Personally, I think these rules are total bunk.

*sigh*  Oh, boy...

1) The first and foremost purpose of writing fanfiction is 
to please yourself.  *You* are your primary audience.

Is there NO middle-ground here?  I mean, good grief, if you are your
primary audience, than why bother writing it?  After all, YOU can remember
whatever story you come up with without writing it down, normally.  If
you're going to write, pick your target audience.  If this is just a diary
entry so you don't forget something, then your audience is yourself, but
most of the time fanfiction is something other people are supposed to see. 
That said, you shouldn't write something you don't particularly like
writing, because you'll have a harder time writing it...

2) If you intend to post your fanfiction, then some
attention to grammar and spelling is required, but
that's *all.*  Your style is your style, and whether
or not you accept or decline critique on the way
you present your story does not reflect on your
qualities as a writer.

I don't get what this has to do with anything the guy said.  He never said
anything about declining critiques or anything like that...

3) Fanfiction is nothing more than original fiction
placed within the setting of an existing fictional
work.  If you're looking to remain true to the canon,
then follow the rules all you want.  If you don't
give a damn about what's canon or not, then shape
your characters whichever way you want to.

*shrug*  If you don't give a damn about something, then don't give a damn
about it.  If people complain because of it, well... don't give a damn
about it.  Why?  Because YOU are the one ignoring the rules, not them.  And
I think your definition of fanfiction is a little off- fanfiction is, by
definition, a derivitive work...  The principles are different from
original work, as derivitive works are supposed to be linked to the series
they are connected to.  Normally, this means remaining true, at least
nominally, to the events that happen in the original series (the exception
being alternate universes, though allowances can be made if a person does
not fully understand all the nuances of the series they are fanficking)

I get the feeling you picked up on a very minor point in McAvoy's essay and
got really mad about it from this.  There IS such a thing as bad
fanfiction, and McAvoy was apparently trying to explain some of the
pitfalls that lead to it.  You, on the other hand, appear to be saying that
the writer can do nothing wrong... which I CERTAINLY do not agree with.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee
                             desaix@sysnet.net
    http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7872
                           fanfics available at 
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7872/fanfics.htm