Preparing for the 2012 Rose & Bay Awards

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

The Rose & Bay Awards recognize excellence in cyberfunded creativity.  The nomination period begins in January so I'm starting the advance planning now.

The Rose & Bay Awards currently include six categories: Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, Other Project, and Patron.  (Other includes any cyberfunded creativity that isn't art, fiction, poetry, or webcomic -- or that spans more than one category -- such as movies, music, etc.)  I'm willing to handle Poetry and Webcomic, although I could hand off one or the other if we get enough volunteers.  I would prefer not to handle the Art, Fiction, Other Project, or Patron categories because I'm eligible to be nominated in those.  If you would like to volunteer to handle one of those categories, please let me know.  Here are the 2012 categories and their handlers:

Art: jenny_evergreen
Fiction: jenny_evergreen
Poetry: ysabetwordsmith
Webcomic: ysabetwordsmith
Other Project:
Patron:

Time Parameters:
Eligibility period: January 1-December 31, 2011.
Nomination period: January 1-January 31, 2012.
Voting period: February 1-February 28, 2012.

This allows time to promote the award across a wide range of venues, and repeat the announcements so that plenty of people have time to hear them.  Everyone is encouraged to spread the word as far as possible whether you are a creator, a donor, or whatever.

Prior rules appear on the 2011 Rose & Bay Award Landing Page.  People wanted to make some changes, however, and I haven't created a landing page for 2012 yet.


Category Management

Handling a category entails the following responsibilities:

1) Posting the "nomination" post for that category, on or near January 1. Here is an example from 2011.

2) Watching the nominations as they appear in comments. Prod people to fill in missing details. Ask people to move misfiled nominations to a different category. Post an outside nomination for someone if they can't get their comment to post for some reason. Quash any arguments that may arise. If there are issues over how something should be filed, etc. then talk that over with ysabetwordsmith and we'll figure it out. Handlers are also welcome to post updates or nudges to boost participation.

3) Posting the "voting" post on or near February 1. Here is an example from 2011.

4) Similar oversight as for the nomination post. Just keep an eye on the voting post. 

5) On or near March 1, tally the votes for your category and announce the winner.  Here is an example from 2011.


How You Can Help

As a new award, Rose and Bay depends on everyone's participation and enthusiasm to make it a success.  Here are some ways you can help that happen:

1. Volunteer to manage a category.  Handlers are needed for the Art, Fiction, Other Project, and Patron categories.  Additional volunteers for networking and promotions would be welcome.  Previously we considered the idea of fundraising for prize money, but nothing came together; if someone has experience with this and wishes to help, please speak up.

2. Mark the nomination period on your calendar.  Make sure you come back to crowdfunding in January to make your nominations.

3. Promote the Rose and Bay Award by blogging about it, emailing your friends, posting it on social networks, or any other method you can imagine.  Everyone is encouraged to spread the word as far as possible whether you are a creator of crowdfunded projects, a patron of the arts, or a curious onlooker.  You may link to the landing page, and/or the "nomination open" posts for individual categories when those appear in January.

4. If you're a patron or audience member, highlight your favorite cyberfunded projects from 2010 and direct people back to the award.  You may link to the landing page and/or the "nomination open" posts for individual categories when those appear in January.  Are you following other patrons whose tastes match your own to see what they sponsor or recommend?  Mention them too!  This makes it easier for people to find eligible nominees.
5. If you're a creative person, let your audience and patrons know which of your projects are eligible for the Rose and Bay Award, including a link to the relevant nomination page(s).  You may link to the landing page and/or the "nomination open" posts for individual categories when those appear in January.  Do you have an "honor wall" or other place acknowledging your patrons?  Mention that too!  Let your fans know there is a way for them to honor your project and the patrons who make it possible.  Finally, make sure that your project is readily identifiable as cyberfunded creativity; see the article "5 Steps to Crowdfunding Success" for suggestions.
6. If you're not a member of the LiveJournal community crowdfunding yet, consider joining.  We welcome new members who are patrons of the arts, producers of crowdfunded projects, or curious onlookers.  This is a good place to network and find out what's happening in the wonderful world of cyberfunded creativity.
7. Another helpful community is freestuffday.  Many projects which are funded by tips -- including Free Icon Days, One Card Draws, Fishbowls, and so forth -- are announced there.  Look there for both projects and patrons.
8. Are you on Dreamwidth?  Check out the Crowdfunding community there too.  Some of the posts are the same, while others are different.  Award news will also be posted on the DW community.
9. Add "crowdfunding," "cyberfunded creativity," and/or "weblit" to your Interests. This makes it easier for creative people and potential fans to find each other.
10. Place an appropriate image on your website; there are general ones for promoting the Rose and Bay Awards plus special Nominee badges.

Paypal Account freezes over Donate button

[ankewehner.livejournal.com]

Since a lot of people use the Donate button for crowdfunding or tipjars, this seems important:

Paypal froze Regretsy's account because they used the Donate button for something that was not a "worthy cause". (The fact that their representative said that while collecting money for a sick cat was a worthy cause, collecting money for poor people was a charity, and not worthy, just adds to the WTF-ness, but, either way, I suspect collecting tips would not be considered "worthy", either.)

As far as I can tell, they pulled that policy out of thin air. It's not mentioned on the site where you create buttons, and the "Which button should I chose?" help site describes Donations with "Let customers choose a fixed or variable donation amount" - "customers" implying it's OK for business use, doesn't it?

Anyway, if someone knows of an alternative that does not require you to live in the US and/or to have a credit card, I'd love to hear about it.

Question on accepting tips

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

I just stared in horror at the whole PayPal vs. Regretsy thing, and couldn't even quite wade through everything because I was so appalled. And now I am paranoid about the PayPal Donate button I post on every episode of my serial. Granted, I'm unlikely to get reviewed because I'm not getting huge quantities of money coming through, but it's kind of the principle of the thing.

What thoughts do other folks have on this?

Poetry Fishbowl Open

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

The December 2011 Poetry Fishbowl is now open! Send me prompts about chocolate & other foods, or drop by to read free poetry.

Poetry Fishbowl Open!

[ysabetwordsmith]

The December 2011 Poetry Fishbowl is now open! Send me prompts about chocolate & other foods, or drop by to read free poetry.