To read or not to read: Fan Fictions

I'm sure you are all aware of a genre that is different than all other genres. 
Is it really even a genre?
Well, what I'm dancing around is the topic of Fan fictions.

Fan fiction is defined by being a story about something, anything really, that is written by the fans of said something.  I have heard about many fan fictions on the topics of Books, Movies, Bands and anything you could probably think of.  One website I know of has fan fictions about Anime/Manga (Japanese TV show/comic), movies, books, cartoons, comics, Plays/Musicals, and even games.  Can you imagine a Call of Duty fan fiction?  Another odd section of fan fictions I've come across are about Bands/singers.  So, what do you think Bruno Mars does in his spare time?  Why don't you write about it?  Or if not there is most likely already a fan fiction about it.  If you're One Direction there is already a website.

So to read or not to read?

I think fan fics get a bad rep for five reasons...
 1.  50 Shades of Grey started out as a Twilight fan fiction (Am I the only one who is a little disturbed by that?  I know sparkly vamps are a little lame but come on...COME ON)
 2.  The ratings vary, yes there are ratings!, but people can pretty much write what they want.
 3.  ITS NOT THE SAME!  True, this is not the author or the screen writer or even the band telling you that this is what happened.  You could view it as a fake.
 4.  Not all fans are master novelists.  Some people just shouldn't be putting pen to paper or in most cases fingers to keyboard.
 5.  Not every fan is a fan for the same reasons that your a fan.  Suddenly you are confronted with a story that isn't at all what you were thinking or that is not at all what you thought the characters would do.

Fan fics aren't all that bad and here are...five reasons...
 1.  You get to revisit that world that you loved so much!  And the characters too!  BONUS!
 2.  What would have happened if there was one more book or one more season.
 3.  If its a band it gives fans another thing to fan girl over but don't fan girl too much...(I have fan girled and I can't get up!)  Fan boys can also participate.
 4.  You have to stop watching, playing, reading, and listening to the same thing over and over and guess what?...over again.
 5.  The fans know their audience because they are the audience!  They know what you want to hear!  If you've just been DYING for Sam and Claudia to be together, there it is!

So I ask again, to read or not to read?
To be honest there are a lot of terrible fanfics out there but there are a lot of good ones as well.  Before best selling authors became authors they were most likely die hard fans of something themselves.  In my opinion I have nothing against fan fictions at all.  I'll even read one or two.  But to me it's like a mirage, it may be the most beautiful thing you've ever read but it's still not real.  (or if your talking about any sort of fiction its not "real fake".)  So really, like anything else, it is up to YOU to form your OWN opinion.
So tell me, to read or not to read?
                    
                                XOXOXOXOXO Mel.