REPOST THIS: (taken from Hifsa- hope you don't mind)

"Guys, if you want you can re-post this too...And I apologise in advance if anyone gets hurt by this...

These days I've been hearing alot that TheO is getting boring and it really saddens me that people are thinking like that...Sure, old members are not coming online much but the news members are really active...Its really not that the website itself is getting boring, its we who're making it boring by not posting anything! I post alot, so my days are going fine here. I even get more comments than I can reply to but there are some members who log in after a long time and complain that theO is boring, then thats not fair! They should explore the website...there are so many great worlds about music, stories, RPing and personal worlds too! And lets not forget the quizzes and fan comics! And fanart section just never sleeps...So, I think that we should not take TheO for granted and participate more, comment more and PM more too..."

My favorite part about cons? Well...it has to be the atmosphere! Everyone is so excited- it's contagious! I never get hungry during a con because I'm just as happy as everyone else...besides the fact that food is insanely expensive where I go. Anyway, that's what I think is the best part. A con without the happy and crazy cosplayers, fanboys and fangirls, otaku, gamers...that would be boring. Being surrounded by people who like what you like...it's awesome!

I have to say the best part is just being surrounded by such creative and eccentric people...whether they make their costumes from scratch or they were devoted enough to shell out a few hundred dollars...it's incredible. xD
Also walking past all the muggles on the way to the convention is rather amusing... xD

Just came back from a convention actually!!! I always enjoy the dealer's Room and Artist Alley, but I also like going to panels and meeting voice actors/actresses!!! And not to forget the AMAZING cosplayers you pass when heading between events <3

food

The overall size of the con really excites me, as well as the great cosplay, celebrities, and awesome swag. Cons are also a great place to meet new friends who share your similar interests (can't pass up an overnight line-camping session with a fellow fic-shipper).

I've been to a few and what I didn't like was the unbalance between western and eastern. It felt eastern was pushed into a corner and some booths that were unpopular was pushed back. Bring some unpopular booths near the big ones would make the floor less odd on con day and help smallsy's get some promo.
Artist booth -- do not place them in some dingy basement where it's dark. Don't.
Guests- good luck with that.

Okay, what I did like:
Guests. I mostly go for voice actors and sometimes I don't go if there isn't a guest I'm interested in.
Events. Yo what else can ya do if guests suck.
Dealers (whatever you call it). The one thing you can always count on. It's like shops in one place (it is) and its easier to buy and find things instead of going all over the city.
Attendees (no creeps). I find them mostly friendly so who doesn't like nice people and not jerks.

There is only one annual con where I live (unless you're willing to travel somewhere to get to one of the nicer ones) but I always love seeing the cosplayers and shopping at booths. I never have the courage to cosplay, though.

I'm so envious of all people who have ever been to anime conventions.

At first, I see 'anime conventions' as something 'weird' since most of my friends don't like anime. One of my best friends really hates cosplaying and she really looks down on cosplayers. So I barely talk about anime with my friends. But I just realized that I'm actually really interested in cosplaying. If I have a chance, I'd love to go to a con someday and see many different cosplays. It would be awesome if I could freely express my love for anime and meet new people with the same interests. XD

A convention isn't complete without its cosplayers. Personally, each conventions has its bests and worsts. My top things are how much anime/comic stuff is actually shown.

My first ever convention... I darn well went a little bonkers. There's so much to like when ya get a chance to attend one.

Deciding on what to do first is more difficult than trying to figure out what ya like best. ^____^

It's a lot of fun snapping up pictures of the cosplayers, listening to the voice actors/guests, meeting artists, watching a marathon of new and old anime in a conference room filled with Naruto's and Ichigo's...now that's something LOL.

But! I do have to admit that my FAVORITE part of a convention has to be the booths. I walk in swearing that I'll only ONLY spend 50 bucks tops... yeah, right! I'm pretty much broke until forever (not really but you get the picture haha).

Really, there's a ton to love whether you find yourself just having a blast hanging out with friends or clawing your way (almost haha) to see a favorite artist or voice actor. There's always something interesting going on.

my geographical region never really held an anime con. But i heard that its coming up. as of right now, im jittery excited. I thinks this means that i can just express the otaku within me and just let it out, let that passion burn without feeling judged. Able to love what we love, an anime con brings what we otakus love, and we otakus bring ourselves together to celebrate what we all love. Thats how i feel that its my favorite thing part of going to a convention

My favorite part about going is the fact of being surrounded around everything I love along with other people who love it as well. Let's face it. I'm the ONLY otaku in my family. And my real life friends aren't into anime, manga and such as much as I am. So, I really can't express myself as share what I love to them in a comfortable manner that satisfies me. To relieve myself from that, I go to my local anime convention and couple across the states, if given the chance. There I'm free to express myself and share anything and everything that I love about anime, manga, gaming and whatever else with people that have the same interest(s). Just like this site! I can show my love for anime and such on here just like a convention (without all the buying, travel expenses and such... lol)

I haven't been to one actually, and I don't think I'll get the opportunity to attend one =w=. But I think if I ever got to go, I'll enjoy everything since it's the first time. Since we don't have any anime-related stuff here, I'll sure enjoy the merchandise ｡◕‿◕｡. As well as the guests! It will be quite amazing to meet a famous person you know (ノ*゜▽゜*) . If I got to go as a cosplayer, it would double the fun, though it would be nice to go as you....now I really want to go to one (┳Д┳).

I've been to cons before, but sadly, I haven't gotten the most out of them. What I enjoy is seeing all the different cosplays. I'll never forget those people dressed up as riceballs. Unfortunately, I'll also never forget that heavyset bearded man dressed as Sailor Moon.

The only things I've done besides wander around were shopping and going to one panel. One. In the three times I've been to cons. But it was still interesting.

I think it's best to go with friends to a con. Especially if you're as timid and easily overwhelmed as me. What I'd love to do is meet up with some of my online friends at a con. I'd really like to hang out with some of you in "real life". (No, that was not meant in a stalker-ish way even though it kind of came off like that.)

I'm excited to go to NYCC next month!!! I haven't gone to any state for convention but If I have the chance, I might someday. Convention soo much fun seeing and taking pic of cosplayers and buying stuff and hanging with friends and family. I was remembering my very first con was NYAF in 2007 thru 2010 (I guess,) with NYCC. ( sorry this is confusing >~>;) And one year I met one member on here at the con. :P This year will be my seventh until I go there. XD also I will be dressing up and I'm excited to dress up! X3 Going to con is all about enjoying yourself, have fun, meeting awsome people, being random and dance with a crowd. XD

*sob* i've never gone- there's never any conventions near where i live ;-; but i'm guessing the best part would being able to cosplay and express being an otaku without being judged.

I like when there's a lot of people there because there's more you can do and talk about and make more friends. I've been to the Niagara Falls Comic Con and it was ginormous. There were so many people, so many things to do, things to buy, the overall experience was amazing. I've also been to another convention around the area that was very tiny (maybe had around 50 people the whole day) and it was terrible. There was one dealer in the dealers room, and maybe 2 panels. The few people that came to the convention ended up going to other places in the area or ended up going home.

I don't know since I never went to one. XD

To me, a great convention is not the energy of the crowd. Neither is it the amount or resumes of the guests. Neither is it the level of serious cosplay. All of those are fantastic, don't get me wrong. For me, my favorite part about cons comes down to two factors.

The professionalism and the rarity.

I've seen the result of unprofessional cons. I've seen the result of people not taking their jobs seriously. I've even seen the result of criminal offenses against con goers. It's nasty and unwarranted. We've all heard of or even experienced that one bad con year. It can sully the reputation of not only con goers, but anime in general (on a local level, at least). However, when year after year a con keeps coming back, that's the mark of something special. It means there is still someone who wants to take time out of their busy schedule to volunteer for something they believe in. It means there are still friendships being made that carry over to every day life. It means anime is still a thriving market and culture, regardless of the numbers. To see people having fun for this one crazy thing just brings a smile to my face.

However, more than the professionalism, I enjoy the rarity of these cons. Not on a quantity of cons, but a quantity of time. Let me put it this way. Cons are like the anime/manga/what-have-you version of New Year's. You get to see familiar faces for a fleeting moment. You get to celebrate what made last year great. All the hard work pays off for many people. This is the time you get to enjoy you for who you are. Afterwards, you get to momentarily sit back, relax, and realize that even if what you love is not always at its best. it's still what you love. If anime cons were quarter annual or even biannual, the spark wouldn't be there. You get to appreciate the big feelings more when they come in small packages.

I love seeing all the great cosplay and picking up hard-to-find CDs/DVDs/books, etc.