I too find the whole you must change your social circle so it's more welcoming to me as I define welcoming thing to be very odd. Like you, I was intrigued by the references and jargon and such and worked hard to find out about what it all meant. I really would like to know why this has changed.

Also, the rest of fandom kinda wonders why TAFF is only for fanzine fans. It's Trans Atlantic Fand Fund, not Trans Atlantic Fanzine Fund. That should mean any and all fans shouldn't it? Yet almost everything you've said about it in the above post assumes they will be active in fanzines. Once upon a time, when things like TAFF were started, if you were a fan you were in fanzines, one way or another. Today, not so much.

MKK