or books they like. What makes a good first post caption is explaining why they made the account.

Yiseth Nunez says, one of the hardest parts of having a fan page is “trying to figure out what to post.” Fan pages frequently create photo edits/collages, memes, or video edits to post. Video edits can be tricky, but Yiseth Nunez says some tips are “to try to look for good apps to edit.” Cute Cut Pro, and the free version Cute Cut are commonly used for video edits; a way to learn how to use it is to look up tutorials on YouTube. Pics Art can be used for collages, and photo edits.

The last thing to do is create a steady posting schedule. Fan accounts may post once a week, or every day. The schedules are based on what people can do in the time they are free. Although many people don’t actually stick with their posting schedule, they should always try their best to maintain one.

At the end of the day a fan page should be something that someone loves. Rupita Refat comments about how people should stop worrying what other people think, and that “It’s your fanpage, not for them.”