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Hey guys,

The voting for the 2010 awards ended about an hour ago. If you are like me,
you could have used at least another week in the awards, or possibly even
another month.

The good news, as I just mentioned to another member is that while the MEFAs
are over for this year, fandom doesn't stop. Those stories you didn't quite
get to, they're still posted somewhere. You can review the story at those
other sites. And the MEFA2010 website will still be accessible for a few
more months. You can't enter reviews at our site, but you can still pull up
your wish list or otherwise keep using our story listings. Just leave a
review at those other sites, for those stories you didn't quite have time to
review. It's a good way to stay involved in fandom, and to recognize quality
fic.

Over the next few days I will contact those authors who received a first,
second, or third-place award or an honorable mention. I'll also announce the
full results here on the 18th.

In the meantime, here are some MEFA-related things to think about with the
end of the awards.

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

HAVE YOU HUGGED A MEFA VOLUNTEER TODAY?

The MEFAs really is a team effort. While I make the announcements and try to
make sure everything that needs to get done actually does get done, but I
really see myself more as a facilitator than anything - other people do the
lions' share of the work.

For a full share of volunteers see
http://www.mefawards.net/MEFA2010/index.php?page=FAQvolunteers

I will just mention a few that have taken on special projects and really
stand out for their quiet commitment to doing the behind-the-scenes work.

==> ARANEL has been developing a new website for 2011. She also has done
some other innovative technical projects that make the awards run much more
smoothly.

==> While she works on that, TANAQUI has kept the 2010 website running
smoothly. Including dealing with my half-frantic "oh, we said we would do
that thing, didn't we, and it really needed to be coded a week ago" emails.
Aranel's put in a lot of work there, too.

If you enjoyed a new feature of the website, you have these two ladies to
thank. And I hope you *do* thank them - they deserve it.

==> ELLISKA approves memberships. This is a huge task and is crucial to the
awards, to make sure everyone has just one account and so can only vote once
for each story.

==> As always, INKLING and RADBOOKS have taken on a wide range of projects.
They've also been great helps in discussing policy questions, and generally
have always been willing to do what needs doing.

==> FOXRAFER forwards on all the responses authors send to people who write
their reviews. This lets authors reply to reviews and at the same time does
a good job of keeping members' email addresses as private as we can.

==> ANNMARWALK takes the reviews from the website and posts them to a LJ
community and Yahoo group. This helps people stay in contact with just what
reviews have been written - a very useful contribution.

==> NEUME INDIL served as banner coordinator, making sure that the banners
portion of the awards ran smoothly.

==> Thanks also to all the artists who made banners for this year's awards:
ELENA TIRIEL, ELLETH, ELLYNN ITHILWEN, NATH, RED LASBELIN, and THEVINA
FINDUILAS.

This is in addition to the small armies of promoters, liaisons,
categorizers, and other volunteers who took on ad hoc projects when asked.
And of course everyone who nominated or voted on stories - you're all
indispensable in my book. As I said, there are simply too many to thank them
all individually. That does not mean I am not appreciative of the work they
did.

*******************************
WHAT HAPPENS NOW

Over the next few days I will be contacting the authors who won an award of
any kind. Hopefully by Saturday or Sunday, I will post the full awards to
this list.

Authors can also read their reviews at the website and looking over the
banners, to see which banner they would like customized (if applicable).
Everyone can start thinking about what changes they would like to see happen
for the 2011 awards.

*******************************
READING AND REPLYING TO REVIEWS

All of the 2010 reviews are available at our website. Just visit
www.mefawards.net/MEFA2010/ , log in, and click the "reviews" list at the
top of the page. You can read all the reviews, or filter by the story author
to find just reviews written for your story. This can be a welcome treat for
all authors, and a good way to find recommendations for new stories you
might want to read.

Authors, you can also send a reply to your reviewers if you want to do so.
Just click the "Reply to Review" link by any of the reviews for your
stories. This will open up a pop-up window with more instructions.

BUT, please send replies by December 31 - a little over two weeks off.
Replies have to be forwarded by a real flesh-and-blood volunteer, and she
will stop her volunteer work around that time. Replies will still be sent,
but it won't happen until the reviews for the 2011 awards start showing up -
usually some time in the late summer. You can also contact your reviewers
using other methods, if you know them from other sites.

************************
BANNERS

This year, winning authors can either use pre-made banners (already
tailor-made to each category/sub-category/place combination), or you can ask
to have one of our banner artists customizie a banner for you. For more
information on banners, see

http://community.livejournal.com/mefas/257523.html

Important note - you will need to get your request in before December 31, if
you'd like a banner maker to help you customize a banner. After that, we may
not be able to help you customize the banners than can be used for any of a
variety of categories. (You can still customize them yourselves, or find
someone else to do that, if you'd like.) There are also banners for
nominated stories that don't win an actual prize, and for people who reached
their reviewing goal. Check those out if you haven't already.

*************************
POST-MORTEM

It's never too early to start thinking about how we can do things
differently. If you have a suggestion for how the awards might improve in
the future, please make it using

http://community.livejournal.com/mefas/193869.html

I know, I know, it's party time right now. You may not want to think about
criticisms. That's fine. But if you have anything you'd like for us to
consider, please do get the request in by January 15. And you may want to
stick to procedural stuff rather than the technical. The 2011 site will be
pretty different from the 2010 site, and I imagine a lot of your technical
suggestions may not reply.

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

Thanks so much to every one who reviewed! And to all the authors who shared
their work with us. It was a great awards season, and it wouldn't have
happened without you.

Marta
(MEFA Admin.)

A great thank you to all those people who organised this gigantic event!

Many thanks to the volunteers who checked web forms, helped those who needed help with technology or other questions, posted reviews, passed along reviews, served on the ratings panel, or kept the website running smoothly!

Last year, I thought I'd get through all my thank-you cards, but failed. So this year, let me just say "thank you" to all those who reviewed one of my stories - I do intend to write a more personalized thank you card, but I know how far intentions got me last year (exactly halfway through that list) and don't want to give the impression that I didn't appreciate your taking the time to comment.

And thanks to those who reviewed in general - it's fun to read comments, and sometimes another reviewer's comments moved me to go read a story whose summary might not have grabbed me otherwise.

Happy holidays to all!

Dwim

I'd like to add my thanks as well, and a special THANK YOU to Marta, who
works so terribly hard keeping the whole freight train on the track! I've
no idea how she manages to do that!

I too never managed to get all the way through my "thank yous" last year! I
hope to do better this year! But thank you anyway, to everyone who
reviewed! And not just those who reviewed my stories, but for all the
reviews, which have been so much fun to read!

Dreamflower

On Thu, Dec 16, 2010 at 8:26 AM, dwimmer_laik <dwimmer_laik@yahoo.com>wrote:

>
>
> Many thanks to the volunteers who checked web forms, helped those who
> needed help with technology or other questions, posted reviews, passed along
> reviews, served on the ratings panel, or kept the website running smoothly!
>
> Last year, I thought I'd get through all my thank-you cards, but failed. So
> this year, let me just say "thank you" to all those who reviewed one of my
> stories - I do intend to write a more personalized thank you card, but I
> know how far intentions got me last year (exactly halfway through that list)
> and don't want to give the impression that I didn't appreciate your taking
> the time to comment.
>
> And thanks to those who reviewed in general - it's fun to read comments,
> and sometimes another reviewer's comments moved me to go read a story whose
> summary might not have grabbed me otherwise.
>
> Happy holidays to all!
>
> Dwim
>
>
>


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

Hi there!

I think our MEFA volunteer team is the best group of folks in fandom to have made this year's awards go so very smoothly. This is a huge project, and I'm always amazed at how well things go. You all deserve a huge round of applause for all you do and all you have done. Take a bow!!

Last year, I didn't get through my thank-you cards either - BAD Aeärwen! So, just in case this year turns out the same way, please allow me to thank everyone who reviewed one of my stories. Your kind words were very much appreciated, as was the time you took in reading them to begin with. I don't want anybody to think that I'm not thrilled with each and every review, because I *am*!!

And thank you to all our reviewers. There was a wealth of real quality writing to choose from this year, and the number of reviews trickling into my inbox everyday was a real treat to browse. Sometimes those comments made me want to go take a peek at a story I hadn't marked before, and I found some real gems I might have overlooked.

I hope everyone has a great holiday season, and may our MEFA admins now get a chance to sit back and take a deep breath and relax. You all did good!

Cuio mae.

Aeärwen

On Thu, Dec 16, 2010 at 8:26 AM, dwimmer_laik <dwimmer_laik@yahoo.com>wrote:

>
>
> Many thanks to the volunteers who checked web forms, helped those who
> needed help with technology or other questions, posted reviews, passed along
> reviews, served on the ratings panel, or kept the website running smoothly!
>
> Last year, I thought I'd get through all my thank-you cards, but failed. So
> this year, let me just say "thank you" to all those who reviewed one of my
> stories - I do intend to write a more personalized thank you card, but I
> know how far intentions got me last year (exactly halfway through that list)
> and don't want to give the impression that I didn't appreciate your taking
> the time to comment.
>
> And thanks to those who reviewed in general - it's fun to read comments,
> and sometimes another reviewer's comments moved me to go read a story whose
> summary might not have grabbed me otherwise.
>
> Happy holidays to all!


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

> On Wed, 12/15/10, Marta <marta.fandom@gmail.com> wrote:
> HAVE YOU HUGGED A MEFA VOLUNTEER TODAY?

Not yet, but I'm sending a big hug to all the voluneers right now, and the biggest to Marta, who really does a huge job. *hug and kiss*
 
Ellyn




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

A most enjoyable year, and thanks particularly to Marta for her work and to
Foxrafer as my liaison this year. Both are outstanding!
Bonnie L. Sherrell
Teacher at Large

"Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends." LOTR

"Don't go where I can't follow."

It's been a good season; and I heartily congratulate and thank Marta & the MEFA Volunteers - Praise Them With Great Praise!



Raksha the Demon

Special thanks to these volunteers:

MARTA, who helped me when I accidentally reviewed the wrong story - not once, but twice! - and was still graciously fixing my mistakes after voting had closed.

FOXRAFER, for channeling people's responses to my reviews and for forwarding my responses to other people's reviews, even when I addressed them incorrectly.

DWIMORDENE, for being a really awesome story liaison on my three stories and helping me finalize them for the MEFAs.

Everybody who made these MEFAs possible was amazing.

Thanks to everyone who put hard work into these awards, everything was amazing xx