A fan is any person who likes a band, a TV show, a movie, an actress and so on.  Basically, a fan is a follower of that person and cheers on their endeavors no matter what the outcome.  The term fan club comes from the idea of a fan.  Fan clubs bring together fans in a community that helps support and root for whom or what they are following.  Fans band together and create the popularity behind an actors rise to fame, a movie winning the box office or a concert being a success.  Without fans, these sort of things would never happen and people would not get as much joy out of music, TV, games and more.

The Internet creates a new type of fan and community for them to flourish in.  Since the Internet can bring together fans all over the world, it helps focus the efforts of a group of fans in one place – maybe a web site, a forum or elsewhere – and gives them the chance to support their favorite person or thing together in ways that were not possible before the Internet.  Fan clubs in particular can ban together to show their support over the Internet and use that as "club meeting" ground.  The Internet also gives fans a way to immediate respond to a new album, an actor or a project via forums and other outlets their managers, producers and studios provide for them.

It is easy to be a fan on the Internet.  It is also very easy. You can participate in forums, web sites and other venues to show your support and love for what you are a fan of.  You can post on forums about why you are a fan, show your support for a TV show struggling with ratings or review a new album by your favorite artist.  This gives an immediate response whereas before, it took some time for an artist to receive a letter, a newspaper to get a letter to the editor or a magazine to publish a review.  The Internet gives fan a chance to be supportive from the start without the hesitation that used to come with being a fan.