Apologies for the late post. Normal service will resume tomorrow.

General Fandom

jessikast: Why I'm not posting the "Gay Rights" meme — "I get the feeling that some of the people posting the meme view themselves as the gay police of fandom, doing their part to make sure that we know who the people are who are only into teh gay because it's cool, or who enjoy slash without the consequences or something."

oursin: The sentiments are unexceptionable, but... — "This seems a virtuous and well-meaning thing, but it still manages to irk me in several ways. I for one (and maybe this is an English thing?) really cringe from these 'post [precrafted noble sentiment] in your lj', where the purpose seems to be 'show what a right-on okay person you are' with the corollary that 'if you don't do it, you're not'."

stewardess_lotr: The problems with sponsored comms, in a nutshell — "To sum up, there is nothing a sponsored comm for a movie can do that won't be done better, faster, and more freely by fans. As hard as the corporate hacks try, a lust for money can never substitute for true enthusiasm."

stewardess_lotr: The Achilles heel of sponsored comms — "That sponsored comms were even considered a viable business model is mind-boggling. I've been in the online business world since 1995. Major companies rejected messageboards for discussion "with" customers years ago. Companies cannot tolerate free discussion; they must moderate and lock down everything, and the sheer amount of labor involved makes it un-viable."

burr86 in lj_biz: how a sponsored community is different — "In many ways, we're actually going to be a lot more aggressive about holding them to a certain standard. We're writing up a list of "behavior guidelines" that we're going to ask all our sponsors to agree to. It's still making its rounds around the office to make sure we've addressed the biggest issues that have come up, and we'll post it here once we finalize it."

bradfitz in lj_biz: Alternative Name for Sponsored Communities... Forums? — "But nobody (not us, not the companies) wants to trick you about what they are ... these companies want a place to communicate with you. Yes, with you. Not at you. If they wanted to communicate at you they'd make a website or advertise on a billboard. (which they also do) But they want a forum in which they can talk with you. Maybe you have no interest in talking to them ... that's fine. Don't go there."

burr86 in lj_biz: sponsored community guidelines — "I know you're going to ask, "Why didn't you have these written up before you launched this program?" The answer is simple: we thought we were doing a good job of explaining the general norms and practices here on LJ to the sponsors. (The existing sponsored community is well within the boundaries set forth above, for example.) We've also been working only with sponsors who we expect to play fair and provide something of interest to users."

burr86 in lj_biz: answers to your questions about sponsored communities — "We understand your fears about having your fandoms disrupted by large media corporations, and so we want to make this clear: just because they've paid us money doesn't mean that corporations will have any extra rights or leverages to censor what you do as a part of fandom. I know a lot of people are worried that they'll "find you" and destroy your communities that way, but their having a community here doesn't give them any extra visibility into LJ; they're "in your neighborhood", yes, but the guildelines we're making with them make it clear that we don't want them interfering with established communities in ways that everyone can agree would be disruptive."

allyoops: On spoilers — "Some people who avoid spoilers don't seem to consider that those who love them should in turn be given a little courtesy too. It's currently NOT a two-way street. The responsiblity of spoiler-avoidance has changed owners amid threats and bitchiness, and it's f-cking with my enjoyment of my journal, my reading list (flist), and fandom."

Questions, Polls, Etc.

ravenclaw_devi: Poll: Relationship Status and Fic Ending Preference — "this is a poll to research the relation (if there is any) between people's relationship status and the kind of fic ending they prefer."

snegurochka_lee: *rolls over, sniffles* On independent creation and stuff — "Question: When was the last time you wrote a story completely from your own head, with no fest prompt or exchange person to write for, no birthday comm, no deadline whatsoever?"

svmadelyn: Some fannish questions. — "There's questions in fandom that--well, let's face it, a lot of us have, but that people rarely address for one reason or another."