Ask a Moderator - Part IX

[deanine]

hermione4 - I would reccomend stopping by the FAQ, reading the basic ground rules, and then PMing songbook to get sorted.

harry_kissed_ginny - Moving avatars and banners are restricted to moderator use only. If someone not in the Unspeakables usergroup is using one, it should be brought to the attention of a moderator so it can be dealt with. We remove them when we spot them.

ljroxyou - There is a 2 week break between terms. You do the math

[MrsRuebeusHagridDursley]

Hi! I have a bit of a concern. Sometimes, while browsing the forums, I'll spot a thread that is marked "No unread posts." But there's the problem. I haven't ever looked at those threads! How could I have read those posts?

Should I be concerned that someone's hacked my account, or is it a glitch in the system?

Thanks!

[no_day_but_today]

I still haven't gotten a rejection letter and I posted in the I didn't get a rejection letter weeks ago. I wasn't sure of where to post.

[abbs866]

What should one do if they are a major fan of one category, and they find that the mod there is rejecting for reasons that don't really seem like reasons at all? I've found one mod to reject my fic simply because she couldn't see Harry destroying Voldemort so heartlessly, ad I've found the same one to reject my good friend's fic because Harry was too mushy - and that was a romance category! I've just found that this mod seems a bit strict with her valedation rules, and I was wondering if I should talk to somebody about it or just deal. Thanks!

[lily_evans34]

MrsRuebeusHagridDursley: there's something at the bottom of the page that says 'mark all posts as read'. I know I've clicked it by mistake numerous times; that could be your problem. If you're concerned, I would change your password and contact an admin in the future if it continues to happen. As far as it being a glitch - it could be, but I haven't heard anything about that.

abbs866: No moderator rejects fics for unfair, petty, or personal reasons. Where some can be more strict than others, we're all just looking at your fiction from an objective point of view. Be aware that you, as the writer, could very easily overlook OOC behavior from your own characters. Instead of brushing off the mod's rejection letter automatically, I would suggest that you look it over carefully and edit what needs to be edited. If you or your friend have looked over your rejection letters and still don't agree with the mod's suggestions, please find a beta reader to help you, or get feedback on your plotline in the character threads on the forums. Then you can always contact the actual moderator that you're having problems with, and discuss your fic one on one with her via email.

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[FenrirG]

Hello Modlies. =)

I'm so very confused about the class sign-ups. I'm sure (I hope?) I'm not the only one confused, so here goes...

How do you sign up? I know you have to join the student usergroup first, but is there anything you have to do before joining the group? After that, do you just have to post in the sign-up thread (once it's up)? Or am I completely misunderstanding something?

Thanks!
Fenn

[Snape's Talon]

I'm curious how the boards will be handling the release of book seven.

Will the Mods be setting up an a Spoiler-Free zone once DH comes out, or perhaps an area specifically for Spoilers?

~Talon

[greengecko]

Total newbie question here, but I can't find anything in the faq about it. I have a one-shot that got rejected for British spellings and I wanted to verify that I have to use American spellings, which I would find odd, but no big deal as it is my native language. It would be a refreshing change from getting feedback that my story is terribly and hopelessly American because of my choice of the past participle of "get".

If British spellings are okay, should I include cites to my word usages or something for the moderator, or how do I handle that?

[deanine]

No_day_But_today - The thread is a courtesy and an attempt to help, but it's no guarantee that a mod is going to remember your fic. If you are submitting to a category with a specific mod handling it, you can PM them and seek additional help.

FenrirG - After you join the student usergroup, browse around a bit. There is a forum with classes, and a forum with advertisements for classes. You sign up for classes in the advertisement section and take classes in the other. Things are transitioning a bit as we're between terms, but if you keep having trouble, feel free to PM me or VV for additional help.

Snape's Talon - As usual, all spoiler information should be clearly marked for several months after the release. We didn't create any special areas for HBP and have no plans to do so after DH, but things are always changing so I suppose we might end up with something if someone were to decided it was a worthwhile endeavor.

greengecko - As a site we accept either British or American spellings. If your moderator rejected on British spellings, it was most likely because most of our moderators (and authors) use American spellings and she didn't recognize the one (ones) that you were rejected for. If the mod said simply misspellings, is it possible you missed some canon words and are unaware? Try contacting the mod via email. None of us is infallible, but we're always happy to listen.

[SnowyHedwig112]

Hey, I have a question about avatar appropriate-ness.

Umm, I have this avatar that I want to use, and it has mention of alcohol.

The exact quote is:

Draco Malfoy is drunk in a very dignified Malfoyish way.

I was wondering, is that appropriate to use? Or is the mention of alcohol in-appropriate?

~Kathy

P.S. In the picture, Draco is holding a bottle of something (obviously, an alcoholic beverage) that has a label but is un-readable.