Yahoo Forum Archive

Hey guys,

With all the othr stuff going on this week (tying up loose ends with
nominations + a bit of a busy RL), I completely forgot to post my weekly
educational feature on Thursday. So I'm going to do that now, and will
post another educational post in a few days (what I had scheduled for
this week).

Anyway - I want to talk a little about what is affectionately called
among the volunteers your "junkie" status - as in whether you're a
review junkie or not. :-) Basically, you can tell the website that you
intend to review a certain number of stories, and if you do reach your
goal you get a special graphic to advertise this fact, and are mentioned
on the website.

Some people love this feature (I count myself in this camp), whereas
other people prefer not to use it. Personally, I feel that it's very
helpful in setting goals for myself, but other people may prefer
something less structured. This is not something any reviewer has to do,
and so just because someone is not on the list of commended reviewers
doesn't mean that they have been a bad reviewer; they may have just
opted not to use this feature.

If you *would* like to use this feature, here are some things you may
like to know:

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

SETTING YOUR REVIEWING TARGET

The first thing you need to do is decide how many reviews you'd like to
write. You must choose at least 10, but you can choose any number you
like. I think it's good to choose an amount that's a little more than
you did last year, though if you're busier this year than last year you
may choose to select a lower target goal.

Once you've decided on a number, you need to tell the website what you'd
like your goal to be. Just log in to www.mefawards.net/MEFA2008/ and you
will see a new option inviting you to enter or change your reviewing
target. Click on the link and enter your review target, and click
"Save." Your target has been saved, though you may need to log out and
back in for the website to display this fact.

For the record, I set the goal of 50 reviews. Last year I think I aimed
for 100, but I'm starting a new doctoral program and so expect to have
less reviewing time in the fall than I did last year.

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

WHEN TO SET YOUR TARGET

You can only enter and change your reviewing goal for a few weeks after
nominations closed. This is because the point of the junkie status is to
help you set goals in your reviewing, and it would mean less if anyone
could just lower their target close to the end of the awards. This way
you know that people who display the reviewer button set a goal and met it.

You must set your goal by June 30; and after that time, you will not be
able to edit any goal you set.

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

WHAT REVIEWS ARE COUNTED

When determining whether or not you've met your reviewing goal, the
website counts the same reviews that "count" for the authors. Draft
reviews do not give the author points unless their status is changed to
"hidden" or "final"; similarly, they do not count toward your reviewing
goal.

That means that when I said I would review 50 stories, the website
interprets that as me saying I will enter fifty hidden or final reviews.

This is the only thing the website looks at. If you entered votes during
nomination season (before you set your target) and those reviews were
hidden or final, they'll count. The website also doesn't consider the
length of your reviews, how many authors you've reviewed or anything
like that - it only looks at how many hidden + final reviews you've
submitted.

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

WHEN YOU REACH YOUR GOAL

A few things will happen when you reach your reviewing goal.

First, you will be sent an email saying you've reached your reviewing
goal. This email will contain the password to download a button for MEFA
junkies - people who have reached their goal.

Also, the website will recognize you as a reviewer who met his or her
goal. In the list of users, there will now be a blue ribbon next to your
name. In addition, there is a list of reviewers who have reached their
goals in the FAQ, at

http://mefawards.net/MEFA2008/index.php?page=FAQjunkie#jun_7

(This list will be linked to from the page displaying the story winners
at the end of the awards.)

Incidentally, you can find the banners available to people who meet
their goals at

http://mefawards.net/fanart/categories.php?cat_id=800

Some serious, some not, all beautiful - and more will be added as they
are created.

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

REVIEWING PAST YOUR GOAL

Every year, I am asked what happens when you meet your goal. The
question is usually whether you can review *more* stories than your
goal. And the answer is, most emphatically: YES!!! You can review as
many stories as you'd like, until you run out of nominations or time.
You won't get any more recognition than you get just for meeting your
goal; but you are by all means welcome to review above and beyond your
goal. Like I said, I set 50 as my goal, but I sincerely hope I find the
time to review more than that.

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

I think that's it. If you have any questions about the junkie status
please ask!

Marta
(MEFA Admin.)