When museums think about in-person visitors, default categorizations are often based on proximity, frequency of visit, and motivation. Similarly, an institution’s web visitors may also be categorized in similar ways with data gleaned from IP addresses and language settings. Yet, social media followers and online community participants may be interested in the collection with no intent to visit at all. And so, should museums still consider these metrics as the most important classifications in understanding all of their digital participants? This research introduces museology to the social side of web studies and fan studies, which explore digital interactions through metrics of interest and participation. It considers individuals as dedicated and knowledgeable fans of subject matters who closely tie their identities to their specific topics and then explores how fandom flourished online. With this knowledge, cultural stakeholders can notice online communities and social media groups that are discussing curatorial foci and museums which house relevant collections and consider these conceptual frameworks as alternative, more appropriate, and potentially more rewarding frameworks to conceptualize digital cultural participation.