Yahoo Forum Archive

Hey guys,

Earlier today I was thinking about the MEFAs (not a rare occurrence
these days!). Specifically, I was thinking about the members who help
out. See, I know a lot of people associate the MEFAs with my name
because I am the one whose name is at the bottom of the announcements,
and I am often the one who answers questions. However, I am far from the
only one who is involved. If anything, the MEFAs are like an iceberg:
10% visible, 90% below the surface.

I talk sometimes about some of these volunteers, but I usually talk
about the ones I actually have regular contact with. There are lots of
other people who do jobs just because they need to be done. I can call
on them and tell them what needs to be done, and then they just run with
it. Usually these people do such a good job that it is easy for me to
forget they are even there. Which I know I really shouldn't, because
they are invaluable to the whole process. For me the MEFAs can be a real
juggling act; I try to give my attention to as much as I can, and areas
that are working well, I tend to forget about because I *can.*

That's no excuse, though. So I want to take a moment to thank just some
of the people who don't get NEARLY as much credit as they deserve, and
without whom these awards would not be happening.

First and foremost of this list is Elliska. She has been a very
dependable volunteer since she first got involved (I think in 2005?),
and has always been willing to pitch a helping hand wherever needed. I'm
not sure there's been a part of the awards (nominations, categorizing,
voting, or "clean-up") where she hasn't been doing something behind the
scene. She is a liaison and has already signed up to be a categorizer.
More importantly, it is Elliska who looks at everyone who tries to join
the MEFAwards list, checks out for spammers, and sets up membership
accounts for the legitimate ones. After the post-mortem I at least get
to take a few weeks off and recuperate; Elliska does not get a day off.
She is also one of the most reliable volunteers I've worked with. I
seriously doubt that these awards would be happening if I didn't have
her help. Because she does her job so well, it is all too easy for me to
forget her effort. But that's only because it doesn't require any effort
on my part. Thank you, Elliska. I mean that.

Tanaqui and Aranel are two names that you probably hear fairly often,
but you may not realize the full extent of their work. Go and check out
the FAQ sometime, even if you think you understand the awards. Look at
all the ways those FAQs link to each other. All the special formatting.
And realize that someone had to take the Word documents in which I wrote
the FAQs and convert them into computer files. Now look at the way it
fits into a complicated website pretty seamlessly. And consider that
these FAQs are available both when you're logged in and when you're not
 and that the same computer documents work for both people who can
access the rest of the website, and who can't. It's complicated,
sophisticated code, and someone has to write and update it. And that
takes a lot of tedious work. That someone is Tanaqui. She does this on
*top* of her other volunteer hours coding this website, which are
substantial.

Aranel does a tremendous amount of work as well. One of the biggest
time-consuming parts of this year's coding was the archive. The list of
stories itself is very useful, and took a lot of technical work. But
Aranel also took the 2004 reviews and formatted them by hand. This was
not a matter of simply pulling data from a website database, because in
2004 the votes were posted to the MEFAwards Yahoo group as emails, not
entered into a website. Aranel also went through all the names and
grouped stories together where the author was nominated under different
pseudonyms.

Most importantly, these two put up with me. The MEFAs are the first time
I have ever tried to coordinate a project of anything like this
magnitude  which of course means I make mistakes. Vague coding
requirements. Lots of forgetfulness on my part. (I can't tell you how
many times I've said "Oh, did I forget to mention..."!) They listen to
my suggestions and those of others, and make them work. Or explain why
it can't work. They deserve a lot more recognition than I give them for
that.

Another person who deserves a lot more recognition than she gets is
Inkling. If I told you one thing that Inkling has done I'd have to tell
you a hundred. Suffice it to say that there has never been a time that
I've come to her with a special project that she has said no to. And,
like Elliska, she is a perpetual and continuous volunteer: liaison,
categorizer, and just general jack-of-all-trades during the voting
season.) Most importantly, Inkling is my release valve. When I need
someone to kvetch to, she is there to listen, to reassure me, and to
help me see the problems more clearly. I think I would have quit my
involvement a half-dozen times in the last few years if not for her
support, both emotionally and practically. (Elliska has been great about
this as well.)

Banner makers are another group that don't get nearly enough credit. Go
and check out http://www.mefawards.net/fanart/, and you will see some
really nice artwork. What you won't see is the name of the artists who
created them, unless you click on an image. And when a member selects a
banner, they just display the banner  not who created it. I hesitate to
mention names because I know I'll forget someone, but I know that
nau_tika and elea24 have both created banners. Rhapsody and Llinos also
created a lot last year. And I am certain that there are others! But all
of these artists who share their work with us deserve our appreciation.

As does Fiondil. Fiondil is a new volunteer who has taken on the job of
making sure we have a good assortment of banners. Think how diverse
fandom is, how diverse the contributions to the MEFA are every year, and
imagine trying to make sure that every little niche has an appopriate
banner to select if they win. Now multiply that by three because you
also need a good selection of banners for nominees and people who reach
their reviewing goal. Fiondil also has taken on the dreary work of
uploading peoples' submissions, something I am very glad to delegate.
Thank you, Fiondil!

And I don't want to forget AmandaK, Baranduin, and nau_tika, who
personalized the winners' banners so quickly to display what place was
won. They all did a really top-notch job, and I don't think they were
recognized even once. (Rhapsody, AlexCat, Ainaechoiriel, and other
people did similar jobs in previous years.)

I see that I've gone on for quite some time already, and the more and
more I think about the MEFAs, the more "unsung heroes" I think of.
Annmarwalk posted all of the reviews made last year, to both here and
the mefas LJ. Imhiriel has read many, many reviews looking for
formatting errors, like incorrectly-marked quotes. Sulriel has helped on
many, many projects, such as preparing lists of previously-nominated
pieces and adding accounts to the MEFA website when people joined
MEFAwards  another person I can turn to when I need help. I can't even
begin to name all of the people who have participated in the post-mortem
every year  and that's a time commitment of at least an hour a night,
for over a month in most cases.

You get the idea. There are so many people to thank, I can't even name
them all.

But I do want to recognize three people who, though they don't volunteer
in the same capacities anymore, really helped give the MEFAs their
start. Those three people are Ainaechoiriel, Anthony, and Rhapsody.
Rhapsody created the banner website, including the software that allows
us to vote for banners (when we still did that). She also adminned this
section of the awards, uploading all of the banners submitted and
communicating with artists. Anthony actually built the site we saw in
2005  all by himself, building on code from H. Weinreich but donating
so much time I'm kind of scared to know the actual tally. And Ainae
brought these awards to the Tolkien fandom and got them started. Without
them, we wouldn't be here.

I know full well that there are people I am failing to mention, mostly
because I have run out of room but also because you do such a damned
good job that I never have to give your part of the awards a second
thought. Thank you.

And thank you, again, to everyone I did mention. I am sorry I don't draw
attention to you more often, because you really are invaluable.

Marta
(MEFA Admin.)

You forgot one person Marta. YOU! lol

Thanks to everyone behind the scenes. :)

--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "melayton@..." <melayton@...> wrote:
>
> Hey guys,
>
> Earlier today I was thinking about the MEFAs (not a rare occurrence
> these days!). Specifically, I was thinking about the members who help
> out. See, I know a lot of people associate the MEFAs with my name
> because I am the one whose name is at the bottom of the announcements,
> and I am often the one who answers questions. However, I am far from
the
> only one who is involved. If anything, the MEFAs are like an iceberg:
> 10% visible, 90% below the surface.
>
> I talk sometimes about some of these volunteers, but I usually talk
> about the ones I actually have regular contact with. There are lots of
> other people who do jobs just because they need to be done. I can call
> on them and tell them what needs to be done, and then they just run
with
> it. Usually these people do such a good job that it is easy for me to
> forget they are even there. Which I know I really shouldn't, because
> they are invaluable to the whole process. For me the MEFAs can be a
real
> juggling act; I try to give my attention to as much as I can, and areas
> that are working well, I tend to forget about because I *can.*
>
> That's no excuse, though. So I want to take a moment to thank just some
> of the people who don't get NEARLY as much credit as they deserve, and
> without whom these awards would not be happening.
>
> First and foremost of this list is Elliska. She has been a very
> dependable volunteer since she first got involved (I think in 2005?),
> and has always been willing to pitch a helping hand wherever needed.
I'm
> not sure there's been a part of the awards (nominations, categorizing,
> voting, or "clean-up") where she hasn't been doing something behind the
> scene. She is a liaison and has already signed up to be a categorizer.
> More importantly, it is Elliska who looks at everyone who tries to join
> the MEFAwards list, checks out for spammers, and sets up membership
> accounts for the legitimate ones. After the post-mortem I at least get
> to take a few weeks off and recuperate; Elliska does not get a day off.
> She is also one of the most reliable volunteers I've worked with. I
> seriously doubt that these awards would be happening if I didn't have
> her help. Because she does her job so well, it is all too easy for
me to
> forget her effort. But that's only because it doesn't require any
effort
> on my part. Thank you, Elliska. I mean that.
>
> Tanaqui and Aranel are two names that you probably hear fairly often,
> but you may not realize the full extent of their work. Go and check out
> the FAQ sometime, even if you think you understand the awards. Look at
> all the ways those FAQs link to each other. All the special formatting.
> And realize that someone had to take the Word documents in which I
wrote
> the FAQs and convert them into computer files. Now look at the way it
> fits into a complicated website pretty seamlessly. And consider that
> these FAQs are available both when you're logged in and when you're not
> – and that the same computer documents work for both people who can
> access the rest of the website, and who can't. It's complicated,
> sophisticated code, and someone has to write and update it. And that
> takes a lot of tedious work. That someone is Tanaqui. She does this on
> *top* of her other volunteer hours coding this website, which are
> substantial.
>
> Aranel does a tremendous amount of work as well. One of the biggest
> time-consuming parts of this year's coding was the archive. The list of
> stories itself is very useful, and took a lot of technical work. But
> Aranel also took the 2004 reviews and formatted them by hand. This was
> not a matter of simply pulling data from a website database, because in
> 2004 the votes were posted to the MEFAwards Yahoo group as emails, not
> entered into a website. Aranel also went through all the names and
> grouped stories together where the author was nominated under different
> pseudonyms.
>
> Most importantly, these two put up with me. The MEFAs are the first
time
> I have ever tried to coordinate a project of anything like this
> magnitude – which of course means I make mistakes. Vague coding
> requirements. Lots of forgetfulness on my part. (I can't tell you how
> many times I've said "Oh, did I forget to mention..."!) They listen to
> my suggestions and those of others, and make them work. Or explain why
> it can't work. They deserve a lot more recognition than I give them for
> that.
>
> Another person who deserves a lot more recognition than she gets is
> Inkling. If I told you one thing that Inkling has done I'd have to tell
> you a hundred. Suffice it to say that there has never been a time that
> I've come to her with a special project that she has said no to. And,
> like Elliska, she is a perpetual and continuous volunteer: liaison,
> categorizer, and just general jack-of-all-trades during the voting
> season.) Most importantly, Inkling is my release valve. When I need
> someone to kvetch to, she is there to listen, to reassure me, and to
> help me see the problems more clearly. I think I would have quit my
> involvement a half-dozen times in the last few years if not for her
> support, both emotionally and practically. (Elliska has been great
about
> this as well.)
>
> Banner makers are another group that don't get nearly enough credit. Go
> and check out http://www.mefawards.net/fanart/, and you will see some
> really nice artwork. What you won't see is the name of the artists who
> created them, unless you click on an image. And when a member selects a
> banner, they just display the banner – not who created it. I
hesitate to
> mention names because I know I'll forget someone, but I know that
> nau_tika and elea24 have both created banners. Rhapsody and Llinos also
> created a lot last year. And I am certain that there are others! But
all
> of these artists who share their work with us deserve our appreciation.
>
> As does Fiondil. Fiondil is a new volunteer who has taken on the job of
> making sure we have a good assortment of banners. Think how diverse
> fandom is, how diverse the contributions to the MEFA are every year,
and
> imagine trying to make sure that every little niche has an appopriate
> banner to select if they win. Now multiply that by three because you
> also need a good selection of banners for nominees and people who reach
> their reviewing goal. Fiondil also has taken on the dreary work of
> uploading peoples' submissions, something I am very glad to delegate.
> Thank you, Fiondil!
>
> And I don't want to forget AmandaK, Baranduin, and nau_tika, who
> personalized the winners' banners so quickly to display what place was
> won. They all did a really top-notch job, and I don't think they were
> recognized even once. (Rhapsody, AlexCat, Ainaechoiriel, and other
> people did similar jobs in previous years.)
>
> I see that I've gone on for quite some time already, and the more and
> more I think about the MEFAs, the more "unsung heroes" I think of.
> Annmarwalk posted all of the reviews made last year, to both here and
> the mefas LJ. Imhiriel has read many, many reviews looking for
> formatting errors, like incorrectly-marked quotes. Sulriel has
helped on
> many, many projects, such as preparing lists of previously-nominated
> pieces and adding accounts to the MEFA website when people joined
> MEFAwards – another person I can turn to when I need help. I can't even
> begin to name all of the people who have participated in the
post-mortem
> every year – and that's a time commitment of at least an hour a night,
> for over a month in most cases.
>
> You get the idea. There are so many people to thank, I can't even name
> them all.
>
> But I do want to recognize three people who, though they don't
volunteer
> in the same capacities anymore, really helped give the MEFAs their
> start. Those three people are Ainaechoiriel, Anthony, and Rhapsody.
> Rhapsody created the banner website, including the software that allows
> us to vote for banners (when we still did that). She also adminned this
> section of the awards, uploading all of the banners submitted and
> communicating with artists. Anthony actually built the site we saw in
> 2005 – all by himself, building on code from H. Weinreich but donating
> so much time I'm kind of scared to know the actual tally. And Ainae
> brought these awards to the Tolkien fandom and got them started.
Without
> them, we wouldn't be here.
>
> I know full well that there are people I am failing to mention, mostly
> because I have run out of room but also because you do such a damned
> good job that I never have to give your part of the awards a second
> thought. Thank you.
>
> And thank you, again, to everyone I did mention. I am sorry I don't
draw
> attention to you more often, because you really are invaluable.
>
> Marta
> (MEFA Admin.)
>

alassante7 wrote:

>
>
> You forgot one person Marta. YOU! lol
>

Thanks, Alassante! I didn't mention myself because I am most definitely
"sung" - I get thanked by people much more than most. Doesn't mean that
I don't appreciate hearing it again, though. *grins*

Marta

I second that. I know you put in a lot of time, Marta, and deserve thanks
for all your hard work.

TariElfLady

In a message dated 5/6/2008 6:55:47 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
alassante7@yahoo.com writes:




You forgot one person Marta. YOU! lol

Thanks to everyone behind the scenes. :)

--- In _MEFAwards@yahoogrouMEFAwa_ (mailto:MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com) ,
"melayton@.., <melayton@..m> wrote:

>
> Hey guys,
>
> Earlier today I was thinking about the MEFAs (not a rare occurrence
> these days!). Specifically, I was thinking about the members who help
> out. See, I know a lot of people associate the MEFAs with my name
> because I am the one whose name is at the bottom of the announcements,
> and I am often the one who answers questions. However, I am far from

the

> only one who is involved. If anything, the MEFAs are like an iceberg:
> 10% visible, 90% below the surface.
>
> I talk sometimes about some of these volunteers, but I usually talk
> about the ones I actually have regular contact with. There are lots of
> other people who do jobs just because they need to be done. I can call
> on them and tell them what needs to be done, and then they just run

with

> it. Usually these people do such a good job that it is easy for me to
> forget they are even there. Which I know I really shouldn't, because
> they are invaluable to the whole process. For me the MEFAs can be a

real

> juggling act; I try to give my attention to as much as I can, and areas
> that are working well, I tend to forget about because I *can.*
>
> That's no excuse, though. So I want to take a moment to thank just some
> of the people who don't get NEARLY as much credit as they deserve, and
> without whom these awards would not be happening.
>
> First and foremost of this list is Elliska. She has been a very
> dependable volunteer since she first got involved (I think in 2005?),
> and has always been willing to pitch a helping hand wherever needed.

I'm

> not sure there's been a part of the awards (nominations, categorizing,
> voting, or "clean-up") where she hasn't been doing something behind the
> scene. She is a liaison and has already signed up to be a categorizer.
> More importantly, it is Elliska who looks at everyone who tries to join
> the MEFAwards list, checks out for spammers, and sets up membership
> accounts for the legitimate ones. After the post-mortem I at least get
> to take a few weeks off and recuperate; Elliska does not get a day off.
> She is also one of the most reliable volunteers I've worked with. I
> seriously doubt that these awards would be happening if I didn't have
> her help. Because she does her job so well, it is all too easy for

me to

> forget her effort. But that's only because it doesn't require any

effort

> on my part. Thank you, Elliska. I mean that.
>
> Tanaqui and Aranel are two names that you probably hear fairly often,
> but you may not realize the full extent of their work. Go and check out
> the FAQ sometime, even if you think you understand the awards. Look at
> all the ways those FAQs link to each other. All the special formatting.
> And realize that someone had to take the Word documents in which I

wrote

> the FAQs and convert them into computer files. Now look at the way it
> fits into a complicated website pretty seamlessly. And consider that
> these FAQs are available both when you're logged in and when you're not
>  and that the same computer documents work for both people who can
> access the rest of the website, and who can't. It's complicated,
> sophisticated code, and someone has to write and update it. And that
> takes a lot of tedious work. That someone is Tanaqui. She does this on
> *top* of her other volunteer hours coding this website, which are
> substantial.
>
> Aranel does a tremendous amount of work as well. One of the biggest
> time-consuming parts of this year's coding was the archive. The list of
> stories itself is very useful, and took a lot of technical work. But
> Aranel also took the 2004 reviews and formatted them by hand. This was
> not a matter of simply pulling data from a website database, because in
> 2004 the votes were posted to the MEFAwards Yahoo group as emails, not
> entered into a website. Aranel also went through all the names and
> grouped stories together where the author was nominated under different
> pseudonyms.
>
> Most importantly, these two put up with me. The MEFAs are the first

time

> I have ever tried to coordinate a project of anything like this
> magnitude  which of course means I make mistakes. Vague coding
> requirements. Lots of forgetfulness on my part. (I can't tell you how
> many times I've said "Oh, did I forget to mention..."! many times I've
> my suggestions and those of others, and make them work. Or explain why
> it can't work. They deserve a lot more recognition than I give them for
> that.
>
> Another person who deserves a lot more recognition than she gets is
> Inkling. If I told you one thing that Inkling has done I'd have to tell
> you a hundred. Suffice it to say that there has never been a time that
> I've come to her with a special project that she has said no to. And,
> like Elliska, she is a perpetual and continuous volunteer: liaison,
> categorizer, and just general jack-of-all- categorizer, and just ge
> season.) Most importantly, Inkling is my release valve. When I need
> someone to kvetch to, she is there to listen, to reassure me, and to
> help me see the problems more clearly. I think I would have quit my
> involvement a half-dozen times in the last few years if not for her
> support, both emotionally and practically. (Elliska has been great

about

> this as well.)
>
> Banner makers are another group that don't get nearly enough credit. Go
> and check out _http://www.mefawardhttp://www.meh_

(http://www.mefawards.net/fanart/,) and you will see some

> really nice artwork. What you won't see is the name of the artists who
> created them, unless you click on an image. And when a member selects a
> banner, they just display the banner  not who created it. I

hesitate to

> mention names because I know I'll forget someone, but I know that
> nau_tika and elea24 have both created banners. Rhapsody and Llinos also
> created a lot last year. And I am certain that there are others! But

all

> of these artists who share their work with us deserve our appreciation.
>
> As does Fiondil. Fiondil is a new volunteer who has taken on the job of
> making sure we have a good assortment of banners. Think how diverse
> fandom is, how diverse the contributions to the MEFA are every year,

and

> imagine trying to make sure that every little niche has an appopriate
> banner to select if they win. Now multiply that by three because you
> also need a good selection of banners for nominees and people who reach
> their reviewing goal. Fiondil also has taken on the dreary work of
> uploading peoples' submissions, something I am very glad to delegate.
> Thank you, Fiondil!
>
> And I don't want to forget AmandaK, Baranduin, and nau_tika, who
> personalized the winners' banners so quickly to display what place was
> won. They all did a really top-notch job, and I don't think they were
> recognized even once. (Rhapsody, AlexCat, Ainaechoiriel, and other
> people did similar jobs in previous years.)
>
> I see that I've gone on for quite some time already, and the more and
> more I think about the MEFAs, the more "unsung heroes" I think of.
> Annmarwalk posted all of the reviews made last year, to both here and
> the mefas LJ. Imhiriel has read many, many reviews looking for
> formatting errors, like incorrectly- formatting errors, like

helped on

> many, many projects, such as preparing lists of previously-nominate m
> pieces and adding accounts to the MEFA website when people joined
> MEFAwards  another person I can turn to when I need help. I can't even
> begin to name all of the people who have participated in the

post-mortem

> every year  and that's a time commitment of at least an hour a night,
> for over a month in most cases.
>
> You get the idea. There are so many people to thank, I can't even name
> them all.
>
> But I do want to recognize three people who, though they don't

volunteer

> in the same capacities anymore, really helped give the MEFAs their
> start. Those three people are Ainaechoiriel, Anthony, and Rhapsody.
> Rhapsody created the banner website, including the software that allows
> us to vote for banners (when we still did that). She also adminned this
> section of the awards, uploading all of the banners submitted and
> communicating with artists. Anthony actually built the site we saw in
> 2005  all by himself, building on code from H. Weinreich but donating
> so much time I'm kind of scared to know the actual tally. And Ainae
> brought these awards to the Tolkien fandom and got them started.

Without

> them, we wouldn't be here.
>
> I know full well that there are people I am failing to mention, mostly
> because I have run out of room but also because you do such a damned
> good job that I never have to give your part of the awards a second
> thought. Thank you.
>
> And thank you, again, to everyone I did mention. I am sorry I don't

draw

> attention to you more often, because you really are invaluable.
>
> Marta
> (MEFA Admin.)
>

**************Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on family
favorites at AOL Food.
(http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001)


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

Thank you to all who make this awards possible. My husband and I both work
in law enforcement, and we often remark on something that I know from
experience applies to running a website as well: When things go right,
people tend not to notice and so tend not to think of how much work it takes
to make it so. But when things go wrong ...

Running a site and an awards of this caliber must take an enormous amount of
work. I am awed by how much is accomplished by so few. Please know how much
I appreciate your efforts, even if I know I do not thank you enough. :)

All the best,

Dawn





--

> ~oOo~
> Dawn Felagund
> www.silmarillionwritersguild.org

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

There are others too who definitely need our thanks -

That is all the writers - without whom MEFA would have nothing to offer.

AND readers -

AND nominators.....

Bless you all,
Agape


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

Thank you, to everyone who has replied to this post. I wanted to let you
know that I am reading all the replies (and smiling!) even though I am
not replying to them all.

*hugs all her MEFA friends*

Marta

Marta, it's very sweet of you to remember me and everyone else who has
helped out with these awards. I'm proud to have been a part and hope
to continue for a long time. I'm sorry I can't be more active this
year and hope to be able to contribute more again in the future.

You, and everyone, has done a tremendous job and the truth is that
it's the community that comes together and makes these awards work as
well as they do, and that's what I find most rewarding. Because to
me, the fandom is as much about friendship and community as it is
about writing and I think the MEFA epitomize that in a lot of ways.

Sulriel

On Thu, May 8, 2008 at 12:27 AM, melayton@gmail.com <melayton@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thank you, to everyone who has replied to this post. I wanted to let you
> know that I am reading all the replies (and smiling!) even though I am
> not replying to them all.
>
> *hugs all her MEFA friends*
>
> Marta
>
>

And I third it!

Thanks for the kind words!

nautika

--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, KAT702H@... wrote:
>
>
> I second that. I know you put in a lot of time, Marta, and
deserve thanks
> for all your hard work.
>
> TariElfLady
>
> In a message dated 5/6/2008 6:55:47 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> alassante7@... writes:
>
>
>
>
> You forgot one person Marta. YOU! lol
>
> Thanks to everyone behind the scenes. :)
>
> --- In _MEFAwards@yahoogrouMEFAwa_
(mailto:MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com) ,
> "melayton@, <melayton@...> wrote:
> >
> > Hey guys,
> >
> > Earlier today I was thinking about the MEFAs (not a rare
occurrence
> > these days!). Specifically, I was thinking about the members who
help
> > out. See, I know a lot of people associate the MEFAs with my
name
> > because I am the one whose name is at the bottom of the
announcements,
> > and I am often the one who answers questions. However, I am far
from
> the
> > only one who is involved. If anything, the MEFAs are like an
iceberg:
> > 10% visible, 90% below the surface.
> >
> > I talk sometimes about some of these volunteers, but I usually
talk
> > about the ones I actually have regular contact with. There are
lots of
> > other people who do jobs just because they need to be done. I
can call
> > on them and tell them what needs to be done, and then they just
run
> with
> > it. Usually these people do such a good job that it is easy for
me to
> > forget they are even there. Which I know I really shouldn't,
because
> > they are invaluable to the whole process. For me the MEFAs can
be a
> real
> > juggling act; I try to give my attention to as much as I can,
and areas
> > that are working well, I tend to forget about because I *can.*
> >
> > That's no excuse, though. So I want to take a moment to thank
just some
> > of the people who don't get NEARLY as much credit as they
deserve, and
> > without whom these awards would not be happening.
> >
> > First and foremost of this list is Elliska. She has been a very
> > dependable volunteer since she first got involved (I think in
2005?),
> > and has always been willing to pitch a helping hand wherever
needed.
> I'm
> > not sure there's been a part of the awards (nominations,
categorizing,
> > voting, or "clean-up") where she hasn't been doing something
behind the
> > scene. She is a liaison and has already signed up to be a
categorizer.
> > More importantly, it is Elliska who looks at everyone who tries
to join
> > the MEFAwards list, checks out for spammers, and sets up
membership
> > accounts for the legitimate ones. After the post-mortem I at
least get
> > to take a few weeks off and recuperate; Elliska does not get a
day off.
> > She is also one of the most reliable volunteers I've worked
with. I
> > seriously doubt that these awards would be happening if I didn't
have
> > her help. Because she does her job so well, it is all too easy
for
> me to
> > forget her effort. But that's only because it doesn't require any
> effort
> > on my part. Thank you, Elliska. I mean that.
> >
> > Tanaqui and Aranel are two names that you probably hear fairly
often,
> > but you may not realize the full extent of their work. Go and
check out
> > the FAQ sometime, even if you think you understand the awards.
Look at
> > all the ways those FAQs link to each other. All the special
formatting.
> > And realize that someone had to take the Word documents in which
I
> wrote
> > the FAQs and convert them into computer files. Now look at the
way it
> > fits into a complicated website pretty seamlessly. And consider
that
> > these FAQs are available both when you're logged in and when
you're not
> > â€" and that the same computer documents work for both people who
can
> > access the rest of the website, and who can't. It's complicated,
> > sophisticated code, and someone has to write and update it. And
that
> > takes a lot of tedious work. That someone is Tanaqui. She does
this on
> > *top* of her other volunteer hours coding this website, which
are
> > substantial.
> >
> > Aranel does a tremendous amount of work as well. One of the
biggest
> > time-consuming parts of this year's coding was the archive. The
list of
> > stories itself is very useful, and took a lot of technical work.
But
> > Aranel also took the 2004 reviews and formatted them by hand.
This was
> > not a matter of simply pulling data from a website database,
because in
> > 2004 the votes were posted to the MEFAwards Yahoo group as
emails, not
> > entered into a website. Aranel also went through all the names
and
> > grouped stories together where the author was nominated under
different
> > pseudonyms.
> >
> > Most importantly, these two put up with me. The MEFAs are the
first
> time
> > I have ever tried to coordinate a project of anything like this
> > magnitude â€" which of course means I make mistakes. Vague coding
> > requirements. Lots of forgetfulness on my part. (I can't tell
you how
> > many times I've said "Oh, did I forget to mention..."! many
times I've
> > my suggestions and those of others, and make them work. Or
explain why
> > it can't work. They deserve a lot more recognition than I give
them for
> > that.
> >
> > Another person who deserves a lot more recognition than she gets
is
> > Inkling. If I told you one thing that Inkling has done I'd have
to tell
> > you a hundred. Suffice it to say that there has never been a
time that
> > I've come to her with a special project that she has said no to.
And,
> > like Elliska, she is a perpetual and continuous volunteer:
liaison,
> > categorizer, and just general jack-of-all- categorizer, and just
ge
> > season.) Most importantly, Inkling is my release valve. When I
need
> > someone to kvetch to, she is there to listen, to reassure me,
and to
> > help me see the problems more clearly. I think I would have quit
my
> > involvement a half-dozen times in the last few years if not for
her
> > support, both emotionally and practically. (Elliska has been
great
> about
> > this as well.)
> >
> > Banner makers are another group that don't get nearly enough
credit. Go
> > and check out _http://www.mefawardhttp://www.meh_
> (http://www.mefawards.net/fanart/,) and you will see some
> > really nice artwork. What you won't see is the name of the
artists who
> > created them, unless you click on an image. And when a member
selects a
> > banner, they just display the banner â€" not who created it. I
> hesitate to
> > mention names because I know I'll forget someone, but I know
that
> > nau_tika and elea24 have both created banners. Rhapsody and
Llinos also
> > created a lot last year. And I am certain that there are others!
But
> all
> > of these artists who share their work with us deserve our
appreciation.
> >
> > As does Fiondil. Fiondil is a new volunteer who has taken on the
job of
> > making sure we have a good assortment of banners. Think how
diverse
> > fandom is, how diverse the contributions to the MEFA are every
year,
> and
> > imagine trying to make sure that every little niche has an
appopriate
> > banner to select if they win. Now multiply that by three because
you
> > also need a good selection of banners for nominees and people
who reach
> > their reviewing goal. Fiondil also has taken on the dreary work
of
> > uploading peoples' submissions, something I am very glad to
delegate.
> > Thank you, Fiondil!
> >
> > And I don't want to forget AmandaK, Baranduin, and nau_tika, who
> > personalized the winners' banners so quickly to display what
place was
> > won. They all did a really top-notch job, and I don't think they
were
> > recognized even once. (Rhapsody, AlexCat, Ainaechoiriel, and
other
> > people did similar jobs in previous years.)
> >
> > I see that I've gone on for quite some time already, and the
more and
> > more I think about the MEFAs, the more "unsung heroes" I think
of.
> > Annmarwalk posted all of the reviews made last year, to both
here and
> > the mefas LJ. Imhiriel has read many, many reviews looking for
> > formatting errors, like incorrectly- formatting errors, like
> helped on
> > many, many projects, such as preparing lists of previously-
nominate m
> > pieces and adding accounts to the MEFA website when people
joined
> > MEFAwards â€" another person I can turn to when I need help. I
can't even
> > begin to name all of the people who have participated in the
> post-mortem
> > every year â€" and that's a time commitment of at least an hour a
night,
> > for over a month in most cases.
> >
> > You get the idea. There are so many people to thank, I can't
even name
> > them all.
> >
> > But I do want to recognize three people who, though they don't
> volunteer
> > in the same capacities anymore, really helped give the MEFAs
their
> > start. Those three people are Ainaechoiriel, Anthony, and
Rhapsody.
> > Rhapsody created the banner website, including the software that
allows
> > us to vote for banners (when we still did that). She also
adminned this
> > section of the awards, uploading all of the banners submitted
and
> > communicating with artists. Anthony actually built the site we
saw in
> > 2005 â€" all by himself, building on code from H. Weinreich but
donating
> > so much time I'm kind of scared to know the actual tally. And
Ainae
> > brought these awards to the Tolkien fandom and got them started.
> Without
> > them, we wouldn't be here.
> >
> > I know full well that there are people I am failing to mention,
mostly
> > because I have run out of room but also because you do such a
damned
> > good job that I never have to give your part of the awards a
second
> > thought. Thank you.
> >
> > And thank you, again, to everyone I did mention. I am sorry I
don't
> draw
> > attention to you more often, because you really are invaluable.
> >
> > Marta
> > (MEFA Admin.)
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>