[ SECRET POST #2444 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2444 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 021 secrets from Secret Submission Post #349.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 2 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ], [ 1 2 - posted twice ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

04. http://i44.tinypic.com/2dtboz.jpg

[(Anonymous)]

Yeeeah that does seem a little off to me. Did they actually give a reason why they were changing the rules?

OP

[(Anonymous)]

The rule has since been rescinded, but there's also been thinly-veiled threats about "trying other things" next year, so... >:\

The reason is all very convoluted -- but, from what I've understood, basically the AO3 archive can't handle too many fandoms and it's too much job for the moderators to do stuff manually.

Re: OP

[erinptah]

It's not about what the AO3 archive can handle, it's that finding matches for everyone is getting harder. If there are fewer fandoms available, you're less likely to get signups only requesting things nobody else has offered, or only offering things nobody else has requested.

It looks like they've switched to having people make more offers/requests instead, which also decreases the likelihood of signups with zero overlap.

[(Anonymous)]

Late secret is late. Most of that wank's already blown over, OP. You can stop you're pearl-clutching.

OP

[(Anonymous)]

I take it your inability to understand the difference between "you're" and "your" also extends to not knowing how FS works. I submitted this secret the very same day the pictured post happened.

Re: OP

[(Anonymous)]

Aw, cute how you're getting all snarky about a common homophone mix-up. Don't worry, I do know how FS works - it's why I said that the secret is late and not you, OP.

But from how defensive you are I take it you realise now how utterly OTT your reaction was?

Re: OP

[(Anonymous)]

+1

[(Anonymous)]

I don't know almost anything about Yuletide and all, but.. why that 2+ nomination rule would be an issue?
If there aren't at least two people offering/requesting for each fandom, how would they run the exchange? Am I missing something here?

[(Anonymous)]

da

I don't get it either. I mean, I can understand why they didn't ask first, though, since I doubt it would pass popular vote, but it seems it would cut through a lot of work and make sure people actually get signups for what they ask.

[(Anonymous)]

Nominations are separate from signups, and IIRC you can sign up for a lerger number of fandoms than you can nominate.

[(Anonymous)]

SA

But if a fandom is nominated and only the person who nominated it knows it they won't be able to get anything of that fandom even if they request it in the signs ups.

And if the worst case scenario were to happen and someone requested all the fandoms they nominated but nothing else and no one else offers those fandoms, what would happen then?

The only thing I know about Yuletide is that it's an exchange of small fandoms and by the things I have seen, some of these fandoms are really obscure so finding a match for that would be hard.
That's why, unless I'm missing something here, I really don't get why rules that ensure they'll be able to match everyone and reduce the work load would be an issue.

[(Anonymous)]

So, it's not exactly about making sure that 2 people nominate the same fandom. It's more that you make your nominations (which do NOT have to match your requests) and you hope that someone will see a fandom you nominated and offer to write for it. The issue with this 'need 2 people to nominate' is that it would've meant that a lot of fandoms wouldn't have been included. There are always fandoms that are nominated that never have stories written for them. Does that make sense?

I can understand the reason for the idea - because every year it seems that people are reaching further and further for the most obscure fandoms that they can and because of people organizing beforehand regarding what fandoms they're going to nominate - the field of fandoms is getting huge and unwieldy and that makes matching even more difficult (for example if Person A knows that Person B is going to nominate fandoms X, Y & Z they won't 'waste' their nominations on those and will instead nominate D, E & F). I'm glad they decided against doing this though. I like the idea of increasing the amount of fandoms you can offer to write much better.

[(Anonymous)]

SA

Thanks for the explanation, between this and the one the other anon gave me I'm starting to get it.

Even so, wouldn't increasing the number of nominations per person and keeping a list of nominated fandoms take care of that issue?

After all, someone who would offer something for a fandom if they see it probably would nominate it too if they see it needs another vote and would both make matching easier and allow many fandoms at the same time.

Secret 4 - Yuletide

[transcriptanon]

[Picture is a post one Bridget McKennitt (username "bridgetmc"?) posted on the LiveJournal community "yuletide_admin". It says:

Yuletide 2013

Due to overwhelming response, we are reconsidering our options along with the 2+ nomation rule and there will be changes. This post is currently locked to future comments and we will update the comm with new details.

Welcome to another exciting year of Yuletide, the 2013 edition! As you might have seen from elynross's post, elyn is stepping back this year while hhertzof, jenn_calaelen, and myself are stepping in to help astolat.

[Schedule of events half-covered by text from the secret.]

Nominations

Nominations will run almost the same as they did last year ([link to a Nominations tutorial]), with some new changes. This year, the amount of fandoms you can nominate is 4 instead of 3. [Text highlighted by the secret maker] We are also trying out an experiment in which fandom nominations will only be approved if 2 or more people nominate them. [End highlighted text] This is to control the tag list bloat that happens every year and strains both the archive and signups (which no one, outside or inside of Yuletide, wants). It also gives us a tentative positive sign that there are at least two people who want to request or offer said fandom.

Reviewing and approval/rejection of nominations will be done after the nominations period during cleanup week.]

Text from the secret:

This post made me hate the new moderators. Especially the "Oh no, people are disagreeing with us! Let's freeze the thread!" cowardice.

Even if they get rid of the rule, I will never ever trust them again. They have no business even participating in Yuletide, much less running it!

Re: Secret 4 - Yuletide

[(Anonymous)]

Bless you, transcriptanon.

[shahrizai]

Yeah, I dunno. I bailed after they canned all the Final Fantasy games based off of the popularity of a few but allowed Avatar: TLA because most of its fandom was apparently younger so the sheer number of fanworks didn't count.

This was obviously years ago, but I've always felt Yuletide just paid lip service to J-fandom.

OP

[(Anonymous)]

Ugh, I remember that. Made me really upset too -- and I agree, anime/manga (and even video game) fandoms have often been dealt with in a very ignorant and dismissive fashion.

[(Anonymous)]

I think they're actually changing that re: Final Fantasy this year; the ones that are small will be allowed, as far as I can tell. Unless I misread the new rules.

[(Anonymous)]

No, you are right. So far the Dissidia games are allowed in.

[saturnofthemoon]

I don't know, I seem to be one of the few people who's happy with Yuletide this year. I applaud the new mods for being brave enough to help run this challenge despite the amount of hate and negativity they'll receive.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, I agree with you. I am glad they changed the 2 nomination rule, but I like that the mods were willing to be flexible and listen. I mean, people routinely griped about Elynross and Astolat, and it's obvious this is already extending to the new mods, but c'mon, they're devoting a heck of a lot of time and energy to something for others. They really don't get any more out of it than the rest of us (fic for a rare fandom).

Not saying they're infallible (side-eyed that whole American Idol RPF debacle pretty hard) but I know that I wouldn't have the patience or a thick enough skin to deal with all of the negativity.

[volta_arovet]

You will be sorely missed.

No wait.

I mean the opposite of that.

[(Anonymous)]

What a cutting remark! I'm sure OP will be brokenhearted to hear you won't miss them (and, uh, it's not like they even said they were leaving, dude).

[(Anonymous)]

...As much hate as this is going to get me - your secret [in context] really reminds me of something in a sermon I once heard on Christmas eve: "If you don't get what you want don't complain. It's not *your* birthday." [For context, it was said in a way that meant "Don't be a brat about getting something you don't want/like, and appreciate that someone went out of their way to give you something when it would be easier to just not.]