A Question to the Comm

[phantisma.livejournal.com]

We are getting ready to roll out some MAJOR changes to the comm starting January first. This will include changes to the schedule of days, to the way contests are run, as well as some other suggestions made by the comm to make finding what they want easier.

However, as we have been prepping these changes behind the scenes, we've been noticing a large drop off in comments...and even more so in comments that are actual fic, and not just prompts.

This begs the question, is it worth putting in the time and effort required to restructure, including recruiting and training new volunteers, or has the comm run it's course?




[Poll #1792384]

Comments

[campylobacter.livejournal.com]

The continued life of this comm depends heavily on the ease of newbies, regulars, prompters, writers, guest hosts & codemonkeys being able to find old & new stories/prompts for specific fandoms. It's also vital to be able to search according to pairings.

The robust global tags at AO3 are incredibly helpful; encouraging as many comment_fic authors as possible to redundantly archive there with the Community: comment_fic (http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Community:%20comment_fic/works) tag will help organize thousands of stories.

AVOS Delicious (http://delicious.com/) has been incredibly disappointing to use & to accommodate fandom's needs; this might explain the drop-off in participation. I suggest a Pinboard (http://pinboard.in/) account because the programmer is attentive to customer service. I'm willing to purchase a Pinboard (http://pinboard.in/) account for comment_fic if the mods & codemonkeys wish to try it.

[phantisma.livejournal.com]

To be fair, we are aware of the Delicious issues and have been working hard at a solution. Part of the delay is that Delicious has not answered our support request until just yesterday. Our current keeper of the archives is going to go through their email and see what can be done, if anything.

The problem I had with Pinboard was that none of our current mods had used it and none of them had the $$ to get an account just to test it to see if it met our needs.

[rise-your-dead.livejournal.com]

The main reason my participation in the community's dropped off is the fact that the community's tags have been down since Delicious died. I like to look back over older prompts and that's made it tougher to do.

[gladdecease]

Oh, yes, this. I don't always find something I want to write for in current prompt posts, and if I still want to write fic I can't search delicious for older prompts anymore.

[dizilla.livejournal.com]

I've slowly tried to become more active on this comm, instead of just reading but also trying to write (though I seem to keep writing long stuff haha), and always try to promote on my journal.

Definitely appreciate all that you guys do! And def don't think this comm has run its course.

[downbythebay-4.livejournal.com]

I'm fairly new to the comm. and I really enjoy posting prompts, reading, and writing. One thing I have found is that the participation also depends on the style and enthusiasm of the hosts. In the short time I've been following the comm. guest hosts have forgotten to post, and I was very disappointed in the lack of a Halloween themed prompt. Just a thought.

[phantisma.livejournal.com]

It happens sometimes, guest hosts forget, or have some sort of problem that gets in the way.

One of the changes we will be making is we are adding a mod whose job will be to make sure the post has gone up daily, and covering when there is a problem.

That should help.

As to Halloween, not all of our participants, or hosts, are American. I believe that this weeks host was English. So, she probably wouldn't have even thought of it.

[argentum-ls.livejournal.com]

I want to support the comments against Delicious. I'm very new to the comm and would love to be more active in it, but can't make heads-or-tails of what's going on at Delicious, so all the challenge and lonely prompt weekends have been so much wasted opportunity for me.

[campylobacter.livejournal.com]

New Delicious gives me serious fits of RAGE. Thousands of comment_fic bookmarks & hours of organizational work went SOMEWHERE, and tags with the "/" character broke until AVOS restored it a day later. Truly a bookmark apocalypse.

[jaune-chat.livejournal.com]

I adore this community and continue to participate. I've been doing big bangs recently, which have limited the number of comment fics I write, but I do write to write at least a few every month. I am constantly saving possible prompts for later writing (as even when Delicious was working, it was a tad slow), so I can come back to something if the mood strikes me.

There have been several occasions recently of guest hosts not showing up, and that did make me a little sad. But I suppose that means I should just get off my duff and volunteer myself or pimp on my own journal for people to drop by and see how awesome this comm is.

[phantisma.livejournal.com]

It does happen sometimes. Real life gets in the way and a guest host can't make the post.

We are looking at putting a better solution in place for that. It will be among the changes we'll be rolling out.

[ladyjane]

I'm not skilled at graphics or coding; and unfortunately, health issues make it impossible for me to make the committment that being a mod requires. :-/

[campylobacter.livejournal.com]

Don't feel guilty for not moderating; a 1-to-10 (or greater) ratio of content creators/admins to fanwork consumers is the natural order of things.

[edited for syntax fail]

[matrixrefugee.livejournal.com]

I think the drop-off in comments is partly due to the problems with the Delicious archive and partly due to NaNoWriMo starting up. I think once a new link archive is created and NaNo ends, things should pick up again.

[lustmordred.livejournal.com]

I think at least some of the recent inactivity is that a lot of people are doing big bangs and nanowrimo right now.

[jaune-chat.livejournal.com]

Aye, fall is the time for a lot of fic exchanges, big bangs, NaNoWiMo, not to mention we're all desperately trying to catch up on our shows instead of writing about them! And that's not taking into account the coming holidays with the attendant shopping, cooking, and visiting, and planning thereof. And a lot of people just went back to school. I think we're just in the hardest three months of fic-writing of the year.

[yanzadracan.livejournal.com]

I love the com, but RL has kept me from visiting as much as I'd like.

[daria234.livejournal.com]

I love this comm! Have been busy, and so cannot post as often but when I have time for only a little fic I love this.

(Have not really used the delicious links since the move to delicious a LONG time ago, since they always froze my browser)

[oroburos69.livejournal.com]

Pretty much all of my communities have died down. It's a new school year, Nanowrimo, Nablopomo, Big Bang season is in full swing, fic exchanges coming up, Bingos are winding down, holiday journal prompt-fests are being posted...

But also, this comm is an everyday thing, and I get a little tired of it from time to time. Maybe if you switched to posting only three times a week, to make it more special and less burn-out-like?

And I've shifted out of the fandoms that get posted here, and my new ones just don't come up very often, but that's not the comm's fault.

I support using AO3 to organize prompt fills, by the way.

[phantisma.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes....there's an actual real world out there. I forget sometimes. LOL.

The changes coming will shake up the schedule some, no worries.

[merryghoul]

I agree with all the comments in regards to the Delicious account. The only way I can navigate it is remembering tags of bookmarks I saved prior to Delicious changing hands.

[camshaft22.livejournal.com]

I check this every single day. Sometimes there's stuff I want to write and sometimes there's not. But I really want to keep things going daily.

[natural-blue-26.livejournal.com]

I check this every single day. Sometimes there's stuff I want to write and sometimes there's not. But I really want to keep things going daily.

*nods*

Exactly this, but add in that my work schedule's been kicked up to 50ish hours a week, leaving me precious little time to fic/fandom/real life outside of work.

Appreciate all the hard work that goes into the comm though!

[ami-ven.livejournal.com]

I'll say up front I'm fairly new here.

I don't have an opinion on the Delicious issues (I keep a Word-document file of old promts, so it hasn't been a problem to me).

As a writer, though, a problem I'm having is with how specific the daily topics are. I have trouble finding prompts that catch my eye with the recent ones. It was much more imagination-rousing to have things like a holiday (Halloween, start of spring, birthdays or whatnot, depending on the season) or general guidelines (all prompts must start with 'F' or all fills must be 6 sentences long).

[phantisma.livejournal.com]

The themes are the choices of the guest hosts. Sometimes they are very specific. Sometimes not. It will all depend on the host.

As always, if you want to affect the themes, volunteer to guest host.

[lmx-v3point3.livejournal.com]

PS: I'm ready to take back a coding day if you'll have my monkey talents. XD Any day but Thurs/Fri/Sat (ie I can't code on fri/sat/sun)

Icon Love!

[ladyjane]

Poor Bunny.

Delicious has left me puzzled

[jazzypom.livejournal.com]

The new delicious coding has left me puzzled. I can't find anything! So that's been a concern. Also, I've answered a fair bit of prompts (mostly marvel though, and rare pairings) and the prompters don't really leave feedback, so I don't know if they like the result of my time and energy or not? (They don't even have to say they liked it; if they said, "Hey, jp, I really hate your style, don't answer any more prompts for me, thanks" I'd be happy because that's a reaction). It's been markedly so over the course of this year, so I've grown hesitant in even answering a prompt now.

Re: Delicious has left me puzzled

[phantisma.livejournal.com]

A lot of the prompters, I've found, are kind of hit and run. They post prompts and then disappear.

I write here to amuse myself and to keep my skills sharp. I never expect a response, so when I get one it's a surprise.

[ruric.livejournal.com]

I've not been as active as I was partly because my life has been chaotic over the last few months (but due to calm down soon!) and partly because of the whole Delicious cock up and not being able to search/find things as eaily as before.

I would think the drop off in commenting may partly be due to the Delicious fiasco but also because people are getting more wrapped up in Nano and the season of Gift Exchange fics.

I thinks things will pick up once December is over and if there's a solution to the Delcious cock-up aloowing users to search for prompts again (Pinboard or has Delicious sorted itself out? I kinda gave up and migrated all my stuff to Pinboard *G*)

I have no spare time at all right now but things should ease up in January if you need a mod or codemonkey on the UK side of the pond.

[stuck4aname.livejournal.com]

I second the suggestion for Pinboard. It's what I've been using since Delicious cocked up, and although it does cost, it's a cheap one-time fee, and worth it, in my opinion.

[alba17.livejournal.com]

I don't want this comm to go away! I've been coming here for years even though there are big gaps of time where I don't post prompts and even longer between filling ones but I return regularly. In my observation all of LJ is very slow right now. I might be interested in helping depending on what you need and what sort of time commitment.

[obsessed-psyco.livejournal.com]

I try to prompt every day and I write for the prompts I feel I can do some justice. I would love to help out so I ticked the boxes but it is heavily dependant on knowing what I'm supposed to be doing and how much uni work I have.

I love his comm and it would make me and, I imagine, quite a few others as well. I come here everyday even if it's just to look!

[shaitanah.livejournal.com]

I discovered this comm maybe a month ago, so I'm new, but I love it. I try to post prompts almost every day and I've written a few fic responses and hope to do more. Unfortunately I can't offer any help with codes and suchlike b/c I don't understanding anything about it. >_< But I'll definitely pimp the comm.
I don't think the comm has run its course. It still has a lot to offer.

[kadams27.livejournal.com]

Funnily enough I was only saying to badfalcon today that I was going to do more comment fic.

The issue I have had is with the archives on Delicious & constantly being told there were no lonely prompts for what I was searching when I knew there were

[phantisma.livejournal.com]

We are aware of that, and are working to fix it. I promise.

[momma-66.livejournal.com]

I love this community. I don't stop by everyday like I use to, but that's more due to RL than anything lacking in the comm itself. I also have little to complain about Delicious, though it *can* be frustrating not finding the tag I know exists, I haven't had my browser freeze up and stop on me since the switch over occurred.

Honestly I would be more than just sad to see this community disappear. I use the wonderful prompts left here whenever the writer block demons have overwhelmed me and I can't break through.

What the comm needs is more writers. And I know I've read in the past about fills being writing centric, because there are other comms out there that do graphic, but it might revive the comm some if "fillers" had the option between writing and graphics.

All thoughts, but overall. Please, please, keep this community running.

[carma-baby.livejournal.com]

I, like many of the commenters, have had a lot of RL kicking me around and keeping me from doing much other than lurking... However, I would be very sad should this comm go away. I have some changes coming up pretty soon here, and I'm interested in the possibilities that it may bring. I want to do more writing, and that is something I find this community helps with a lot.

I always like seeing what the prompts are going to be, and when one strikes my fancy, I will happily take a gander and maybe even send in a prompt or two. It has been a while, but please don't go away!

I look forward to seeing what changes are in store for the community, and I'm willing to pimp it. I fail at all things technical, and I don't have a schedule that allows for me to be a reliable mod of any sort, but I'd like to help the community somehow.

Good luck, and thanks for trying to be the best at what you do. I'm sure that we all appreciate it!

[johnboy91719.livejournal.com]

I definitely still enjoy the comm, but I am also heavily involved with theater in real life, and when I'm working on a show, I tend to neglect most online things.

Also, I kind of dropped off of volunteering with coding days because Delicious was freezing my browser and making it impossible for me to do *anything*. I didn't want to have to deal with that anymore.

I would be sad if this community went away. If there is anything I can do to help, please keep me in mind. :)