Volunteer Editors vs Site Editors

[RogueLurker]

Folks,

Below is the starting point for a potential sticky that we might consider adding to the list up top.

The point of this sticky will be to clarify for new authors the difference between the VEs and the Site Editors (administrators/moderators).

Feel free to edit away ... add, delete, change at will. Once we can get some consensus, I would like to ask LadyC to "sticky" the final version. There will always be authors that will not read the stickies ... but at least this might help with the confusion and frustration. We might also add Snooper's description of Copy and Line Editors (LadyC has it in another sticky)

Here's my initial wording:

Just to clarify ....

The Editor's Forum is a place where Volunteer Editors tend to check as time and workload allows.

Those that post and respond here are people who volunteer their skills and time to help with a story prior to being posted (or to help re-work a story that has been posted) and will do copy or line editing.

We are not the editors who review the stories once they have been submitted to ensure that they meet the site requrirements, nor do we have the ability to approve/remove/alter stories. That is done by the site administrators and site editors.

 

[LadyCibelle]

Folks,

Below is the starting point for a potential sticky that we might consider adding to the list up top.

The point of this sticky will be to clarify for new authors the difference between the VEs and the Site Editors (administrators/moderators).

Feel free to edit away ... add, delete, change at will. Once we can get some consensus, I would like to ask LadyC to "sticky" the final version. There will always be authors that will not read the stickies ... but at least this might help with the confusion and frustration. We might also add Snooper's description of Copy and Line Editors (LadyC has it in another sticky)

Here's my initial wording:

Just to clarify ....

The Editor's Forum is a place where Volunteer Editors tend to check as time and workload allows.

Those that post and respond here are people who volunteer their skills and time to help with a story prior to being posted (or to help re-work a story that has been posted) and will do copy or line editing.

We are not the editors who review the stories once they have been submitted to ensure that they meet the site requrirements, nor do we have the ability to approve/remove/alter stories. That is done by the site administrators and site editors.

Once a consensus has been obtained of what should/shouldn't be there, I'll gladly stick it, Rogue.

Thanks for your work, all.

 

[Darkniciad]

Looks good to me. It covers the bases and gets straight to the point.

With a wee spot o' luck, people will actually read the sticky before going on a vent.

 

[fieryjen]

Maybe this could be in the form of or have attached a do/don't list, telling them to contact the v.e.'s when they would like help, and to contact the site editors when they would like to ask a question about a pending story... or whatever else they want to complain about.

I just thought lists, single sentences and bolded things might help get people's attention more than a paragraph.

Just a suggestion, I won't be insulted if you discard it.

 

[starrkers]

Could you add something on how to contact the site editors? Yes, I'm sure it's in bold type somewhere on the submissions page, but people are inherently lazy (not to mention a little dim) and adding it here wouldn't hurt.

 

[RogueLurker]

Maybe this could be in the form of or have attached a do/don't list, telling them to contact the v.e.'s when they would like help, and to contact the site editors when they would like to ask a question about a pending story... or whatever else they want to complain about.

I just thought lists, single sentences and bolded things might help get people's attention more than a paragraph.

Just a suggestion, I won't be insulted if you discard it.

Keeping things simple is for the best. I think if we can agree what the key message(s) are and provide the information clearly and concisely for those who need it then we help those who are first ventuing onto the EF.

Consensus should be reached ... which means everyone agrees (or we beat people around the head until they say yes )

What kinds of do's and don'ts ... should we canibalize parts of the other sticky's ... repetition isn't always a bad thing. People might not think to look at all the stickies.

And Starkers:
As for how to contact the site editors .. I'm really not sure. I know you can include notes when you submit a story ... but other than that, I'm not sure. I've seen suggestiond to send a PM to Laurel, but I'm not clear on whether that works or not.

LadyC - can you shed some light?

And Dark ... Thanks.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

I've seen suggestiond to send a PM to Laurel, but I'm not clear on whether that works or not.

PMing Laurel usually works. She is pretty quick to respond.

 

[fieryjen]

PMing Laurel usually works. She is pretty quick to respond.

Agreed. She is great with PMs, if they are of any importance. There is also an official email address, but usually that is discouraged because PMing works much faster.

 

[Darkniciad]

Agreed. She is great with PMs, if they are of any importance. There is also an official email address, but usually that is discouraged because PMing works much faster.

I believe the spam filter is pretty draconian on that email too ( by necessity )

I've always gotten quick response from stolen story reports and such in PM.

 

[cloudy]

as a corrollary to PMing Laurel:

If you absolutely know that the reason it has been rejected is wrong, a polite PM to Laurel will work wonders in getting the story accepted. Either that, or a note to whoever's going through it in the "notes" field when you resubmit it.

example: my halloween story three years ago ( ) had a good bit of creole language in it - a song in particular. It was rejected the first time I submitted it and the reason was listed as "spelling."

I pretty much knew it had to be the creole that was upsetting their spellchecker, since I'm a spelling nazi, so I resubmitted it with a note clarifying the problem in the notes field, and also PM'd Laurel to have her be on the look out for it.

It went through with absolutely no problem the next time.

One caveat: Do not accuse, but rather ask for help. Results are much better.

 

[RogueLurker]

Okay ... here's my kick at the can. Please feel free to wordsmith, add or remove anything. What I'm asking here, folks, is that someone EDIT me.

Thanks to Jen, Selena, Starkers, Cloudy and Dark for your inputs.






Site Editors vs Volunteer Editors
The Literotica Site is moderated by Site Editors who will accept/reject all submissions.

The Editor's Forum is a place where some of the Volunteer Editors come to check for requests as time and workload allow. Those that post and respond here are people who volunteer their skills and time to help with a story prior to being posted (or to help re-work a story that has been posted) and will do copy or line editing.

Volunteer Editors are not the editors who review the stories once they have been submitted to ensure that they meet the site requrirements, nor do we have the ability to approve/remove/alter stories. That is done by the Site Administrators and Site Editors.

Whoever you need to contact about a story, please remember that Literotica is not a pay site and the Volunteer Editors program is ... voluntary. Being polite and asking questions tends to get you farther than ranting and demanding action.


How to Contact Site Editors
If you are having problems or have questions about a submitted story, you can contact Laurel by Private Message. Please keep in mind that Laurel is one of the site owners and administrators and her volume of PMs and emails is probably high.



How to Contact Volunteer Editors
You can go through the Volunteer Editor Program which provides a list of editors. Please note that some editors who may have signed up for the program have left Lit or are no longer available for editing but never disabled their profiles. VE Profiles are listed in chronological order of when they were submitted or updated. You will probalby have better luck with VEs listed on the first few pages.

You can post a request here on the Editor's Forum where some of the VEs post. Based on time and workloads, someone should respond by either posting a response or sending a Private Message.



What to do When Asking for VE Help
If you are going to be sending or posting an initial request for help from a Volunteer Editor, it's usually helpful to provide the following information:

• What kind of editing you expect (proofreading, content feedback, any specific areas of concern you might have with the story).

• What category it is, if there are any fetish or kink that might not be to everyone's taste.

• A brief synopsis - even just one or two lines - is preferable over pasting the entire story in you post.

• The approximate length of the story (word count rather than page count)

• What your expectation is for turn around (a day, a week, etc)

• what kind of Word Processor you use (Word, WordPad, etc)

• Make sure that your Private Message function is enabled or that you provide a valid email address (don't post it though ... spambots will get it) so the VE can get in touch with you.

• When you do send a document to a VE, please take the time to spell check it first, ensure that it formatted properly. The Volunteer Editors will help ... but they won't do everything for you.

Here's a sample of what a request might look like:

Looking for an editor to review spelling, grammar and overall flow for a 3500 word story. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. This will probably go in either erotic horror or non-human category and involves lesbian sex, anal and non-consent. The story involves a lesbian werewolf, a female vampire and a strap-on while they are both working at a Carnival Fun House. I'm not in a rush, so getting it back in a week or so would be great. I can send the document in Word or as a .txt

Why a Story Might be Rejected for Submission by the Site Editors
Please see KillerMuffin's Post on What to do when your story is rejected.

• Is the story over 750 words?

• Was everything spelled correctly?

• Were there any serious errors in punctuation or formatting (i.e. submitted in all capital letters, capitalization errors, etc.)?

• Was there an underage (under 18 years old) sexual relationship in the story?

• Was there bestiality references or acts in the story?

• Was there excessive violence, snuff, or abuse of characters in the story?

• Were there URL links, site addresses, or other advertisements within the story?

 

[LadyCibelle]

I like it, Rogue

There's just that sentence

The Editor's Forum is a place where some Volunteer Editors to check for requests as time and workload allows.

that I'm not sure about.

It seems to me there are words missing.

 

[fieryjen]

I like it, Rogue

There's just that sentence that I'm not sure about.

It seems to me there are words missing.

"For" instead of "where some"?

Also, shouldn't it be "allow", not "allows"?

Otherwise I think it's pretty awesome Thanks so much for going through the Trouble, RL

 

[RogueLurker]

*grumble grumble grumble*

Fricking editors ... always picky ... "Rogue, you missed some words", "Rogue, lose the 's' "



es to you both

 

[CopyCarver]

*grumble grumble grumble*

Fricking editors ... always picky ... "Rogue, you missed some words", "Rogue, lose the 's' "



es to you both

Instead of "fricking editors... always picky," wouldn't "fricky editors" be less wordy?

Seriously, a sticky is a very good idea. The basic info is already on the site, but only hard-core researchers will ever find much of it. An easy-to-find, condensed version should help tremendously.

It might not be a bad idea to include a brief notice that some editors who are still master listed have been MIA since the Jurassic, and that writers would probably do better by posting a request on the board or contacting someone who has a recent post.

 

[RogueLurker]

Instead of "fricking editors... always picky," wouldn't "fricky editors" be less wordy?

Seriously, a sticky is a very good idea. The basic info is already on the site, but only hard-core researchers will ever find much of it. An easy-to-find, condensed version should help tremendously.

It might not be a bad idea to include a brief notice that some editors who are still master listed have been MIA since the Jurassic, and that writers would probably do better by posting a request on the board or contacting someone who has a recent post.

Thanks, CC. I added a couple of lines .. see the green text.

 

[CopyCarver]

Looks good to me. Nice work.

 

[fieryjen]

Looks good to me. Nice work.

Word.

 

[RogueLurker]

I added a sample request ... and also noticed a number of typos.

I'll review the typos tomorrow, but in the meantime, if you notice any, let me know or I'll lose my VE secret decoder ring.

In order to get consensus, should we put this up as a poll for a week?

 

[starrkers]

Now I'm nitpicking

There's a typo in the last sentence of the green type under "How to contact a volunteer editor" - "probalby" for "probably"
and the fifth point under "What To Do When Asking for VE Help" has "expecation" for "expectation"


*crawls back under her rock*


eta: sorry, you posted while I was typing and checking...

 

[snooper]

You title the item Volunteer Editors v. Site Editors and then talk about site editors first. While I do not disagree with the order of the information in the body of the item, I think it should be consistent . Therefore I would recast the start as follows:

Site Editors vs Volunteer Editors
The Literotica Site is moderated by Site Editors who will accept/reject all submissions.

The Editor's Forum is a place for some Volunteer Editors to come to check for requests as time and workload allow. Those that post and respond here are people who volunteer their skills and time to help with a story prior to being posted (or to help re-work a story that has been posted) and will do copy or line editing.

Volunteer Editors are not the editors who review the stories once they have been submitted to ensure that they meet the site requrirements, nor do we have the ability to approve/remove/alter stories. That is done by the Site Administrators and Site Editors.

Whoever you need to contact about a story, please remember that Literotica is not a pay site and the Volunteer Editors program is ... voluntary. Being polite and asking questions tends to get you farther than ranting and demanding action.

 

[RogueLurker]

You title the item Volunteer Editors v. Site Editors and then talk about site editors first. While I do not disagree with the order of the information in the body of the item, I think it should be consistent . Therefore I would recast the start as follows:

Site Editors vs Volunteer Editors
The Literotica Site is moderated by Site Editors who will accept/reject all submissions.

The Editor's Forum is a place for some Volunteer Editors to come to check for requests as time and workload allow. Those that post and respond here are people who volunteer their skills and time to help with a story prior to being posted (or to help re-work a story that has been posted) and will do copy or line editing.

Volunteer Editors are not the editors who review the stories once they have been submitted to ensure that they meet the site requrirements, nor do we have the ability to approve/remove/alter stories. That is done by the Site Administrators and Site Editors.

Whoever you need to contact about a story, please remember that Literotica is not a pay site and the Volunteer Editors program is ... voluntary. Being polite and asking questions tends to get you farther than ranting and demanding action.

Thanks, Snooper. I think it works better. See the changes in green.

 

[jakebarnes06]

My thoughts

I'm neither a volunteer editor nor a regular contributor and realize that I have little standing here, but I do applaud your goal of explaining the functions of both site editors and volunteer editors. As I've read through this thread, I believe you have good ideas, but you may not have expressed them as well as you could have. At the risk of having my head handed to me on the proverbial platter, here are my notes of some changes that might be helpful.

THE EDITOR'S FORUM and SITE EDITORS vs VOLUNTEER EDITORS

Literotica is moderated by Site Editors. They review stories which authors submit to Literotica for posting. Site Editors determine whether or not those stories meet Literotica’s requirements and either accept or reject stories on that basis.

Volunteer Editors volunteer their time and skills helping authors with editing issues which may include spelling, grammar, word usage, character development, plot development and the like. Volunteer editing normally occurs before an author submits a new story to the Site Editors, but also may occur when an author re-works a story which the Site Editors approved, but which the author wishes to improve.

Volunteer Editors are not Site Editors and have no control over whether or not Site Editors accept a story for posting.

The Editor's Forum serves three functions. It is a place where an author can request that a Volunteer Editor review a story. It also is a place where a Volunteer Editor can look for and respond to such author requests as the Volunteer Editor’s time, workload and interest allows. Finally, the Editor’s Forum is a place where Volunteer Editors and authors can speak with each other about editing issues common to both of them.

Whoever you need to contact about a story, please remember that Literotica is not a pay site and the Volunteer Editors program is ... voluntary. Being polite and asking questions tends to get you farther than ranting and demanding action.

 

[LadyCibelle]

Jake,

THE EDITOR'S FORUM and SITE EDITORS vs VOLUNTEER EDITORS

Grouping Editor's Forum and Site editors makes it appear as if the site editors and the editor's forum are the same bunch of people.....NOT SO!

You have to keep in mind that this sticky will be in addition to all the information available to anyone who takes the time to look for answers, and grouping editor's forum and site editors together like you suggest; those same people will assume that it means both are the same group of people.

Literotica is moderated by Site Editors

That's a frequent misconception that lots of people have but I can assure you, moderators are NOT part of Lit's management/site editors.

 

[RogueLurker]

Hi Jake,

Thanks for the input . You have as much standing as anyone else here. A fresh set of eyes, someone who hasn't been involved in this discussion in the past ... that's what we need. Those who have been posting so far pretty much know the differences between Site and Volunteer Editor, so we might be making assumptions or glossing over things because its "old hat".


It would appear that the term moderate has different connatations ... just like "editor".

The site ed/admin do moderate ... in that they review and determine if a story whould be accepted or not. But they are not to be confused with the Moderators on the Boards (like LadyC here or Pure in the Story Discussion board)

Here's some proposed changes based on Jake and LadyC's comments. (red is delete, green is add)

Edited to add: *Note: I removed mention of Site Editors in the VE section .. I think it just confuses things. But it might just be that I am easily confused


THE EDITOR'S FORUM and SITE EDITORS vs VOLUNTEER EDITORS


Literotica has Site Editors and Site Administrators who Literotica is moderated by Site Editors. They review stories which authors submit to Literotica for posting. Site Editors determine whether or not those stories meet Literotica’s requirements and either accept or reject stories on that basis.

Volunteer Editors volunteer their time and skills helping authors with editing issues which may include spelling, grammar, word usage, character development, plot development and the like. Volunteer editing normally occurs before an author submits a new story to be posted on the site to the Site Editors, but also may occur when an author re-works a story which the Site Editors approved has already been approved and posted, but which the author wishes to improve.

Volunteer Editors are not Site Editors and have no control over whether or not Site Editors accept Literotica accepts a story for posting.

The Editor's Forum serves three functions.

• It is a place where an author can request that a Volunteer Editor review a story.

• It also is a place where a Volunteer Editor can look for and respond to such author requests as the Volunteer Editor’s time, workload and interest allows.

• Finally, the Editor’s Forum It is a place where Volunteer Editors and authors can speak with each other about editing issues common to both of them.

• It is a place where Rogue and kbate can chat.

Whoever you need to contact about a story, please remember that Literotica is not a pay site and the Volunteer Editors program is ... voluntary. Being polite and asking questions tends to get you farther than ranting and demanding action.