Hey guys,

The MEFA website will have a new address for the 2011 awards. You will be
able to find our website at

http://www.mefawards.org/

Right now you can find the archives there, which list all previous
nominations and the reviews and results for previous years. It's a great
resource to find stories to read that you may have missed, and also will
help you know whether a piece is eligible to compete in the 2011 awards. In
a few weeks you will be able to find the full address you use to nominate
and vote at that same address.

Because of the changed web address, we also have new email addresses the old
mefawards.net addresses will no longer work.

1. Have a general question about the awards? Then you want to contact me,
the awards administrator. I can be reached at

supportATmefawardsDOTorg

2. Have a technical problem? If you're simply not sure how to use the site
you can email me, but if you're getting an actual error message you probably
want to talk with our webmasters.

techATmefawardsDOTorg

I think those were the only @mefawards.net email addresses we used, but if
you need to get in touch with someone else who used an @mefawards.net
address, just email me privately. I'll help you sort it out. :-)

Elenn sila lumen omentielvo,

Marta

Hey guys,

The 2011 awards will start soon, and we're still a little short on the
volunteers. Here are the jobs I still have available, listed more or
less in how badly we need people to carry them out.

. BANNER COORDINATOR. The banner coordinator basically makes sure
banners are run smoothly. You don't have to make banners yourself,
though you can if you want to. It's your job to make sure banners are
properly labeled and meet our rules (for example, that they are
roughly the right size and that they don't use copyrighted art.

You also would be a sort of first line of support for people with
banner-related questions - authors but also banner makers who aren't
quite sure how to do things. And anything else you want to do
regarding banners to make that part of the awards run smoother, I'm
more than happy to talk about the idea.

. RATINGS PANEL. Whenever authors aren't sure what to give a story,
they can submit it to what's called the rating panel. This is a group
of three members who will read it and recommend a rating. Currently,
we don't have ANY volunteers for the ratings panel. Basically, you
just need to be willing to read a story that may not (or may!) be your
cup of Earl Grey, and say what you think the rating should be. For
longer stories, we usually ask the author to submit a chapter or two
along with a summary of what's going on before and after the parts
they wanted the panel to look at in particular.

. AUTHOR LIAISONS. Currently we only have six liaisons. That's less
than last year and I'd like to get a few more people involved.
Liaisons essentially work with with authors to help them tell us about
their stories and get them ready to compete. This means knowing some
basic details about story eligibility (but you can always ask me - I
tend to focus most on answering liaison's questions during
nominations) and having the time to work with authors. But it's an
incredibly rewarding experience, to give good news to authors and
maybe introduce them to the MEFAs for the first time.

Hey guys,

*eep* Very sorry, guys! I hit "send" too soon.  Here is the corrected email.

The 2011 awards will start soon, and we're still a little short on the
volunteers. Here are the jobs I still have available, listed more or
less in how badly we need people to carry them out.

1. BANNER COORDINATOR. The banner coordinator basically makes sure
banners are run smoothly. You don't have to make banners yourself,
though you can if you want to. It's your job to make sure banners are
properly labeled and meet our rules (for example, that they are
roughly the right size and that they don't use copyrighted art.

You also would be a sort of first line of support for people with
banner-related questions - authors but also banner makers who aren't
quite sure how to do things. And anything else you want to do
regarding banners to make that part of the awards run smoother, I'm
more than happy to talk about the idea.

2. RATINGS PANEL. Whenever authors aren't sure what to give a story,
they can submit it to what's called the rating panel. This is a group
of three members who will read it and recommend a rating. Currently,
we don't have ANY volunteers for the ratings panel. Basically, you
just need to be willing to read a story that may not (or may!) be your
cup of Earl Grey, and say what you think the rating should be. For
longer stories, we usually ask the author to submit a chapter or two
along with a summary of what's going on before and after the parts
they wanted the panel to look at in particular.

3. PROMOTERS. Currently, we just have one person signed up as a
liaison. If you know of a Tolkien-centric website OTHER than the
StoriesofArda.com listserv where they let people make announcements
about other fandom goings-on, we'd love to have you onboard as a
promoter. Basically, I will occasionally send out an announcement
which you can forward on to the group. You can rewrite it into your
own words if you like (though I do ask that you not change the actual
information). Also, if you ever feel like I am asking you to make too
many announcements, you are free not to pass on any announcement you
like. This is a rather easy way to volunteer for the awards.

4. AUTHOR LIAISONS. Currently we only have six liaisons. That's less
than last year and I'd like to get a few more people involved.
Liaisons essentially work with with authors to help them tell us about
their stories and get them ready to compete. This means knowing some
basic details about story eligibility (but you can always ask me - I
tend to focus most on answering liaison's questions during
nominations) and having the time to work with authors. But it's an
incredibly rewarding experience, to give good news to authors and
maybe introduce them to the MEFAs for the first time.

5. BANNER MAKERS. Finally, if you have artistic skill and want to use
it to make banners for the MEFAs, we want your help! You would
basically make banners and buttons for nominated authors; reviewers
who reach their reviewing goals; and for authors whose stories win
their subcategory (or a Smaug's Treasure). You can make as few or as
many as you like, and they will be made available to authors.
Currently we only have two banner makers signed up, so let me know if
you are interested.

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

Before, I asked people to sign up by posting over at an LJ post,

http://mefas.livejournal.com/264837.html

You can still do that, but if that's difficult for some reason, you
can also email me at supportATmefawardsDOTorg.

Oh, and if none of this sounds sufficiently appealing, remember that
you can always help out just by nominating stories. Start thinking
about what you want to nominate, and once you decide, why not contact
the author so they know the MEFAs are getting ready to start?

Elen Sila Lumenn Omentielvo,

Marta
(MEFA Admin.)

Hey guys,

The 2011 MEFAs are just around the corner. We will be accepting
nominations at http://www.mefawards.org/ from June 1-30 - that means,
beginning in just about a week from now. I'm excited!

Some things you can do to get ready.

--- First, Do you have an account with the MEFA website? If you are a
member of the [MEFAwards] Yahoo group you should have an account from
last year, but if you were a nominated author (without also joining
[MEFAwards]) you had a one-year account, and your old password won't
work. You will receive a new password if you are nominated again, or
alternately you can sign up for a permanent account by joining
[MEFAwards] and filling out our short questionnaire.

Do keep in mind, though: a volunteer has to set up your account by
hand. So don't expect an immediate turn-around. If you're not a member
and want to be, go ahead and get things set up now so you can nominate
next week.

If you simply have forgotten your password, visit
http://mefawards.fancrone.net/index.php?page=login and use the link to
have it sent to you. If you aren't sure of your situation, please
email me at supportATmefawardsDOTorg and I will help you sort things
out.

--- Second, If you want to nominate pieces, do you know which ones?
It's not too soon to start thinking about that. Go ahead and gather up
the title, the URL where it is available, and the author's name and
email address so you can be ready to email it as soon as nominations
open.

While you're at it, why not send the author a note saying you plan to
nominate it? (Or asking their permission if it's more your style.)
While not strictly required, it helps move the process along if the
author knows to look for an email saying they have been nominated.

--- Third, If you plan on using a banner or icon to share the fact you
were nominated, you may want to look over some of the banners and
icons being displayed. This year the banners and icons will be posted
to http://mefa-banners.livejournal.com/ and you are invited to add
that community as (if you're an LJ member) or just poke in from time
to time to see the latest goodies.

Btw, If you have any interest in creating fanart, we would love to
have your help as a banner artist. Just drop me a line at
supportATmefawardsDOTorg and I will get you set up. You can create
banners or icons for nominees, reviewers that meet their review goals,
and the winning stories.

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

Speaking of volunteers, here are the people currently signed up as
volunteers. If you haven't had a chance to sign up, please let me
know.

--- BANNER CREATORS: Elena Tiriel; Elleth; Ellynn; Maethril; Nath
--- AUTHOR LIAISONS: Adonnen Estenniel; Cathleen; Dreamflower;
elfscribe; Fiondil; Foxrafer; Inkling; Linaewen; Maethril;
--- PROMOTERS:

Chris @ aragornangst
Dawn Felagund @ SWG Yahoo Group, SWG LJ community, and
SilmarillionWritersGuild.org
Dreamflower @ LOTR GFIC
Dwimordene @ Henneth_Annun and the Henneth Annun Story Archive
Inkling @ Stories_of_Arda
Lissa @ Garden of Ithilien
NierielRaina @ Blind-Chit-Chat; CouncilofRivendell; Books for the
Blind; Blind-Science Fiction; BookTalk

--- RATINGS COMMITTEE: Maethril; NeumeIndil; Oshun; Sulriel; The Lauderdale

This is of course in addition to Aranel Took and Tanaqui who help run
the technical end of things. I'll be continuing on as admin.

We could still use more author liaisons, banner makers, and promoters.
So if any of that seems like your cup of earl grey, please let me
know.

Marta

Hey guys,

The 2011 Middle-earth Fanfiction Awards will start at midnight GMT, tonight.
That's just over five hours from now. A few last minute reminders as we get
ready to start the awards.

1. Aranel Took has built an entirely new website for this year with all-new
code. It really is a great leap forward and I think people will find it much
easier to use in several regards than the old site. But with any project of
this size, you may occasionally find little things that need correcting. Or
you may just not know how to do something you did on the old site. I ask for
your patience.

If you are confused or think there's a mistake in the site language (FAQs,
instructions, etc.), email me at supportATmefawardsDOTorg and I will get
right on it. If you are getting an actual error message you should email
techATmefawardsDOTorg, including the error message, your operating system
(i.e., Mac OS X, Windows 7, etc.), and your web browser (Firefox 4.0, IE 9,
Google Chrome 11.9, etc.).

The one thing that may *not* be ready is the Voting FAQ. That's my fault -
it slipped through the cracks on things I needed to get done - and the FAQ
should be updated in a day or two.

2. Speaking of the website, we have a shiny new web address, and new emails
to go with it.

Main site: http://www.mefawards.org/
Archive: http://archive.mefawards.org/
Banners: http://mefa-banners.livejournal.com/

Email Addresses:

General help: supportATmefawardsDOTorg
Technical help: techATmefawardsDOTorg
Help with Memberships: usersATmefawardsDOTorg

3. If you volunteered in any capacity you should have received an email from
me adding you to a listserv I will use to communicate with all of that type
of volunteer. If you have *not* received emails like that, please drop me a
line at supportATmefawardsDOTorg.

4. A quick eligibility checklist:

--- (A) Does the piece involve Tolkien's world (or an adaptation of it) in
some way?
--- (B) Is this the first time it has competed, or was it a WIP before and
now it's finished?
--- (C) Does it meet the guidelines for the General, Teen, or Mature ratings
posted at http://www.mefawards.org/index.php?page=FAQratingsguide?
--- (D) Is it posted to a site where it does not require the reader to log
in to see the story?
--- (E) Do you have an email address where the author can be contacted?

If you can answer yes to those questions the piece is probably eligible. But
if you're not sure feel free to email the support address, and I'll give you
a second opinion. If you have concerns about ratings, particularly if you
are unsure whether the piece is Mature or Adult, you may want to send it to
the Ratings Panel. For more info on the Ratings Panel see
http://www.mefawards.org/index.php?page=FAQratings#rat_8.

That's about it! Looking forward to the start of the awards later tonight.

Elen sila lumenn omentielvo,

Marta

Hey all,

If you are using Internet Explorer 7 or earlier, you will most likely have
problems viewing and using the site. Please upgrade to IE8 (better) or IE9
(best), or another browser (Chrome, Firefox, Opera or Safari).

Thanks,
Aranel

Hey all,

When you report errors about site function (such as problems with nominations or
reviews), could you please list which stories are involved (title and ID)? I
can't really do much if I don't know which story records to look at. It also
helps if you give a rundown of what you were doing when the problem occurred ("I
selected the author, entered the title and URL, and hit submit. Then the page
showed an error.") If you get an error message, please try to copy the message
it into your email.

If you are reporting a problem with how the site is displaying (text boxes are
out of place, text is cut off, etc.), please let me know which browser you use,
along with version number (IE9, Firefox 3.5, etc.)

You can NEVER give too much information in a tech support report!

Also, make sure to send all problems and tech support requests to
tech@....

Thanks!
Aranel
MEFA Tech Support

Hey guys,

Some of you have come to me or your liaison with suggestions for future
awards. TO help keep track of that, I have set up a virtual suggestion box
at

http://mefas.livejournal.com/266431.html

If there is something you would like us to consider changing for future
years, please suggest it at that website. No LJ account necessary - just
make an anonymous comment if you don't have an account at that website.

Right now, the most common request is to have a character, event, location,
etc. added to our website. Out of fairness we don't do this mid-awards - but
if you think there is something important missing, by all means let us know
so we consider adding it for future years. I also encourage you to mention
the character etc. in your summary. In most cases there is also an "other"
option that points readers to the fact that there is some character or
setting or whatever that was not available to choose specifically.

Marta

I've noticed that every time I load the browse stories page, it's been
randomized again.  I click on the icon for story info to find out more about
a particular story, but if I use the back button to go back to the page,
it's changed.  Is there a solution to that, or am I doing something wrong?

Dreamflower


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

Hi Dreamflower,

That is part of the problem with having to keep the Nominations Listing
randomized (which happens on each page load). I will keep searching for a
solution to that (to see if there is a way to allow columns to be sorted by
author or ID).

For now, the best and easiest solution is to open Nomination Info in a new
tab (or window). This is a setting that depends on each browser and OS, but,
for example, I click "Command-Click" to open a new tab in Safari for Mac. I
think that works for Firefox, too. On Windows, I think "CTRL-click" will
work for most browsers.

Aranel

On Sat, Jun 4, 2011 at 9:26 PM, Barbara Rich <aelfwina@...> wrote:

> I've noticed that every time I load the browse stories page, it's been
> randomized again.  I click on the icon for story info to find out more
> about
> a particular story, but if I use the back button to go back to the page,
> it's changed.  Is there a solution to that, or am I doing something wrong?
>
> Dreamflower
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Visit our website: http://www.mefawards.net/MEFA2009/
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


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

OK, the  other day when I was making nominations, I could have *sworn* I saw
a little statement saying "You have X-number of nominations left."  But I
can't find that anywhere now.  I know we had that on our home page last
year, but not now.  Where should I be looking for it?  *puzzled*

Dreamflower


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

It's above the countdown box - but do check if you are logged in. I just had
the same reaction before I noticed that I wasn't logged into my account.

Elleth

On 5 June 2011 17:05, Barbara Rich <aelfwina@...> wrote:

>
>
> OK, the other day when I was making nominations, I could have *sworn* I saw
> a little statement saying "You have X-number of nominations left." But I
> can't find that anywhere now. I know we had that on our home page last
> year, but not now. Where should I be looking for it? *puzzled*
>
> Dreamflower
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>


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

Hey all,

If you're wondering where the reviews went: Reviews are not supposed to be
publicly visible during nomination season, but I accidentally left in some
code from Beta Testing that allowed reviews to be visible immediately
(during nomination season). I've fixed that, so Reviews are now hidden until
Voting Season (August 1).

Aranel


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

Do we indeed lose nominations when we are the second within twenty-four hours to
nominate a story someone else might have been nominating while we were
researching whether or not the story was eligible?
Bonnie L. Sherrell
Teacher at Large

"Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise
cannot see all ends." LOTR

"Don't go where I can't follow."

OK-- yes, I was logged in, but I never thought to look there! *facepalm*

Dreamflower

On Sun, Jun 5, 2011 at 10:10 AM, Elleth <nerdanel.istarnie@...>wrote:

> It's above the countdown box - but do check if you are logged in. I just
> had
> the same reaction before I noticed that I wasn't logged into my account.
>
> Elleth
>
> On 5 June 2011 17:05, Barbara Rich <aelfwina@...> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > OK, the other day when I was making nominations, I could have *sworn* I
> saw
> > a little statement saying "You have X-number of nominations left." But I
> > can't find that anywhere now. I know we had that on our home page last
> > year, but not now. Where should I be looking for it? *puzzled*
> >
> > Dreamflower
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Visit our website: http://www.mefawards.net/MEFA2009/
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


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

Hi Bonnie,

MEFA policy is,

--- was the original nomination w/I 24 hrs: you do NOT lose the nomination
--- was the original nomination more than 24 hours ago (or in a previous
year): you DO lose the nomination

Please email me privately at support@..., with the story you
nominated that you think caused you to lose a nomination. I'll look into it
for you and see what the problem is.

Marta

> -----Original Message-----
> From: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Bonnie L. Sherrell
> Sent: Sunday, June 05, 2011 3:39 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] as a sidenote to Did my eyes deceive me?
>
>
>
> Do we indeed lose nominations when we are the second within twenty-four
> hours to nominate a story someone else might have been nominating while
> we were researching whether or not the story was eligible?
> Bonnie L. Sherrell
> Teacher at Large
>

Hey guys,

The MEFAs have been going for a little over a week now, and there have
already been over 200 nominations. Nice work guys, and do keep it up.

During nominations I post a list of nominations whose authors haven't
"checked in" yet. By checking in I just mean giving us some indication you
know you've been nominated. This can include beginning your form at our
website or emailing your liaison to let him or her know that *you* know
you've been nominated. There's still plenty of time to get your nomination
ready. We just want to make sure emails aren't trapped in spam folders, that
everyone knows how to fill in the forms, etc.

So without further ado: here are the authors who have not begun their
nomination forms:

ArmedWIthAComputer (liaison: Inkling, inkling-tcbsATsbcglobalDOTnet)
KyMahalei (liaison: Foxrafer, foxraferATgmailDOTcom)
Levade (liaison: Inkling, inkling-tcbsATsbcglobalDOTnet)
Starlight (liaison: elliska, elliska67ATyahooDOTcom)

If you know any of these authors, feel free to give them a nudge. They can
contact their liaison, or if they have trouble getting through they can
reach me at supportATmefawardsDOTorg. Or they can just start the form at the
website. Doing either will tell us you know you've been nominated and we
won't put you on future lists like this.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Marta

I alerted kymahalei



________________________________
From: Middle-earth Fanfiction Awards <mefasupport@...>
To: mefawards@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, June 10, 2011 10:27:13 PM
Subject: [MEFAwards] hard-to-reach authors - June 10


Hey guys,

The MEFAs have been going for a little over a week now, and there have
already been over 200 nominations. Nice work guys, and do keep it up.

During nominations I post a list of nominations whose authors haven't
"checked in" yet. By checking in I just mean giving us some indication you
know you've been nominated. This can include beginning your form at our
website or emailing your liaison to let him or her know that *you* know
you've been nominated. There's still plenty of time to get your nomination
ready. We just want to make sure emails aren't trapped in spam folders, that
everyone knows how to fill in the forms, etc.

So without further ado: here are the authors who have not begun their
nomination forms:

ArmedWIthAComputer (liaison: Inkling, inkling-tcbsATsbcglobalDOTnet)
KyMahalei (liaison: Foxrafer, foxraferATgmailDOTcom)
Levade (liaison: Inkling, inkling-tcbsATsbcglobalDOTnet)
Starlight (liaison: elliska, elliska67ATyahooDOTcom)

If you know any of these authors, feel free to give them a nudge. They can
contact their liaison, or if they have trouble getting through they can
reach me at supportATmefawardsDOTorg. Or they can just start the form at the
website. Doing either will tell us you know you've been nominated and we
won't put you on future lists like this.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Marta




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

I am in contact with Starlight. ;)
 
Ellyn

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

Hey guys,

Every year during the awards I send out educational posts about how to do
things at the MEFAs every week or two. Granted, we're a little late getting
started this year - nominations season is half over already! Still time to
get some nominations in, though. To do that you need a membership, and not
just any membership but a particular kind. That's what I want to talk about
today: how do you become a member of our website, and how do you use that
membership.

GETTING STARTED

There are essentially two kinds of accounts at our website, permanent
accounts  and ones that will be deleted from year to year. In the past we've
called these types of accounts author and nominator accounts, or author and
MEFAwards accounts, but that's a bit confusing because some authors are also
members of the Yahoo group.

Anyway: getting a temporary account is easy. Simply have a story that is
nominated for our awards, and if you don't already have an account a
temporary account will be set up for you. You will be automatically emailed
a password to use to log in to our website. So you can log in and start
using the site. You will be able to start filling out your forms on your
nominated pieces, or you can start looking at the other nominated stories
and voting for them if you like. Temporary members are invited to vote for
any nomination besides their own of course, in the year they're nominated.
(So you can vote for 2011 nominations but you won't be able to vote for 2012
nominations unless you get another temporary account because you've been
nominated then as well.)

Permanent accounts are more, well, permanent. While temporary accounts only
last for the 2011 awards, permanent accounts are here to stay. They won't be
deleted, which means that whatever password you have in 2011 will also work
for the 2012 site. You can vote for nominations just like temporary accounts
can. You can also nominate up to twenty stories (temporary accounts can't
nominate). Getting a permanent account, though, takes a bit of time. They're
free for the asking, but we want to make sure that you don't already have a
temporary account, and we want to make sure you get important announcements
about the awards.

So here's the process for getting a permanent account.

(1) You join the Yahoo group MEFAwards.
(2) You are sent a short questionnaire asking for some basic information.
(3) Once you complete this questionnaire and email it back, a MEFA volunteer
checks that you don't already have an account. She then sets up a password
and username for you at our website.

Until that time, your  Yahoo username and password won't work at our
website. The two are COMPLETELY different things from our website's
password. We'll get things set up as quickly as possible, but I usually tell
people to allow 48-72 hours for the process. Don't wait until the very last
second to set up your account if you want to nominate something.

GETTING IN

The next step to do is to actually log in and start using the website.  To
log in, just visit www.mefawards.org/ and type in our username/email and
your password. The password should have been emailed to you when your
account was first set up.

If you get a problem, here are a few strategies to try.

--- (1) For missing passwords: check your spam folder, to see if your email
program to a little overzealous. Weird, how sending out hundreds of emails
telling people they've been nominated for some new awards program would make
ISPs suspicious... :-P

--- (2) Still can't find your password? Click the "Forgot Your Password?"
link from our login page and follow the instructions.

--- (3) If your password isn't working, first check that you are typing it
in correctly. Caps matter, as do spaces before and after. "Mellon" looks
different from "mellon", " mellon", or "mellon ". This is far and away the
most common cause for password logins.

Other than that, if you have further errors, let me know. Just email me at
supportATmefawardsDOTorg and we'll sort it out.

GETTING HELP

If you need help, there are three email accounts to know:

--- usersATmefawardsDOTorg. Send all questions about passwords or
memberships here.
--- supportATmefawardsDOTorg. Got a question ab0out policy? Just feeling
overwhelmed by it all? Then email me at supportATmefawardsDOTorg.
--- techATmefawardsDOTorg. Getting an actual error message? That's the
domain of our world-class webmistresses. Use this email address and it will
get your post where it needs to go.

If you have more general questions you can also ask them at the MEFAwards
Yahoo group. That listserv exists not just so I can make announcements, but
so you can ask questions where other longtime MEFA participants will read
them and hopefully answer them. Feel free to do just that.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Most MEFA members join our site and log in to do one of three things: tell
us about one of their stories that has been nominated, nominate stories
themselves, or vote for the stories that have been nominated. I'll go over
these in more depth in the coming weeks, but for now, I just want to mention
briefly how to get started on all of these things.

To fill out the form on a piece already nominated:

1. Log in to www.mefawards.org
2. Select "Your Nominations" from the "Nominations" menu.
3. Click "Nomination Form" under the story you want to tell us about.

To nominate a story:

1. Log in to www.mefawards.org
2. Select "Nominate a Piece" from the "Nominations" menu.
3. Fill out the form provided.

To vote for a nominated story:

1. Log in to www.mefeawards.org
2. Select "Browse 2011 Nominations" from the "Nominations" menu.
3. Find a story you want to vote for. Click the "Read the Nomination" link
to read the story. Then click the little pencil icon to write a review of
that story when you're done.

There's obviously a lot more to talk about on any one of those tasks, which
is why I'll be writing in more depth about them in upcoming weeks. But
hopefully that will give you a place to get started.

Elen sila lumenn omentielvo,

Marta
(MEFA Admin.)

Hi Marta and all,

I've now heard from both Levade and ArmedWithaComputer, so no need for anyone to
nudge them.

Kathy/Inkling

--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Middle-earth Fanfiction Awards"
<mefasupport@...> wrote:
>
> Hey guys,
>
> The MEFAs have been going for a little over a week now, and there have
> already been over 200 nominations. Nice work guys, and do keep it up.
>
> During nominations I post a list of nominations whose authors haven't
> "checked in" yet. By checking in I just mean giving us some indication you
> know you've been nominated. This can include beginning your form at our
> website or emailing your liaison to let him or her know that *you* know
> you've been nominated. There's still plenty of time to get your nomination
> ready. We just want to make sure emails aren't trapped in spam folders, that
> everyone knows how to fill in the forms, etc.
>
> So without further ado: here are the authors who have not begun their
> nomination forms:
>
> ArmedWIthAComputer (liaison: Inkling, inkling-tcbsATsbcglobalDOTnet)
> KyMahalei (liaison: Foxrafer, foxraferATgmailDOTcom)
> Levade (liaison: Inkling, inkling-tcbsATsbcglobalDOTnet)
> Starlight (liaison: elliska, elliska67ATyahooDOTcom)
>
> If you know any of these authors, feel free to give them a nudge. They can
> contact their liaison, or if they have trouble getting through they can
> reach me at supportATmefawardsDOTorg. Or they can just start the form at the
> website. Doing either will tell us you know you've been nominated and we
> won't put you on future lists like this.
>
> Thanks in advance for all your help!
>
> Marta
>

Hey guys,

A few days ago I posted an educational post about the different types of
accounts people can have at the meawards.org website. One of the main points
was, if you had a temporary account you could vote for stories nominated but
you could not nominate stories. (Temporary accounts are mostly for authors
who aren't also members of the MEFAwards Yahoo group, and only last a single
year.)

Some people reading that announcement were really on their toes, and they
noticed that they had temporary accounts and that they *could* nominate
stories. That's because we made a mistake when designing the site.
Particularly, there wasn't enough communication between two groups of
volunteers who work with the MEFAs throughout the year - people like me, who
make policy decisions, and people like Aranel, who actually code the
website. When Aranel was designing the new website, she didn't realize that
temporary accounts shouldn't be allowed to nominate pieces. Understandable,
IMO, since policy questions like that are usually my bailiwick. But it led
her to make a mistake when programming the site. Temporary accounts were
given the ability to nominate pieces, which isn't supposed to be the case.

Several people with temporary accounts have already nominated pieces, and
I'm sure several more planned to but haven't gotten around to it. It's not
really unfair to take those nominations away in either case, because those
participants were only relying on what the website told them. (We do try to
make it accurate!) Because of that, the other volunteers and I have decided
not to change the mistake for this year.

FOR THIS YEAR ONLY, both temporary and permanent accounts can nominate
pieces. Next year things will go back to how they were, where only permanent
accounts can nominate fics.

If you have any questions about this change, please don't hesitate to ask!

Elen sila lumenn omentielvo,

Marta
(MEFA Admin.)

Hey guys,

The following authors (a) have stories that have been nominated at
least a week, and (b) have neither started their forms or contacted
their liaisons to let them know they've been nominated.

Eldalie (liaison: Maethril, warriorprincess01fanficATgmailDOTcom)
Jay of Lasgalen (liaison: elliska, elliska67ATyahooDOTcom)
Permilea (liaison: elliska, elliska67ATyahooDOTcom)

If you know any of these authors, please have them get in touch with
the noted liaison. If they have trouble reaching the liaison - or if
they just need help logging in - have them drop me a line at
supportATmefawardsDOTorg.

On a related note, I'd really like to encourage people to nominate
their favorite pieces. At this moment we have 330 pieces nominated in
the 2011 MEFAs, of which 181 are completely ready to compete. That may
sound like a lot, but given that there's just about a week and a half
to go in nominations we are lagging a bit behind previous years. Some
of that is undoubtedly the fact that the Tolkien fandom has slowed
down a bit as time has passed from the movies, and that's fine. But I
know there's a lot of good fanfic still being produced, and I would
hate for it not to be nominated. In light of that, it might be fun to
give yourself a little challenge. Think of your three favorite Tolkien
pieces you're read in the last year - stories, poems, essays,
drabbles, whatever. Then check whether they've been nominated yet, and
if not, go ahead and nominate them. It's a great way to make the
author's day and contribute to the MEFAs at the same time.

Remember: nominations close at 11:59 PM GMT on June 30. If you need
help getting started email me at supportATmefawardsDOTorg.

Marta
MEFA Admin.

Hi Marta,

Eldalie had gotten in contact with me after I sent her an email explaining
the situation of her story in the MEFAs. She is in an incredibly busy state
right now, with exams looming barely a few days ahead, and she has asked me
for instructions on aspects of her nomination.

Thanks,
Maethril

On Mon, Jun 20, 2011 at 6:03 AM, Marta <marta.fandom@...> wrote:

> **
>
>
> Hey guys,
>
> The following authors (a) have stories that have been nominated at
> least a week, and (b) have neither started their forms or contacted
> their liaisons to let them know they've been nominated.
>
> Eldalie (liaison: Maethril, warriorprincess01fanficATgmailDOTcom)
> Jay of Lasgalen (liaison: elliska, elliska67ATyahooDOTcom)
> Permilea (liaison: elliska, elliska67ATyahooDOTcom)
>
> If you know any of these authors, please have them get in touch with
> the noted liaison. If they have trouble reaching the liaison - or if
> they just need help logging in - have them drop me a line at
> supportATmefawardsDOTorg.
>
> On a related note, I'd really like to encourage people to nominate
> their favorite pieces. At this moment we have 330 pieces nominated in
> the 2011 MEFAs, of which 181 are completely ready to compete. That may
> sound like a lot, but given that there's just about a week and a half
> to go in nominations we are lagging a bit behind previous years. Some
> of that is undoubtedly the fact that the Tolkien fandom has slowed
> down a bit as time has passed from the movies, and that's fine. But I
> know there's a lot of good fanfic still being produced, and I would
> hate for it not to be nominated. In light of that, it might be fun to
> give yourself a little challenge. Think of your three favorite Tolkien
> pieces you're read in the last year - stories, poems, essays,
> drabbles, whatever. Then check whether they've been nominated yet, and
> if not, go ahead and nominate them. It's a great way to make the
> author's day and contribute to the MEFAs at the same time.
>
> Remember: nominations close at 11:59 PM GMT on June 30. If you need
> help getting started email me at supportATmefawardsDOTorg.
>
> Marta
> MEFA Admin.
>
>


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

I have a temporary account, although I'm a member of this group. Is there a way
to make the account permanent?

Mirach

--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Marta" <marta.fandom@...> wrote:
>
> Hey guys,
>
> Every year during the awards I send out educational posts about how to do
> things at the MEFAs every week or two. Granted, we're a little late getting
> started this year - nominations season is half over already! Still time to
> get some nominations in, though. To do that you need a membership, and not
> just any membership but a particular kind. That's what I want to talk about
> today: how do you become a member of our website, and how do you use that
> membership.
>
> GETTING STARTED
>
> There are essentially two kinds of accounts at our website, permanent
> accounts  and ones that will be deleted from year to year. In the past we've
> called these types of accounts author and nominator accounts, or author and
> MEFAwards accounts, but that's a bit confusing because some authors are also
> members of the Yahoo group.
>
> Anyway: getting a temporary account is easy. Simply have a story that is
> nominated for our awards, and if you don't already have an account a
> temporary account will be set up for you. You will be automatically emailed
> a password to use to log in to our website. So you can log in and start
> using the site. You will be able to start filling out your forms on your
> nominated pieces, or you can start looking at the other nominated stories
> and voting for them if you like. Temporary members are invited to vote for
> any nomination besides their own of course, in the year they're nominated.
> (So you can vote for 2011 nominations but you won't be able to vote for 2012
> nominations unless you get another temporary account because you've been
> nominated then as well.)
>
> Permanent accounts are more, well, permanent. While temporary accounts only
> last for the 2011 awards, permanent accounts are here to stay. They won't be
> deleted, which means that whatever password you have in 2011 will also work
> for the 2012 site. You can vote for nominations just like temporary accounts
> can. You can also nominate up to twenty stories (temporary accounts can't
> nominate). Getting a permanent account, though, takes a bit of time. They're
> free for the asking, but we want to make sure that you don't already have a
> temporary account, and we want to make sure you get important announcements
> about the awards.
>
> So here's the process for getting a permanent account.
>
> (1) You join the Yahoo group MEFAwards.
> (2) You are sent a short questionnaire asking for some basic information.
> (3) Once you complete this questionnaire and email it back, a MEFA volunteer
> checks that you don't already have an account. She then sets up a password
> and username for you at our website.
>
> Until that time, your  Yahoo username and password won't work at our
> website. The two are COMPLETELY different things from our website's
> password. We'll get things set up as quickly as possible, but I usually tell
> people to allow 48-72 hours for the process. Don't wait until the very last
> second to set up your account if you want to nominate something.
>
> GETTING IN
>
> The next step to do is to actually log in and start using the website.  To
> log in, just visit www.mefawards.org/ and type in our username/email and
> your password. The password should have been emailed to you when your
> account was first set up.
>
> If you get a problem, here are a few strategies to try.
>
> --- (1) For missing passwords: check your spam folder, to see if your email
> program to a little overzealous. Weird, how sending out hundreds of emails
> telling people they've been nominated for some new awards program would make
> ISPs suspicious... :-P
>
> --- (2) Still can't find your password? Click the "Forgot Your Password?"
> link from our login page and follow the instructions.
>
> --- (3) If your password isn't working, first check that you are typing it
> in correctly. Caps matter, as do spaces before and after. "Mellon" looks
> different from "mellon", " mellon", or "mellon ". This is far and away the
> most common cause for password logins.
>
> Other than that, if you have further errors, let me know. Just email me at
> supportATmefawardsDOTorg and we'll sort it out.
>
> GETTING HELP
>
> If you need help, there are three email accounts to know:
>
> --- usersATmefawardsDOTorg. Send all questions about passwords or
> memberships here.
> --- supportATmefawardsDOTorg. Got a question ab0out policy? Just feeling
> overwhelmed by it all? Then email me at supportATmefawardsDOTorg.
> --- techATmefawardsDOTorg. Getting an actual error message? That's the
> domain of our world-class webmistresses. Use this email address and it will
> get your post where it needs to go.
>
> If you have more general questions you can also ask them at the MEFAwards
> Yahoo group. That listserv exists not just so I can make announcements, but
> so you can ask questions where other longtime MEFA participants will read
> them and hopefully answer them. Feel free to do just that.
>
> WHAT'S NEXT?
>
> Most MEFA members join our site and log in to do one of three things: tell
> us about one of their stories that has been nominated, nominate stories
> themselves, or vote for the stories that have been nominated. I'll go over
> these in more depth in the coming weeks, but for now, I just want to mention
> briefly how to get started on all of these things.
>
> To fill out the form on a piece already nominated:
>
> 1. Log in to www.mefawards.org
> 2. Select "Your Nominations" from the "Nominations" menu.
> 3. Click "Nomination Form" under the story you want to tell us about.
>
> To nominate a story:
>
> 1. Log in to www.mefawards.org
> 2. Select "Nominate a Piece" from the "Nominations" menu.
> 3. Fill out the form provided.
>
> To vote for a nominated story:
>
> 1. Log in to www.mefeawards.org
> 2. Select "Browse 2011 Nominations" from the "Nominations" menu.
> 3. Find a story you want to vote for. Click the "Read the Nomination" link
> to read the story. Then click the little pencil icon to write a review of
> that story when you're done.
>
> There's obviously a lot more to talk about on any one of those tasks, which
> is why I'll be writing in more depth about them in upcoming weeks. But
> hopefully that will give you a place to get started.
>
> Elen sila lumenn omentielvo,
>
> Marta
> (MEFA Admin.)
>

Hi Mirach,

I assume since you are replying to this address that you are actually a
member of the MEFAwards Yahoo group. The only other thing we require is that
you answer a few questions to help us set up your account. I included them
below.

If you reply to usersATmefawardsDOTorg with your answers, Elliska will
change your current account to a permanent one. Your password and everything
will stay the same.

Marta



Questions to Answer:

1. What name would you like to appear on our website?

2. Are there any other pennames you use in fandom?

3. Are there any alternate email addresses you use, that other members in
fandom might know about? (You don't need to give us personal/professional
email addresses you'd like to keep private, but if someone may have
nominated you under another email address, we need to know it.)

4. Have you participated in the MEFAs in any way in the past (i.e.: author,
nominator, voter, volunteer)? If so, under what name (or email, if you do
not remember your name)? Describe the details of your participation - for
example, how you participated and in what year, as much information as you
can remember.


On Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 4:31 AM, Mirach <mirach_ravaia@...> wrote:

> **
>
>
> I have a temporary account, although I'm a member of this group. Is there a
> way to make the account permanent?
>
> Mirach
>
>
>


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

Thank you! I sent the replies from my other email, as I use this account only
for the groups.

--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, Marta <marta.fandom@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Mirach,
>
> I assume since you are replying to this address that you are actually a
> member of the MEFAwards Yahoo group. The only other thing we require is that
> you answer a few questions to help us set up your account. I included them
> below.
>
> If you reply to usersATmefawardsDOTorg with your answers, Elliska will
> change your current account to a permanent one. Your password and everything
> will stay the same.
>
> Marta
>
>
>
> Questions to Answer:
>
> 1. What name would you like to appear on our website?
>
> 2. Are there any other pennames you use in fandom?
>
> 3. Are there any alternate email addresses you use, that other members in
> fandom might know about? (You don't need to give us personal/professional
> email addresses you'd like to keep private, but if someone may have
> nominated you under another email address, we need to know it.)
>
> 4. Have you participated in the MEFAs in any way in the past (i.e.: author,
> nominator, voter, volunteer)? If so, under what name (or email, if you do
> not remember your name)? Describe the details of your participation - for
> example, how you participated and in what year, as much information as you
> can remember.
>
>
> On Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 4:31 AM, Mirach <mirach_ravaia@...> wrote:
>
> > **
> >
> >
> > I have a temporary account, although I'm a member of this group. Is there a
> > way to make the account permanent?
> >
> > Mirach
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Hi Marta,

I'll give Permilea a nudge.

Inkling

--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, Marta <marta.fandom@...> wrote:
>
> Hey guys,
>
> The following authors (a) have stories that have been nominated at
> least a week, and (b) have neither started their forms or contacted
> their liaisons to let them know they've been nominated.
>
> Eldalie (liaison: Maethril, warriorprincess01fanficATgmailDOTcom)
> Jay of Lasgalen (liaison: elliska, elliska67ATyahooDOTcom)
> Permilea (liaison: elliska, elliska67ATyahooDOTcom)
>
> If you know any of these authors, please have them get in touch with
> the noted liaison. If they have trouble reaching the liaison - or if
> they just need help logging in - have them drop me a line at
> supportATmefawardsDOTorg.
>
> On a related note, I'd really like to encourage people to nominate
> their favorite pieces. At this moment we have 330 pieces nominated in
> the 2011 MEFAs, of which 181 are completely ready to compete. That may
> sound like a lot, but given that there's just about a week and a half
> to go in nominations we are lagging a bit behind previous years. Some
> of that is undoubtedly the fact that the Tolkien fandom has slowed
> down a bit as time has passed from the movies, and that's fine. But I
> know there's a lot of good fanfic still being produced, and I would
> hate for it not to be nominated. In light of that, it might be fun to
> give yourself a little challenge. Think of your three favorite Tolkien
> pieces you're read in the last year - stories, poems, essays,
> drabbles, whatever. Then check whether they've been nominated yet, and
> if not, go ahead and nominate them. It's a great way to make the
> author's day and contribute to the MEFAs at the same time.
>
> Remember: nominations close at 11:59 PM GMT on June 30. If you need
> help getting started email me at supportATmefawardsDOTorg.
>
> Marta
> MEFA Admin.
>

Hey guys,

Last week I mentioned several ways people can use the MEFA website.
This week, I want to walk through in more detail one of the most
common reasons people use the website: nominating a story and, for
nominated authors, completing the nomination form.

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

STEP 1 - GETTING A MEMBERSHIP

Before you can nominate a story you have to be able to log in. If you
were nominated you already have an account set up for you. Everyone
else, things get a little more complicated, but basically you need to
join the MEFAwards Yahoo group, and then you need to send in the
questionnaire sent to you. Once you do BOTH of those things Elliska
will set up your account within a day or two. The site will
automatically send you a password that you can use to log in.

If you don't know your password, first try to retrieve it yourself
using the "forgot password" link. If that doesn't work you can email
me at supportATmefawardsDOTorg.

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

STEP 2 - BEFORE YOU NOMINATE

Once you have your account set up, you next want to make sure the
story is eligible. The two most common problems are (1) issues with
the URL, and (2) that the piece has already competed in the past.

On the second point: I really recommend you check whether a piece was
nominated before using the OFFICIAL MEFA RECORD. You can see whether
someone else has already nominated it in 2011 using the current MEFA
website. You should also check http://archive.mefawards.org/, to see
if it was nominated in a previous year. In general things are only
eligible once; the main exception is if it has a WIP beside it in the
archive and it's now finished, the story is eligible again.

With URL's, you want to watch out for a couple of things. Does the URL
require you to log in if you aren't a site member? (It's okay to be
asked to click a link verifying you're an adult; not okay if you need
a password to see the actual story.) Also, if the link is posted on
more than one page is there a clear way to get from one page to
another? Table of contents work, as do previous/next links on each
page.

While there are occasionally other wrinkles that make a nomination
ineligible, these are by far the most common reasons for why we have
to withdraw nominations. That and just not being able to reach the
author. Which brings eme to a last thing you might want to do before
submitting your nomination: email the author. We don't require this
because there's really no way to check, but it really does help us get
in touch if the author knows we're trying to contact them.

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

STEP 3 - ENTERING THE NOMINATION

Now you're ready to enter your nomination. To do this:

--- (1) Log in to www.mefawards.org/
--- (2) Select the "Nominate a Piece" link from the "Nominations" menu.
--- (3) Select the author's name from the list provided, or add the
author using the steps provided.
--- (4) Enter the title as it appears at the URL you are using.
--- (5) Enter a URL where the story can be read. (See above re:
eligibility and URLs.)
--- (6) *If you know it*, enter some other ways to contact the author
- alternate emails, blog addresses, etc.
--- (7) Click the submit button at the bottom of the form.

If you're not also the author, your work is then done. Here's what
happens at this point.

--- (A) If you added the author, the website automatically sends the
author an email with their password.
--- (B) The author is also automatically assigned a LIAISON, a
volunteer who will work with the author to answer any questions the
author has and to check over their form.
--- (C) That liaison will look over the information you provide and
make sure it's eligible. If it is, they will send the author an email
getting them started.

At this point the ball is in the author's court. In most cases she'll
simply begin work on the form at our website. Occasionally she'll
email the liaison to let us know that *the author* knows she's been
nominated. Maybe she doesn't have time to fill out the form right
away? That's okay. We just need some indication that the author knows
she's been nominated.

At some point the author will fill out the form at our website and
signify she's done with it. At that point:

--- (D) The liaison and the administrator (that's me) will check over
the form for errors.
--- (E) Assuming everything is okay, I will finalize the nomination.
That means it's 100% ready to compete.

And *voila*, the nomination process is done.

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

STEP 4 - FILLING OUT THE NOMINATION FORM (for authors)

If your story was nominated - by yourself or someone else - you will
need to fill out a form describing your piece.

--- If you are also the nominator, once nominating a story you will be
given the option to continue on telling us about your story.
--- If someone else nominated your story, you can get to this form by

(1) Logging in to www.mefawards.org/
(2) Clicking "Your Nominations" from the "Nominations" menu.
(3) Clicking the "Form" link beside your piece's title.
(4) Clicking the "Edit Basic Data" link.

In any case, you will eventually be taken to a form divided into
several sections. Here are some specific things to keep in mind when
feeling out this form.

--- Screen One: Basic Information

1. Change the story title if needed
2. Confirm the main URL and add a back-up.
3. Enter a summary.
4. Select a story type (for categorization).
5. Select a story length (for readers).

--- Screen Two: Award Categories

Choose three main categories where you would like to complete, ranked
in order of preference. You must select three, and you must be willing
to complete in all three.

--- Screen Three: Details for Readers

1. Select a rating and the reason for that rating, if applicable.
2. Enter any romance partners, if applicable. You may use 'm' for male
and 'f' for female if it is an OC or if you need to keep the
characters a surprise.
3. Select characters, sub-genres, events, and sources to describe your story.

--- Screen Four: Details for Categorization

Narrow down your previous lists to what you want the categorizers to
consider. For exmaple, you may want readers to know the story involves
Legolas, Merry and Pippin, but you only want it to compete against
other Legolas-centric stories, not hobbit-centric ones that might have
nothing to do with Legolas. Then you would select all three as
characters for readers, but only Legolas as a character for
categorizers.

When done:

1. Click the "Nomination Summary" button.
2. Change the status to "Author Satisfied with form."
3. Tick the box saying you are satisfied with the form.
4. Click the "Submit Nomination Form" button.

At that point the form is saved. Your liaison will be in touch if
there are any problems. Otherwise your piece is ready to compete in
the MEFAs.

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

STEP 5 - WHAT NOW?

Once authors are done with the form, it will be looked over by that
author's liaison and by myself. Everyone else, your work is
done.(though authors should keep an eye on their email address).

Authors are invited to use a banner to brag about their MEFA
nominations. These are available at
http://mefa-banners.livejournal.com/

Everyone is also welcome to start voting for their fave MEFA story
(other than their own, of course). I'll go more into how next week.

Elen sila lumenn omentielvo,

Marta
(MEFA Admin.)

Hey guys,

Just a friendly reminder: if you want to nominate a story for the 2011
MEFAs, you need to get it in soon.

--- Nominators: You MUST submit your nomination by June 30.
--- Authors: You MUST finish the form for your story by July 6.
Preferably a few days earlier, in case there are any errors that need
working out.

And remember, all deadlines are based on Greenwich Mean Time, not your
local time. For instance, I live on the US east coast, which means I'm
four hours behind GMT. So the MEFA day ends, not when my clock says
11:59 PM, but when it says 7:59 PM. You can see exactly how much time
you have left by going to http://www.mefawards.org/ and checking out
the countdown in the top-right corner.

Marta
(MEFA Admin.)