tolkien_slashy_swaps | Important Admin Announcements!

Greetings, ladies and germs!

I must unfortunately announce that Ardor in August 2010 will not take place this year. My schedule for the summer just doesn't allow me enough wiggle room to get everything done that needs to get done *and* host a fic exchange. I apologize for any disappointment this may cause, and hope that all of you understand. These exchanges are very important to me, and I only want to hold them when I know I can give them the attention that they-- and that all of *you*-- deserve.

To that end, we've got a couple of options. We can just skip an exchange this time and wait for My Slashy Valentine sign-ups to roll around in the fall. We can return to the original Slashy Santa December Holiday Exchange format. Or we could think of some other way to keep our creative juices flowing in the hot summer months.

Keep in mind, there are other LOTR writing challenges available to you in the mean time (like

tripledogdare & the OEAM Writers' Circle!), so there's no need for your sharp and devious minds to go blank in the absence of our usual exchange.

I am going to leave the decision in your hands!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO OUR POLL!

In other news, I would like to let all of you know that I plan on migrating the Slashy Santa archive to An Archive of Our Own. I am doing this for a number of reasons.

Ease of use: the interface is similar to Livejournal, and thus will be very familiar to all of you. A03 hosted the Yuletide Treasure exchange this year, and have developed a really great system for organizing and administering fic exchanges.
Ease of transfer. If, someday, I need to pass the Slashy Santa torch, my successor will be able to easily and seamlessly take over my duties.
Permanence. A03 states that it will maintain fiction on a permanent basis. No worries about a site disappearing and stories lost forever to the abyss!
Cost. I've got to trim my budget where I can, and hosting a website, particularly one that racks up extra fees for bandwidth overage every time the archive opens, is a reasonable place to start cutting.

What does this mean to you? Better service, easier uploading, no "this site is currently unavailable because it has exceeded its bandwidth" messages on opening day.

I will handle the migration of all the stories myself. As moderator, I will also be able to upload stories to the archive from people who do not have-- or do not want-- an account at A03.

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to leave them here, or to PM me or email me directly. As always, I am committed to making these exchanges fun and fulfilling for all of you. Thank you for continuing to write with me!