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Msg# 10354

ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers Posted by aure\_enteluva May 03, 2010 - 14:45:17 Topic ID# 10354
Hey guys,

A few days ago I mentioned that we would start the 2010 awards soon, but that the other volunteers and I were still fine-tuning the schedule. We've now decided that we'll kick things off on May 15, which is (*eep!*) about two weeks away. That means:

1. Nominations will be accepted: May 15-June 15
2. All nominations must be finalized by: June 21
3. Check ballots posted: July 7-July 15
4. Reviewer Goals must be set by: August 15
5. Voting ends: December 15
6. Results Posted: December 18

One thing you'll notice is that we've shortened the nomination season to one month. (Before, it has been 5-6 weeks.) My hope is, since we've simplified the amount of emails authors have to send to their liaisons, nominations can be finalized more quickly. We also didn't want to end the awards at the end of November or at the end of December, since those are very busy times for many of our participants - but we couldn't see a good way to do that except for shortening the awards by two weeks. We considered shortening the voting season, but thought that would create even more problems for more people.

To help with the shortened nomination period, I highly encourage you to spend the next two weeks getting ready to nominate stories. Think of it like the first two weeks of nomination season. You can't enter your nominations into the website, obviously, but you can do everything but that. You can decide what you want to nominate, make sure you have all the information you need, even contact the author to let her know you want to nominate her, so she'll be expecting an email from a MEFA volunteer. You can also enter your nominations as soon as possible (don't wait until the end of nominations to see if someone else will nominate it). That will really help us get all the nominations ready to compete on time.

You can check whether a story has been nominated in the past by using our MEFA archive:

http://mefawards.net/mefa-archive/

Eligibility requirements are the same as they were in 2009, but in case you need a reminder:

http://mefawards.net/MEFA2009/index.php?page=FAQeligibility

****************************************

Nominating stories is probably the most important job you can do right now, because without nominations we won't have a good awards. You can also start talking up the awards with your friends. But if you want to do something more formal to help the MEFAs, read on. :^)

1. Banner Coordinator

We need someone to organize banner creation. Your first job would be to work with the banner artists, to make sure we have a good variety of banners. You would also need to work with me and other volunteers, to discuss changes we want to make in how we handle banners. Finally, you would be a "banner makers' advocate." If they do not like the way we're handling the banners part of the awards, you should listen to their concerns and discuss them with me to see how we can change things.

You do *not* need to be a banner artist yourself; some knowledge of graphics is helpful, but the banner coordinator mainly makes sure that the banner portion of the awards runs smoothly.

Requirements:

--- available May 15-beginning of January, at least every 3-4 days and more often in certain periods
--- basic familiarity with online graphic-sharing website (e.g., Photobucket, picasa, etc.)
--- general knowledge of Tolkien fandom
--- general familiarity with MEFA rules about banners
--- an ability to manage other volunteers
--- a willingness to enforce rules

2. Banner Creators

If you just want to make banners, we need you too! We need banners and icons for nominated authors, winning authors, and reviewers who meet their review goal. Let us know you want to get involved, so we can give you credit.

Requirements:

--- graphics skills
--- willingness to follow directions

3. Beta Testers

Starting next week, we'll need people to try to "break" the 2010 site. If you have time to nominate some test stories and are willing to discuss whether the site does what you expect, we want you!

Requirements:

--- available May 8-May 15 (preferably every day)
--- basic technical skills
--- basic familiarity with past MEFA websites

4. Author Liaisons

Author liaisons work with authors to make sure they fill out their forms correctly. This is a great first step to get involved with volunteering, as you will have the full attention of myself and other long-term volunteers. It also allows you to deliver good news to authors (which can be quite fun). But to do it, you *do* need a fair amount of time and patience, as you will be explaining a fairly complicated process to authors, some of whom may not know anything about the awards.

Requirements:

--- available regularly May 15-June 21 (esp. June 15-21), preferably every day
--- positive and friendly personality
--- ability to follow directions
--- willingness to ask questions
--- basic familiarity with MEFA policy and Tolkien canon

5. Promoters

As always, we need people to make MEFA announcements at non-MEFA groups. If you know of a place where Tolkien is discussed, and you're willing to make announcements there, let me know the place. I ask that you officially "sign up" so I can make sure only one person is making announcements at each place, and so we can credit you on our website.

Requirements:

--- available regularly May 15-December 15 (preferably at least twice a week)
--- familiarity with a Tolkien group that would benefit from MEFA announcements
--- willingness to ask questions

6. Ratings Committee

When authors are unsure what rating is appropriate for their story, we invite them to have a group of volunteers look at the particular scene, and tell you what rating is appropriate for your story. (Authors can also provide context for the scene.) This means that we need members willing to read these scenes and make recommendations. The ratings panel will consist of three volunteers and one alternate.

Requirements:

--- available regularly May 15-June 21 (preferably every day or two)
--- familiarity with MEFA ratings policies
--- willingness to apply those policies to specific stories
--- willingness to read potentially objectionable content -- some of which may be sexually explicit (m/m, m/f, and f/f) or graphically violent

As the awards progress there will be other ways to volunteer. I'll let you know about those as they come up.

*************************************

If any of these tasks interest you, please let me know by emailing me at mefasupport(at)gmail(dot)com. Please do this even if you volunteered last year; I don't assume you still want to volunteer. If you think you'd like to help but aren't sure you quite qualify, email me anyway and we'll discuss whether you'll be able to handle the job.

P.S. - I may have already mentioned it, but on May 12 the 2009 site will no longer be available. Reviews and basic story information will still be available through the archive. However, if you need anything else off the 2009 site, please get it before May 15.

At your service (and your family's),

Marta (humble MEFA admin.)

Msg# 10356

Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers Posted by Ellin Ithilwen May 03, 2010 - 16:23:41 Topic ID# 10354
Hello!

Uhm, just one question, concerning Marta's e-mail:

> 3. Check ballots posted: July 7-July 15

What exactly is "check ballots"? *blush* Being a part of MEFA only one year (2009), and not being a native speaker, I do not recognize the phrase. Once you tell me, I'll probably remember I saw it last year, but right now, I am not sure what that is.
 
Thanks, bye,
 
Ellynn
 
 
 
P.s. Looking forward to new season! .)))))))




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 10357

Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers Posted by telperion1 May 03, 2010 - 16:31:22 Topic ID# 10354
Hiya Ellynn,

No problem - it's a good question to ask, since other newer members might be
confused as well.

After all the nominations are in, a group of volunteers go to work sorting
it into main categories and subcategories. These are the groups you will
actually be competing in, and that determine awards results come December.
It's a group of 6-12 stories, poems, etc., and the highest-scoring piece
gets first place, the next highest gets second place, and so on.

Anyway, in July, we give authors an opportunity to check that we've actually
put your story in the right category and subcategory. When we sort the
stories, there are a lot of mouse-clicks over at the website, and with 600+
stories it's possible we made a technical mistake. For instance, maybe you
wrote a Horror story but it ended up in the Humor category - two groups that
are next to each other alphabetically (so the kind of mistake a volunteer
could make when entering things onto the website), but obviously a *huge*
different in content. It's not really a free-for-all where you can say your
story would fit better in some other subcategory. But it does give you the
opportunity to say "wait, that's not how I described my story. Are you sure
that's right?"

I'll be posting a list of all the nominated stories, grouped by the category
and subcategory they ended up in. I'll be posting those lists here. If you
see a story that looks like the volunteers made a mistake on, you can ask
about it during check ballots. After that, the categories and subcategories
are "set," meaning we only move tings in very rare circumstances (like when
WIPs are completed).

Marta

> -----Original Message-----
> From: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com [mailto:MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com] On
> Behalf Of Ellin Ithilwen
> Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 5:24 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [MEFAwards] ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers
>
>
>
> Hello!
>
> Uhm, just one question, concerning Marta's e-mail:
>
> > 3. Check ballots posted: July 7-July 15
>
> What exactly is "check ballots"? *blush* Being a part of MEFA only one
> year (2009), and not being a native speaker, I do not recognize the
> phrase. Once you tell me, I'll probably remember I saw it last year,
> but right now, I am not sure what that is.
>
> Thanks, bye,
>
> Ellynn
>
>
>
> P.s. Looking forward to new season! .)))))))
>

Msg# 10358

Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers Posted by Ellin Ithilwen May 03, 2010 - 16:39:11 Topic ID# 10354
> No problem - it's a good question to ask, since other newer members might be
confused as well.
> After all the nominations are in, a group of volunteers go to work sorting
it into main categories and subcategories.
 
Oh yes, just like I thought - now that you described it, I remember that part of season from last year and I know exactly what it is. :) I remember the list of stories devided in categories you sent us last year. I just wasn't sure about the phrase "check ballots".
 
Thanks a lot, bye,
 
Ellynn




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 10359

Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers Posted by linaewen0 May 03, 2010 - 18:53:40 Topic ID# 10354
Just so you know, I'm interested in being a liaison again! I really enjoyed working with authors in that way, so I'm excited about helping out in that way again.

In the meantime, I'll start looking for things I want to nominate. I haven't been very active with writing or reading lately, so this will be a good reason to get re-involved again.

Thanks to all who are getting things organized for us so that we'll enjoy the 2010 MEFA season as much as we have past seasons -- or more!

Lin

--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "aure_enteluva" <marta.fandom@...> wrote:
>
> Hey guys,
>
> A few days ago I mentioned that we would start the 2010 awards soon, but that the other volunteers and I were still fine-tuning the schedule. We've now decided that we'll kick things off on May 15, which is (*eep!*) about two weeks away. That means:
>
> 1. Nominations will be accepted: May 15-June 15
> 2. All nominations must be finalized by: June 21
> 3. Check ballots posted: July 7-July 15
> 4. Reviewer Goals must be set by: August 15
> 5. Voting ends: December 15
> 6. Results Posted: December 18
>
> One thing you'll notice is that we've shortened the nomination season to one month. (Before, it has been 5-6 weeks.) My hope is, since we've simplified the amount of emails authors have to send to their liaisons, nominations can be finalized more quickly. We also didn't want to end the awards at the end of November or at the end of December, since those are very busy times for many of our participants - but we couldn't see a good way to do that except for shortening the awards by two weeks. We considered shortening the voting season, but thought that would create even more problems for more people.
>
> To help with the shortened nomination period, I highly encourage you to spend the next two weeks getting ready to nominate stories. Think of it like the first two weeks of nomination season. You can't enter your nominations into the website, obviously, but you can do everything but that. You can decide what you want to nominate, make sure you have all the information you need, even contact the author to let her know you want to nominate her, so she'll be expecting an email from a MEFA volunteer. You can also enter your nominations as soon as possible (don't wait until the end of nominations to see if someone else will nominate it). That will really help us get all the nominations ready to compete on time.
>
> You can check whether a story has been nominated in the past by using our MEFA archive:
>
> http://mefawards.net/mefa-archive/
>
> Eligibility requirements are the same as they were in 2009, but in case you need a reminder:
>
> http://mefawards.net/MEFA2009/index.php?page=FAQeligibility
>
> ****************************************
>
> Nominating stories is probably the most important job you can do right now, because without nominations we won't have a good awards. You can also start talking up the awards with your friends. But if you want to do something more formal to help the MEFAs, read on. :^)
>
> 1. Banner Coordinator
>
> We need someone to organize banner creation. Your first job would be to work with the banner artists, to make sure we have a good variety of banners. You would also need to work with me and other volunteers, to discuss changes we want to make in how we handle banners. Finally, you would be a "banner makers' advocate." If they do not like the way we're handling the banners part of the awards, you should listen to their concerns and discuss them with me to see how we can change things.
>
> You do *not* need to be a banner artist yourself; some knowledge of graphics is helpful, but the banner coordinator mainly makes sure that the banner portion of the awards runs smoothly.
>
> Requirements:
>
> --- available May 15-beginning of January, at least every 3-4 days and more often in certain periods
> --- basic familiarity with online graphic-sharing website (e.g., Photobucket, picasa, etc.)
> --- general knowledge of Tolkien fandom
> --- general familiarity with MEFA rules about banners
> --- an ability to manage other volunteers
> --- a willingness to enforce rules
>
> 2. Banner Creators
>
> If you just want to make banners, we need you too! We need banners and icons for nominated authors, winning authors, and reviewers who meet their review goal. Let us know you want to get involved, so we can give you credit.
>
> Requirements:
>
> --- graphics skills
> --- willingness to follow directions
>
> 3. Beta Testers
>
> Starting next week, we'll need people to try to "break" the 2010 site. If you have time to nominate some test stories and are willing to discuss whether the site does what you expect, we want you!
>
> Requirements:
>
> --- available May 8-May 15 (preferably every day)
> --- basic technical skills
> --- basic familiarity with past MEFA websites
>
> 4. Author Liaisons
>
> Author liaisons work with authors to make sure they fill out their forms correctly. This is a great first step to get involved with volunteering, as you will have the full attention of myself and other long-term volunteers. It also allows you to deliver good news to authors (which can be quite fun). But to do it, you *do* need a fair amount of time and patience, as you will be explaining a fairly complicated process to authors, some of whom may not know anything about the awards.
>
> Requirements:
>
> --- available regularly May 15-June 21 (esp. June 15-21), preferably every day
> --- positive and friendly personality
> --- ability to follow directions
> --- willingness to ask questions
> --- basic familiarity with MEFA policy and Tolkien canon
>
> 5. Promoters
>
> As always, we need people to make MEFA announcements at non-MEFA groups. If you know of a place where Tolkien is discussed, and you're willing to make announcements there, let me know the place. I ask that you officially "sign up" so I can make sure only one person is making announcements at each place, and so we can credit you on our website.
>
> Requirements:
>
> --- available regularly May 15-December 15 (preferably at least twice a week)
> --- familiarity with a Tolkien group that would benefit from MEFA announcements
> --- willingness to ask questions
>
> 6. Ratings Committee
>
> When authors are unsure what rating is appropriate for their story, we invite them to have a group of volunteers look at the particular scene, and tell you what rating is appropriate for your story. (Authors can also provide context for the scene.) This means that we need members willing to read these scenes and make recommendations. The ratings panel will consist of three volunteers and one alternate.
>
> Requirements:
>
> --- available regularly May 15-June 21 (preferably every day or two)
> --- familiarity with MEFA ratings policies
> --- willingness to apply those policies to specific stories
> --- willingness to read potentially objectionable content -- some of which may be sexually explicit (m/m, m/f, and f/f) or graphically violent
>
> As the awards progress there will be other ways to volunteer. I'll let you know about those as they come up.
>
> *************************************
>
> If any of these tasks interest you, please let me know by emailing me at mefasupport(at)gmail(dot)com. Please do this even if you volunteered last year; I don't assume you still want to volunteer. If you think you'd like to help but aren't sure you quite qualify, email me anyway and we'll discuss whether you'll be able to handle the job.
>
> P.S. - I may have already mentioned it, but on May 12 the 2009 site will no longer be available. Reviews and basic story information will still be available through the archive. However, if you need anything else off the 2009 site, please get it before May 15.
>
> At your service (and your family's),
>
> Marta (humble MEFA admin.)
>

Msg# 10360

Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers Posted by telperion1 May 03, 2010 - 19:45:20 Topic ID# 10354
Hi Lin,

> Just so you know, I'm interested in being a liaison again! I really
> enjoyed working with authors in that way, so I'm excited about helping
> out in that way again.
>

Excellent; I'll mark you down and will be getting in touch in the next few
days.

> In the meantime, I'll start looking for things I want to nominate. I
> haven't been very active with writing or reading lately, so this will
> be a good reason to get re-involved again.
>

I've heard comments from a lot of people to the same effect. I'm looking
forward to reading stories that I missed over the last few months, as people
nominate them.

Marta

Msg# 10361

Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers Posted by Sulriel of Menegroth May 03, 2010 - 20:03:24 Topic ID# 10354
I'd be happy to be a breaker. .. .you know I'm good at that. And am
happy to be on the ratings committee again.

Becky/Sue L (Huffman) Burkheart [how did life get so complicated?!?]
~ A Hard Hero is Good to Find ~ www.WritingHorses.com

All about Horses of North Texas, their people & the games they play ~
http://www.examiner.com/x-40428-Fort-Worth-Equestrian-Examiner



On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 6:49 PM, linaewen0 <marggrenawalt@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> Just so you know, I'm interested in being a liaison again!  I really enjoyed working with authors in that way, so I'm excited about helping out in that way again.
>
> In the meantime, I'll start looking for things I want to nominate.  I haven't been very active with writing or reading lately, so this will be a good reason to get re-involved again.
>
> Thanks to all who are getting things organized for us so that we'll enjoy the 2010 MEFA season as much as we have past seasons -- or more!
>
> Lin
>
> --- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "aure_enteluva" <marta.fandom@...> wrote:
>>
>> Hey guys,
>>
>> A few days ago I mentioned that we would start the 2010 awards soon, but that the other volunteers and I were still fine-tuning the schedule. We've now decided that we'll kick things off on May 15, which is (*eep!*) about two weeks away. That means:
>>
>> 1. Nominations will be accepted: May 15-June 15
>> 2. All nominations must be finalized by: June 21
>> 3. Check ballots posted: July 7-July 15
>> 4. Reviewer Goals must be set by: August 15
>> 5. Voting ends: December 15
>> 6. Results Posted: December 18
>>
>> One thing you'll notice is that we've shortened the nomination season to one month. (Before, it has been 5-6 weeks.) My hope is, since we've simplified the amount of emails authors have to send to their liaisons, nominations can be finalized more quickly. We also didn't want to end the awards at the end of November or at the end of December, since those are very busy times for many of our participants - but we couldn't see a good way to do that except for shortening the awards by two weeks. We considered shortening the voting season, but thought that would create even more problems for more people.
>>
>> To help with the shortened nomination period, I highly encourage you to spend the next two weeks getting ready to nominate stories. Think of it like the first two weeks of nomination season. You can't enter your nominations into the website, obviously, but you can do everything but that. You can decide what you want to nominate, make sure you have all the information you need, even contact the author to let her know you want to nominate her, so she'll be expecting an email from a MEFA volunteer. You can also enter your nominations as soon as possible (don't wait until the end of nominations to see if someone else will nominate it). That will really help us get all the nominations ready to compete on time.
>>
>> You can check whether a story has been nominated in the past by using our MEFA archive:
>>
>> http://mefawards.net/mefa-archive/
>>
>> Eligibility requirements are the same as they were in 2009, but in case you need a reminder:
>>
>> http://mefawards.net/MEFA2009/index.php?page=FAQeligibility
>>
>> ****************************************
>>
>> Nominating stories is probably the most important job you can do right now, because without nominations we won't have a good awards. You can also start talking up the awards with your friends. But if you want to do something more formal to help the MEFAs, read on. :^)
>>
>> 1. Banner Coordinator
>>
>> We need someone to organize banner creation. Your first job would be to work with the banner artists, to make sure we have a good variety of banners. You would also need to work with me and other volunteers, to discuss changes we want to make in how we handle banners. Finally, you would be a "banner makers' advocate." If they do not like the way we're handling the banners part of the awards, you should listen to their concerns and discuss them with me to see how we can change things.
>>
>> You do *not* need to be a banner artist yourself; some knowledge of graphics is helpful, but the banner coordinator mainly makes sure that the banner portion of the awards runs smoothly.
>>
>> Requirements:
>>
>> --- available May 15-beginning of January, at least every 3-4 days and more often in certain periods
>> --- basic familiarity with online graphic-sharing website (e.g., Photobucket, picasa, etc.)
>> --- general knowledge of Tolkien fandom
>> --- general familiarity with MEFA rules about banners
>> --- an ability to manage other volunteers
>> --- a willingness to enforce rules
>>
>> 2. Banner Creators
>>
>> If you just want to make banners, we need you too! We need banners and icons for nominated authors, winning authors, and reviewers who meet their review goal. Let us know you want to get involved, so we can give you credit.
>>
>> Requirements:
>>
>> --- graphics skills
>> --- willingness to follow directions
>>
>> 3. Beta Testers
>>
>> Starting next week, we'll need people to try to "break" the 2010 site. If you have time to nominate some test stories and are willing to discuss whether the site does what you expect, we want you!
>>
>> Requirements:
>>
>> --- available May 8-May 15 (preferably every day)
>> --- basic technical skills
>> --- basic familiarity with past MEFA websites
>>
>> 4. Author Liaisons
>>
>> Author liaisons work with authors to make sure they fill out their forms correctly. This is a great first step to get involved with volunteering, as you will have the full attention of myself and other long-term volunteers. It also allows you to deliver good news to authors (which can be quite fun). But to do it, you *do* need a fair amount of time and patience, as you will be explaining a fairly complicated process to authors, some of whom may not know anything about the awards.
>>
>> Requirements:
>>
>> --- available regularly May 15-June 21 (esp. June 15-21), preferably every day
>> --- positive and friendly personality
>> --- ability to follow directions
>> --- willingness to ask questions
>> --- basic familiarity with MEFA policy and Tolkien canon
>>
>> 5. Promoters
>>
>> As always, we need people to make MEFA announcements at non-MEFA groups. If you know of a place where Tolkien is discussed, and you're willing to make announcements there, let me know the place. I ask that you officially "sign up" so I can make sure only one person is making announcements at each place, and so we can credit you on our website.
>>
>> Requirements:
>>
>> --- available regularly May 15-December 15 (preferably at least twice a week)
>> --- familiarity with a Tolkien group that would benefit from MEFA announcements
>> --- willingness to ask questions
>>
>> 6. Ratings Committee
>>
>> When authors are unsure what rating is appropriate for their story, we invite them to have a group of volunteers look at the particular scene, and tell you what rating is appropriate for your story. (Authors can also provide context for the scene.) This means that we need members willing to read these scenes and make recommendations. The ratings panel will consist of three volunteers and one alternate.
>>
>> Requirements:
>>
>> --- available regularly May 15-June 21 (preferably every day or two)
>> --- familiarity with MEFA ratings policies
>> --- willingness to apply those policies to specific stories
>> --- willingness to read potentially objectionable content -- some of which may be sexually explicit (m/m, m/f, and f/f) or graphically violent
>>
>> As the awards progress there will be other ways to volunteer. I'll let you know about those as they come up.
>>
>> *************************************
>>
>> If any of these tasks interest you, please let me know by emailing me at mefasupport(at)gmail(dot)com. Please do this even if you volunteered last year; I don't assume you still want to volunteer. If you think you'd like to help but aren't sure you quite qualify, email me anyway and we'll discuss whether you'll be able to handle the job.
>>
>> P.S. - I may have already mentioned it, but on May 12 the 2009 site will no longer be available. Reviews and basic story information will still be available through the archive. However, if you need anything else off the 2009 site, please get it before May 15.
>>
>> At your service (and your family's),
>>
>> Marta (humble MEFA admin.)
>>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Visit our website: http://www.mefawards.net/MEFA2009/
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

Msg# 10362

Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers Posted by Elena Tiriel May 03, 2010 - 20:14:30 Topic ID# 10354
Marta,

I plan to create banners again this year.

I'd like some help, though: I think you hinted at some changes this year,
like the wording for Review Junkies? I really want to know *all* the
rules/guidelines as soon as possible, so I don't have to keep going back and
re-working banners that I'd already made. (I never know when my Banner Muse
will hit -- or desert me entirely -- in fact, I've already made a couple of
new ones for this year....). Is there a FAQ for banner-makers up yet, or do
you have a source doc that explains the rules, or at least any changes for
this year?

With the changes to the Review Junkie wording, I'll probably cut down to
only one Review text -- whichever is the most popular -- rather than having
two texts, "Commended Reviewer" (which takes up an awful lot of space....)
and "Review Junkie". That way I'll only make 3 versions of each banner, not
four (Nominee, Review X, and Winner -- and I'm leaving "Winner" banners
blank this year).

Secondly, a request for you and/or the Banner Coordinator this year: if you
are going to have separate areas to post the different banner types (i.e.
Nominees vs. Reviewers vs. Winners), please designate those areas and send
out locations and passwords at the *beginning* of the process. Whenever I
make a banner, I make all the various versions immediately... and last year,
it was just a huge pain to go back and revisit banners that I had already
"finished", because the location/password was posted for Nominees first,
then much later the loc/pw for the other places. I want to be able to finish
a banner, post it all the places it's going to be needed, and be DONE with
it.

Thanks for all your work, Marta! These awards have really gotten better and
better each year.

*note to self: next time, hit "Send".....*

- Barbara


On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 12:42 PM, aure_enteluva <marta.fandom@gmail.com>wrote:

>
>
>
> 2. Banner Creators
>
> If you just want to make banners, we need you too! We need banners and
> icons for nominated authors, winning authors, and reviewers who meet their
> review goal. Let us know you want to get involved, so we can give you
> credit.
>
> Requirements:
>
> --- graphics skills
> --- willingness to follow directions
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 10363

Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers Posted by Elena Tiriel May 03, 2010 - 20:18:34 Topic ID# 10354
DAMMIT! I meant to send this to you personally, not to the list.... my
apologies!

Serves me right for getting distracted with RL while I'm composing an
email.... *sigh* Mind like a steel sieve.....

- Barbara


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Elena Tiriel <elenatiriel@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, May 3, 2010 at 6:14 PM
Subject: Re: [MEFAwards] ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers
To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com


Marta,

I plan to create banners again this year.

I'd like some help, though: I think you hinted at some changes this year,
like the wording for Review Junkies? I really want to know *all* the
rules/guidelines as soon as possible, so I don't have to keep going back and
re-working banners that I'd already made. (I never know when my Banner Muse
will hit -- or desert me entirely -- in fact, I've already made a couple of
new ones for this year....). Is there a FAQ for banner-makers up yet, or do
you have a source doc that explains the rules, or at least any changes for
this year?

With the changes to the Review Junkie wording, I'll probably cut down to
only one Review text -- whichever is the most popular -- rather than having
two texts, "Commended Reviewer" (which takes up an awful lot of space....)
and "Review Junkie". That way I'll only make 3 versions of each banner, not
four (Nominee, Review X, and Winner -- and I'm leaving "Winner" banners
blank this year).

Secondly, a request for you and/or the Banner Coordinator this year: if you
are going to have separate areas to post the different banner types (i.e.
Nominees vs. Reviewers vs. Winners), please designate those areas and send
out locations and passwords at the *beginning* of the process. Whenever I
make a banner, I make all the various versions immediately... and last year,
it was just a huge pain to go back and revisit banners that I had already
"finished", because the location/password was posted for Nominees first,
then much later the loc/pw for the other places. I want to be able to finish
a banner, post it all the places it's going to be needed, and be DONE with
it.

Thanks for all your work, Marta! These awards have really gotten better and
better each year.

*note to self: next time, hit "Send".....*

- Barbara



On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 12:42 PM, aure_enteluva <marta.fandom@gmail.com>wrote:

>
>
>
> 2. Banner Creators
>
> If you just want to make banners, we need you too! We need banners and
> icons for nominated authors, winning authors, and reviewers who meet their
> review goal. Let us know you want to get involved, so we can give you
> credit.
>
> Requirements:
>
> --- graphics skills
> --- willingness to follow directions
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 10364

Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers Posted by Sulriel of Menegroth May 03, 2010 - 20:59:35 Topic ID# 10354
yeah. I did the same thing, then when I did reply privately to a
later mail panicked and thought I'd sent it back to the list. eep!
(need more coffee.. I'm at work and still have four hours on the
clock, I should be more alert than this!)

Becky/Sue L (Huffman) Burkheart [how did life get so complicated?!?]
~ A Hard Hero is Good to Find ~ www.WritingHorses.com

All about Horses of North Texas, their people & the games they play ~
http://www.examiner.com/x-40428-Fort-Worth-Equestrian-Examiner



On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 8:17 PM, Elena Tiriel <ElenaTiriel@gmail.com> wrote:
> DAMMIT!  I meant to send this to you personally, not to the list.... my
> apologies!
>
> Serves me right for getting distracted with RL while I'm composing an
> email.... *sigh*  Mind like a steel sieve.....
>
> - Barbara
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Elena Tiriel <elenatiriel@gmail.com>
> Date: Mon, May 3, 2010 at 6:14 PM
> Subject: Re: [MEFAwards] ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
>
>
> Marta,
>
> I plan to create banners again this year.
>
> I'd like some help, though: I think you hinted at some changes this year,
> like the wording for Review Junkies? I really want to know *all* the
> rules/guidelines as soon as possible, so I don't have to keep going back and
> re-working banners that I'd already made. (I never know when my Banner Muse
> will hit -- or desert me entirely -- in fact, I've already made a couple of
> new ones for this year....). Is there a FAQ for banner-makers up yet, or do
> you have a source doc that explains the rules, or at least any changes for
> this year?
>
> With the changes to the Review Junkie wording, I'll probably cut down to
> only one Review text -- whichever is the most popular -- rather than having
> two texts, "Commended Reviewer" (which takes up an awful lot of space....)
> and "Review Junkie". That way I'll only make 3 versions of each banner, not
> four (Nominee, Review X, and Winner -- and I'm leaving "Winner" banners
> blank this year).
>
> Secondly, a request for you and/or the Banner Coordinator this year: if you
> are going to have separate areas to post the different banner types (i.e.
> Nominees vs. Reviewers vs. Winners), please designate those areas and send
> out locations and passwords at the *beginning* of the process. Whenever I
> make a banner, I make all the various versions immediately... and last year,
> it was just a huge pain to go back and revisit banners that I had already
> "finished", because the location/password was posted for Nominees first,
> then much later the loc/pw for the other places. I want to be able to finish
> a banner, post it all the places it's going to be needed, and be DONE with
> it.
>
> Thanks for all your work, Marta! These awards have really gotten better and
> better each year.
>
> *note to self: next time, hit "Send".....*
>
> - Barbara
>
>
>
> On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 12:42 PM, aure_enteluva <marta.fandom@gmail.com>wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>
>> 2. Banner Creators
>>
>> If you just want to make banners, we need you too! We need banners and
>> icons for nominated authors, winning authors, and reviewers who meet their
>> review goal. Let us know you want to get involved, so we can give you
>> credit.
>>
>> Requirements:
>>
>> --- graphics skills
>> --- willingness to follow directions
>>
>>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Visit our website: http://www.mefawards.net/MEFA2009/
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

Msg# 10365

Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers Posted by BLJean@aol.com May 04, 2010 - 11:16:08 Topic ID# 10354
Serves me right for getting distracted with RL while I'm composing an
email.... *sigh* Mind like a steel sieve.....


*hugs* Barbara!


Story of my life. Well, most of the time, anyhow. Every Mother's Day I'm tempted to ask for four hours just to myself... but always end up doing a whole-family-all-together day because isn't that what moms are all about? (Don't answer, not looking to start a debate if opinions vary on this concept, just reflecting on life in general and my life in particular.)

"Mind like a steel sieve"--I like it. The variation we use around here is "My mind's like a steel trap, and thoughts are water... leaking right through."

Want to take this opportunity to thank all those who volunteered last year (don't remember if I did--I started a "thank you" email but don't know if I finished and sent it, when the awards ended), and thank in advance those who will be helping with the current year.

As a homeschooling mom, I thought that things would get easier as the dc grew older and more independent. What I didn't count on was the subjects getting harder, and the schedule ever more complicated (read that: crazy).

Hats off to you for keeping the MEFAs going. Perhaps if the dc are in swim team this summer I can print off stories to read by the poolside during practice sessions... I keep hoping for more reading (and writing) time.

Anyhow, thanks again,
Lin (Jean)
aka Lindelea (but not so often as I'd like, these days)




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 10366

Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers Posted by telperion1 May 04, 2010 - 18:52:43 Topic ID# 10354
Hiya Lin(delea),

> Hats off to you for keeping the MEFAs going. Perhaps if the dc are in
> swim team this summer I can print off stories to read by the poolside
> during practice sessions... I keep hoping for more reading (and
> writing) time.
>

Glad to see you pop in. It's a pleasure - a guilty pleasure at times, with
time stolen from offline obligations for our "mad hobby," but a pleasure,
definitely.

Do feel free to review whatever you have time for, if you can manage it.

Marta

P.S. - To Elena Tiriel - I have your email, and am collecting some info for
you. As soon as I have it, will be in touch, from the mefasupport addy.

Msg# 10368

Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers Posted by nath kuijpers May 06, 2010 - 0:28:48 Topic ID# 10354
I'll be happy to make banners again:)

Nath

.............................................~o^=o>
.....................................~o^=o>
..............................~o^=o>
........................~o^=o>


--- On Mon, 3/5/10, aure_enteluva <marta.fandom@gmail.com> wrote:

> From: aure_enteluva <marta.fandom@gmail.com>
> Subject: [MEFAwards] ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Monday, 3 May, 2010, 20:42
> Hey guys,
>
> A few days ago I mentioned that we would start the 2010
> awards soon, but that the other volunteers and I were still
> fine-tuning the schedule. We've now decided that we'll kick
> things off on May 15, which is (*eep!*) about two weeks
> away. That means:
>
> 1. Nominations will be accepted: May 15-June 15
> 2. All nominations must be finalized by: June 21
> 3. Check ballots posted: July 7-July 15
> 4. Reviewer Goals must be set by: August 15
> 5. Voting ends: December 15
> 6. Results Posted: December 18
>
> One thing you'll notice is that we've shortened the
> nomination season to one month. (Before, it has been 5-6
> weeks.) My hope is, since we've simplified the amount of
> emails authors have to send to their liaisons, nominations
> can be finalized more quickly. We also didn't want to end
> the awards at the end of November or at the end of December,
> since those are very busy times for many of our participants
> - but we couldn't see a good way to do that except for
> shortening the awards by two weeks. We considered shortening
> the voting season, but thought that would create even more
> problems for more people.
>
> To help with the shortened nomination period, I highly
> encourage you to spend the next two weeks getting ready to
> nominate stories. Think of it like the first two weeks of
> nomination season. You can't enter your nominations into the
> website, obviously, but you can do everything but that. You
> can decide what you want to nominate, make sure you have all
> the information you need, even contact the author to let her
> know you want to nominate her, so she'll be expecting an
> email from a MEFA volunteer. You can also enter your
> nominations as soon as possible (don't wait until the end of
> nominations to see if someone else will nominate it). That
> will really help us get all the nominations ready to compete
> on time.
>
> You can check whether a story has been nominated in the
> past by using our MEFA archive:
>
> http://mefawards.net/mefa-archive/
>
> Eligibility requirements are the same as they were in 2009,
> but in case you need a reminder:
>
> http://mefawards.net/MEFA2009/index.php?page=FAQeligibility
>
> ****************************************
>
> Nominating stories is probably the most important job you
> can do right now, because without nominations we won't have
> a good awards. You can also start talking up the awards with
> your friends. But if you want to do something more formal to
> help the MEFAs, read on. :^)
>
> 1. Banner Coordinator
>
> We need someone to organize banner creation. Your first job
> would be to work with the banner artists, to make sure we
> have a good variety of banners. You would also need to work
> with me and other volunteers, to discuss changes we want to
> make in how we handle banners. Finally, you would be a
> "banner makers' advocate." If they do not like the way we're
> handling the banners part of the awards, you should listen
> to their concerns and discuss them with me to see how we can
> change things.
>
> You do *not* need to be a banner artist yourself; some
> knowledge of graphics is helpful, but the banner coordinator
> mainly makes sure that the banner portion of the awards runs
> smoothly.
>
> Requirements:
>
> --- available May 15-beginning of January, at least every
> 3-4 days and more often in certain periods
> --- basic familiarity with online graphic-sharing website
> (e.g., Photobucket, picasa, etc.)
> --- general knowledge of Tolkien fandom
> --- general familiarity with MEFA rules about banners
> --- an ability to manage other volunteers
> --- a willingness to enforce rules
>
> 2. Banner Creators
>
> If you just want to make banners, we need you too! We need
> banners and icons for nominated authors, winning authors,
> and reviewers who meet their review goal. Let us know you
> want to get involved, so we can give you credit.
>
> Requirements:
>
> --- graphics skills
> --- willingness to follow directions
>
> 3. Beta Testers
>
> Starting next week, we'll need people to try to "break" the
> 2010 site. If you have time to nominate some test stories
> and are willing to discuss whether the site does what you
> expect, we want you!
>
> Requirements:
>
> --- available May 8-May 15 (preferably every day)
> --- basic technical skills
> --- basic familiarity with past MEFA websites
>
> 4. Author Liaisons
>
> Author liaisons work with authors to make sure they fill
> out their forms correctly. This is a great first step to get
> involved with volunteering, as you will have the full
> attention of myself and other long-term volunteers. It also
> allows you to deliver good news to authors (which can be
> quite fun). But to do it, you *do* need a fair amount of
> time and patience, as you will be explaining a fairly
> complicated process to authors, some of whom may not know
> anything about the awards.
>
> Requirements:
>
> --- available regularly May 15-June 21 (esp. June 15-21),
> preferably every day
> --- positive and friendly personality
> --- ability to follow directions
> --- willingness to ask questions
> --- basic familiarity with MEFA policy and Tolkien canon
>
> 5. Promoters
>
> As always, we need people to make MEFA announcements at
> non-MEFA groups. If you know of a place where Tolkien is
> discussed, and you're willing to make announcements there,
> let me know the place. I ask that you officially "sign up"
> so I can make sure only one person is making announcements
> at each place, and so we can credit you on our website.
>
> Requirements:
>
> --- available regularly May 15-December 15 (preferably at
> least twice a week)
> --- familiarity with a Tolkien group that would benefit
> from MEFA announcements
> --- willingness to ask questions
>
> 6. Ratings Committee
>
> When authors are unsure what rating is appropriate for
> their story, we invite them to have a group of volunteers
> look at the particular scene, and tell you what rating is
> appropriate for your story. (Authors can also provide
> context for the scene.) This means that we need members
> willing to read these scenes and make recommendations. The
> ratings panel will consist of three volunteers and one
> alternate.
>
> Requirements:
>
> --- available regularly May 15-June 21 (preferably every
> day or two)
> --- familiarity with MEFA ratings policies
> --- willingness to apply those policies to specific
> stories
> --- willingness to read potentially objectionable content
> -- some of which may be sexually explicit (m/m, m/f, and
> f/f) or graphically violent
>
> As the awards progress there will be other ways to
> volunteer. I'll let you know about those as they come up.
>
> *************************************
>
> If any of these tasks interest you, please let me know by
> emailing me at mefasupport(at)gmail(dot)com. Please do this
> even if you volunteered last year; I don't assume you still
> want to volunteer. If you think you'd like to help but
> aren't sure you quite qualify, email me anyway and we'll
> discuss whether you'll be able to handle the job.
>
> P.S. - I may have already mentioned it, but on May 12 the
> 2009 site will no longer be available. Reviews and basic
> story information will still be available through the
> archive. However, if you need anything else off the 2009
> site, please get it before May 15.
>
> At your service (and your family's),
>
> Marta (humble MEFA admin.)
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Visit our website: http://www.mefawards.net/MEFA2009/
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>     MEFAwards-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>

Msg# 10369

Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers Posted by telperion1 May 06, 2010 - 12:40:31 Topic ID# 10354
Hiya Nath,

Thanks for letting me know. I've marked you down as interested and will make
sure you get the information about banners, as soon as we have a banner
coordinator.

Marta

> -----Original Message-----
> From: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com [mailto:MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com] On
> Behalf Of nath kuijpers
> Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2010 1:29 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [MEFAwards] ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers
>
>
>
> I'll be happy to make banners again:)
>
> Nath
>
>

[snip]

Msg# 10370

Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers Posted by Linda May 07, 2010 - 3:20:48 Topic ID# 10354
I don't consider myself to have enough knowledge outside my own niche to be much use at suggesting banners, but I did notice that there were very few winners banners featuring Aragorn and Arwen or Boromir and none at all featuring Denethor.

Linda


--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, Elena Tiriel <ElenaTiriel@...> wrote:
>
> Marta,
>
> I plan to create banners again this year.
>
> I'd like some help, though: I think you hinted at some changes this year,
> like the wording for Review Junkies? I really want to know *all* the
> rules/guidelines as soon as possible, so I don't have to keep going back and
> re-working banners that I'd already made. (I never know when my Banner Muse
> will hit -- or desert me entirely -- in fact, I've already made a couple of
> new ones for this year....). Is there a FAQ for banner-makers up yet, or do
> you have a source doc that explains the rules, or at least any changes for
> this year?
>
> With the changes to the Review Junkie wording, I'll probably cut down to
> only one Review text -- whichever is the most popular -- rather than having
> two texts, "Commended Reviewer" (which takes up an awful lot of space....)
> and "Review Junkie". That way I'll only make 3 versions of each banner, not
> four (Nominee, Review X, and Winner -- and I'm leaving "Winner" banners
> blank this year).
>
> Secondly, a request for you and/or the Banner Coordinator this year: if you
> are going to have separate areas to post the different banner types (i.e.
> Nominees vs. Reviewers vs. Winners), please designate those areas and send
> out locations and passwords at the *beginning* of the process. Whenever I
> make a banner, I make all the various versions immediately... and last year,
> it was just a huge pain to go back and revisit banners that I had already
> "finished", because the location/password was posted for Nominees first,
> then much later the loc/pw for the other places. I want to be able to finish
> a banner, post it all the places it's going to be needed, and be DONE with
> it.
>
> Thanks for all your work, Marta! These awards have really gotten better and
> better each year.
>
> *note to self: next time, hit "Send".....*
>
> - Barbara
>
>
> On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 12:42 PM, aure_enteluva <marta.fandom@...>wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >
> > 2. Banner Creators
> >
> > If you just want to make banners, we need you too! We need banners and
> > icons for nominated authors, winning authors, and reviewers who meet their
> > review goal. Let us know you want to get involved, so we can give you
> > credit.
> >
> > Requirements:
> >
> > --- graphics skills
> > --- willingness to follow directions
> >
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Msg# 10371

Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers Posted by telperion1 May 10, 2010 - 6:05:06 Topic ID# 10354
Hiya Linda,

That seems to vary from year to year. We seem to have not enough hobbit
banners one year, not enough Silm the next, and so on. It really depends on
what banner-makers are most active. We do our best to round out the edges,
and I think the banner-makers do a good job of that, but there will always
be deficiencies.

More use than suggesting banners, would be to make some yourself or to
recruit friends from your corner of the awards to make some. If there are
people who write a certain kind of story, there are (hopefully!) artists who
like working with those same characters. If they want to create MEFA
banners, we're more than happy to find them. We also hope to have more
"generic" banners that can be used for a wide variety of stories - graphics
with landscapes, castles, scrolls, that kind of thing.

Marta

> -----Original Message-----
> From: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com [mailto:MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com] On
> Behalf Of Linda
> Sent: Friday, May 07, 2010 4:17 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers
>
>
>
> I don't consider myself to have enough knowledge outside my own niche
> to be much use at suggesting banners, but I did notice that there were
> very few winners banners featuring Aragorn and Arwen or Boromir and
> none at all featuring Denethor.
>
> Linda
>

Msg# 10373

Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call for Volunteers Posted by nath kuijpers May 11, 2010 - 1:23:53 Topic ID# 10354
Hi all,

I'm glad to hear there's interest in more 'general' banners, as I much prefer making those myself:-)

Nath (who should start doodling soon, to get a jumpstart on making things)

> Hiya Linda,
>
> That seems to vary from year to year. We seem to have not
> enough hobbit
> banners one year, not enough Silm the next, and so on. It
> really depends on
> what banner-makers are most active. We do our best to round
> out the edges,
> and I think the banner-makers do a good job of that, but
> there will always
> be deficiencies.
>
> More use than suggesting banners, would be to make some
> yourself or to
> recruit friends from your corner of the awards to make
> some. If there are
> people who write a certain kind of story, there are
> (hopefully!) artists who
> like working with those same characters. If they want to
> create MEFA
> banners, we're more than happy to find them. We also hope
> to have more
> "generic" banners that can be used for a wide variety of
> stories - graphics
> with landscapes, castles, scrolls, that kind of thing.
>
> Marta
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com]
> On
> > Behalf Of Linda
> > Sent: Friday, May 07, 2010 4:17 AM
> > To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: ADMIN - 2010 Calendar, + Call
> for Volunteers
> >
> >
> >
> > I don't consider myself to have enough knowledge
> outside my own niche
> > to be much use at suggesting banners, but I did notice
> that there were
> > very few winners banners featuring Aragorn and Arwen
> or Boromir and
> > none at all featuring Denethor.
> >
> > Linda
> >
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Visit our website: http://www.mefawards.net/MEFA2009/
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>     MEFAwards-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>