frequently asked questions!

[anr]

GENERAL INFORMATION

Didn't this community used to be called something else?

Yes.

Why did you change it?

So more people could find it.

If you want more people to find you, why do we need to submit a request to join and why are all the entries friends-locked?

So people can make an active decision to read the content of this community. Also? To help avoid robots and the like from "archiving" people's posts without their knowledge.

But I don't want to friends-lock my story -- I want the whole wide world of the web to read it!

Post your fic to your own journal/website/whatever and then post just the header information and a link to the fic in the community.

I can't read any of the posts!

Have you joined the community?

I joined the community and I still can't read any of the posts!

Are you logged into your account?

Why aren't any of the posts showing up on my friends-list?

Have you friended the community?

FIC POSTING

Can I post my fic to the community? It contains:

a. [bsg actor] or [bsg actor]/[bsg actor] or [bsg actor]/[other fandom actor]?
          Yes.
b. [bsg character] or [bsg character]/[bsg character] or [bsg character]/[other fandom character]?
          No.
c. [other fandom actor] or [other fandom actor]/[other fandom actor]?
          No.
d. [other fandom character] or [other fandom character]/[other fandom character]?
          No.

Can I post slash or femslash to the community?

Yes, providing it's clearly marked as such.

Can I post R or NC17 rated fics to the community?

Yes, providing it's clearly marked as such.

What information should I include with my fic?

At a minimum, your fic should include the following header information:
          Title
          Author
          Rating
          Summary
          Pairing

Is there anything else I should do when posting fic to the community?

If you're posting your entire story, then you need to lj-cut it.
If you're posting a link to your story, then it needs to be a valid url.

What's an lj-cut?

lj-cut's essentially "hide" the bulk of your post. This helps to keep both the community and everyone's friends-lists nice and tidy looking, and also gives people a chance to make a choice about whether they want to read your story or not.

How do I make an lj-cut?

Put "<lj-cut>" where you want the cut to start, ideally this would be just before the first paragraph of your story. Then put "</lj-cut>" where you want the cut to end, again, ideally, this would be after the last paragraph of your story. For more help on lj-cut's (and other livejournal-specific tags), please visit here.

Do I need to get my story beta-read before I post it to the community?

It would be very much appreciated if you could.

Why can't I assign any tags to my story? Other stories have them!

All stories are eventually given tags and added to the communities memories page by myself. This is usually done once every couple of months, give or take.

OTHER POSTING

Can I make a post as soon as I join, introducing myself to the list and telling them a little bit about me?

If your introduction also includes a fic, then yes. If it doesn't include a fic, then you should introduce yourself here. This allows us to keep all the introductions in one easy to find place and keeps the community uncluttered.

Can I make a request for a particular type of fic? Or challenge people to write something?

If your request also includes a fic of your own, then yes. If it doesn't include a fic, then you should make your request here. This allows us to keep all the requests and challenges in one easy to find place and keeps the community uncluttered.

But those posts are really old! How will anyone know that I've commented on them?

Both these posts are visible in this community's links list, as well as here in this FAQ. Also LJ's "tracking" feature allows users to monitor comments on a post (simply click on the "track this" icon at the top of the page and all future comments on those posts will be emailed to you directly). Trust me, if someone's really interested in your fic request idea, or wants to respond to your introduction, they will know.

I'm running (or part of) an rpf ficathon and want to let the members of this community know about it -- can I post about that without including a fic?

Yes. This is the one exception to the "fic posts only" rule.

I have an rpf and/or Battlestar Galactica fic community -- can I post about that without including a fic?

No.

But you just said that ficathons were okay! How is another fic community any different?

Because, selfishly, we want bsgrpf fic posted here, not on your community (shiny though it may be). Because ficathons are about encouraging the writing of new fic, not the inevitable cross-posting of the same fic on two/five/ten different communities. And, finally, because I said so.

Can I post icons/wallpapers/music/interview-links/spoilers/rants-about-my-sucky-day to the community?

Only if you have a fic attached to it.

Can I ask for money in exchange for writing my rpf?

Only if you work for a tabloid.

I don't care, I'm going to post my icons/wallpapers/interview-links/community-info/fic-requests/introduction (without a fic) to the community anyway!

And I'm going to delete it. Cheers!

MISCELLANEOUS

This FAQ didn't help!

If you have any problems, questions or concerns, then feel free to contact anr at anr[at]livejournal[dot]com.

I think you're all sick and twisted and writing rpf is morally wrong!

Thank you. I know how difficult it must have been for you to find the time to locate this community, request to join it, wait for the subsequent approval email, and then make this statement to show us the error of our ways. Now that you have, of course, we will immediately close the community and cease writing rpf forever and ever, amen.

No, really.

This FAQ was last updated on 14 September 2007.

Comments

[bantha-fodder.livejournal.com]

Maybe the FAQ should be unlocked?

[anr]

Yeah, it is now. You caught me before I had a chance to go back and change the setting. Ta! :)

[bantha-fodder.livejournal.com]

Sorry! I'm clearly procrastinating and looking for things to do this evening.

[anr]

Quite alright. :)

If you want something to do, you could always write some happy katee/jamie...? ;)

[bantha-fodder.livejournal.com]

I feel that you probably havae some alterior motives in suggesting I do that...

PS thank you for instituting these rules, Ness.

[anr]

... ulterior motives? Me?! o.O

Please? */begs*

Also? You're very welcome. :)

[gobsmackit.livejournal.com]

Seriously? Probably the best community FAQ I've read. Mad props!

[anr]

heh. Thanks! :)

[calita.livejournal.com]

Can I ask for money in exchange for writing my rpf?

Only if you work for a tabloid.

Frakking brilliant! Thanks for the work you put into doing all of this Ness. :)

[anr]

heh. Danke. Tis my pleasure. :)

[isography.livejournal.com]

What do we do if we have made icons for the specific purpose of proselytizing bsg rpf-ish situations? (For example, KS/JB icons.) Are we allowed to post those here?

[anr]

If there's a fic attached -- sure. If not then, no, not really. It's really a fic-only community.

[thenewhope.livejournal.com]

bsg_flashfic is now accepting BSGRPF. I'd love to get the word out to the members here. can I make a pimp post/have you pimp for me? or should I wrangle up that unfinished Katee/Grace crackfic I have lying around somewhere and post the pimp along with that?

[braves2010.livejournal.com]

I have joined the site and cant access the fics can someone tell me how to do this please?

[anr]

It sometimes takes me a couple of days to approve memberships -- you should be able to see the stories by now.

[nowcarpediem.livejournal.com]

Would you be interested in affying with my everyfandomfest comm, which is a - 'Every Fandom Fest' community for all fandoms including anime/manga, books, comics, crossovers, movies, real person (all types), tv, video games [in case you were wondering].

[anr]

Thanks! I appreciate the offer, but I'm not affiliating the community with any others at this time.

[christ-chexx-4u.livejournal.com]

so, i did not see a specific category, yes or no, for bsg actor/bsg character. in this case, it's james callis/head!six. would that be suitable for posting?

[anr]

Yep, that would be fine.

[christ-chexx-4u.livejournal.com]

cool, thanks for the quick response!

[anr]

no problem. Happy writing!