Some of you may know me from my introduction thread, some may not. My name is Jen and I'm an Anthropology student in the CSU system working toward my BA degree. I'm working on an Ethnographic research project and I'm studying fandom, more specifically the sherlock fandom, even more specifically this fanboard. Anthropologists go to great lengths to make sure the identities of their research subjects (I hate that word it makes people sound like nothing more than a tool to gain information, but there it is, that's the word) are protected. Now that all the boring stuff is out of the way, let's get to the interesting bit.

I want to know absolutely everything. That is pretty much the gist of it. I want to know what being in the sherlock fandom means to you, how you participate in fandom, how big a part of your life is it, etc. I want to know how friends are made, the nature of friendships made, and anything else. I know what it's like to be a participant in fandom, I've been an avid member of several fandoms over the last decade or so, Sherlock only being the most recent. I've made friends, even my best friend I met through the Buffy fandom.

Share with me whatever you want pictures, stories (funny, sad, whatever experiences that have stuck with you during your time involved in fandom, it doesn't have to even be about your involvement in this fandom, or this board), fanart, fanfic, etc (I'm also really interested in cosplay). If you don't want to share something with me through this thread, feel free to send me a private message, or even if you just want to chat. I love talking to new people, that's why I'm an anthropologist. 

At some point I may post a survey, as of yet I haven't come up with anything, so until then I'll mostly be relying upon what I observe in the boards and what everyone here decides to share with me. So please, let me show my class what fandom is all about, and let me learn from you what being a Sherlockian is all about. 

Also, if you do share so

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome. I've been out of town for a few weeks for various reasons. Happy to be back now. While I was gone though I did get the opportunity to read "A Study in Scarlet" on a five hour flight from New York to California. 

Harriet, I actually have not seen that. Thank you for providing me with the link, I'll have to ask my prof whether he'll let me incorporate the results, I'll have to look more into the methodology of data collection and interpretation, but if nothing else it will help point me in the direction of what people are thinking, and what is most important to fans of the show (as far as the show itself is concerned). I'm planing on conducting some survey/interview type things to anyone that is interested, but I still have to decide if I'm going to do a flat out survey or if I'm going to have conversations through the messaging system. It really depends on if I'm looking for more qualitative or quantitative data.  

I would say probably not. I study physical anthropology, I've taken several classes on human growth and development. About 85% of stature is genetic, the other fifteen percent is left to outside factors such as illness during times of growth. studies have shown that there is no real difference in height between those breast fed and those formula fed as an infant. by about six months babies who are formula fed tend to catch up to their breastfed counterparts, and breastfed babies have a tendency to grow less quickly once they've started weaning (around 10 months in most western civilizations). There's also what's known as canalization, so if a stressful event occurs (illness, malnutrition, etc.), growth speeds up once they're healthier, to put them back into their growth trajectory. Breastfeeding mothers also benefit from lactational amenorrhea which supresses ovulation making it more difficult to get pregnant while breastfeeding. In conclusion, number of siblings should have no affect on height based solely on the breastfeeding hypothesis. However, there could be a correlation because of other factors.