ADMIN: Looking for input

[ex-fimbreth.livejournal.com]

Hello, authors, readers, and betas! Though the 2006 Slashy Santa exchange is barely behind us, it's already time to think ahead to the next exchange.  As we did last year with the Mistletoe in May swap, we are again planning a mid-season exchange for 2007.  It may occur in May, June, or July, but as the lifecycle of an exchange is around four months, it's not too early to start planning.

Most of you are probably aware of the challenges that occurred during the Slashy Santa exchange, as well as the Mistletoe in May swap.  The Slashy Santa team took every measure possible to ensure that this didn't happen - we asked participants to confirm their signups, confirm the receipt of their assignments, and sent three separate reminders, yet at the end, there were still a considerable number of dropouts and MIAs.  To clarify, this has nothing to do with the people who asked for extensions - those people remained in communication with us and ultimately delivered the finished product.  Our concerns are with the people we simply never heard from again, after they received the assignment.

As one person so aptly stated, sending multiple reminders isn't the solution, because the problem isn't about forgetting.  The issue is responsibility and accountability, namely the lack of, that sadly, some people have, as proven by the mad scramble we faced during both the MiM and 2006 SS.

Clearly, something has to change. 

We're actively soliciting your input.  You, the swap participants, fiction readers, lurkers, betas, and fellow swap owners, have the dedication and creativity we need to help us come up with a solution.

What we will do now is communicate some of the suggestions and comments we've received and open the forum to discussion.  In a couple weeks, once we've had the opportunity to hash over all the options, we'd like to put the future of the swap up to vote.  We'll open up a poll and let the participants help us decide how to proceed.

Everything at this point is open for discussion - nothing has been decided except that the Slashy Santa exchanges WILL continue!

The suggestions are, in no particular order, and with no bias:

Fiction assignments:
- Keep things the way they are (admins match request to recipient)
- 'draw straws' - throw all the requests in a virtual hat, assign a number to each participant, and let each author pick in order, 1 through xx.  Negotiations could be allowed - if you pick something you don't like, you can swap with someone who has a higher number, e.g. someone who has NOT drawn their assignment yet.  (There is a name for a secret santa exchange similar to this, something like White Elephant or Progressive, but exactly how it works escapes me.)
- Same idea as drawing straws, but authors are free to negotiate among themselves if they wish to change assignments. 
- Solicit fiction requests and the admins post them anonymously at a predetermined date and time.  Then, "if you want them, come and claim them."  *grin*  First come, first served to grab what you want to write.
- Randomly assign a number, 1-x, to each author and send each in turn two or three requests that the admins have determined would fit their requirements.

Participation:
- Contact a reserve group of writers whose sole purpose is to come up with emergency stories, in exchange offering an incentive such as an LJ gift certificate or artwork.
- Make the swap "by invitation only".  Inviting only 'proven' participants and active members of the fandom will hopefully eliminate the no-shows.
- For new participants, institute a 'trial swap' in which the unknown participant must successfully fulfill a drabble exchange before being allowed to sign up for a full-length story exchange.
- Open registration, but require new participants (someone unknown to the admins) to be 'sponsored' or vouched for by a known affiliate of the exchange (a mod/admin, current participant, or active fandom member).  Point of clarification - "new participant" in this case means someone whose name is completely unknown to anyone affiliated with the exchange, not someone who reads and participates in a group or LJ as a reader/commenter, but has never actually participated in a swap before.  Sorry for the confusion.
 - Publish a chart of authors on the forum rather than keeping the participants secret, on the theory that people will be less likely to non-perform if everyone is aware of who the players are.  Post progress reports as assignments are received, and mark those requests still outstanding.
- Post a "Wall of Shame" of past participants who did not turn in a story.
- Set milestones by which time a rough plot/theme must be submitted, and then thirty days (or another interval) before the deadline, a progress report received, or the story is reassigned to a standby group

Forum:
- Continue to use the Slashy Santa website http://www.geocities.com/slashysanta/
- Move to LiveJournal
- Create a Yahoo! Group for Slashy Santa.  Participants will be required to join the group in order to play.
- Participants self-load their fiction to the LiveJournal or Yahoo! group on the release day.  It's then up to the recipients to claim their own stories.
- Participants send their work to the admins, who will upload to the LiveJournal  or Yahoo! group on the release day. 
- Fiction is submitted to and posted by moderator on website/LJ/Yahoo! Group, and authors' identities are revealed a week later.

Content:
- Keep the story length (1,200 word minimum) and restrictions the same (no change)
- Add a genre (Real Person Slash, Mary Sue, songfic, drabbles, etc.).  (Note: Het will NOT will be considered, as the charming Ms. Zhie already runs an affiliate het swap, and there's no sense in being redundant)
- Add a fandom (Wraeththu?  Queer as Folk?  any others?)
- Eliminate a fandom (There is a good possibility that Anita Blake will be dropped from future swaps due to lack of interest, but if you feel strongly otherwise, please make your feelings known) 
 - Refine signup form to separate "what I will/will not read" from the "what I will/will not write"
-  Ask requester to specify XXX (three or four) words the fic needs to be based around, or a scenario, or a theme


Please feel free to comment on anything and everything.  Like an idea?  Hate one?  Think we're on to something, but have a different slant?  TELL US!  Let's brainstorm and secure the future of Slashy Santa, and ensure that everyone has fun, with a minimum of stress.  Any and all suggestions will be considered.  The only stupid ideas are the ones that remain unspoken.  The idea you think will *never* work might just spur a new idea from someone else, and will be the perfect solution.

Thank you in advance!


EDIT:  As suggestions are made in the threads, I'll add them to this main post so I don't forget any.  I'd like to keep all the possibilities in once place to later simplify the polling process.  Any points added after the original post will be marked in bold blue text and should not be construed as being any more or less likely for consideration than the others.  I just think the blue is pretty.  *grin*
Fim~