DSSS AO3 Collection is Open for Submissions!

[desireearmfeldt]

Hello all!

The AO3 collection is open for submissions!  Are you excited?  We're excited!

Separate posts with detailed instructions about how to post fic / art / podfic / vids will be up soon.

Meanwhile, a couple of notes about submitting your giftwork to the collection:

1) The deadline for posting your giftwork is 11:59 p.m. Chicago time, December 16. You can post any time between now and then.

If you are not going to be able to complete your giftwork, please let the mods know ASAP so we can find a pinch-hitter to make something for your recipient.

2) The collection is moderated, which means that your submitted giftwork will not appear in the collection until the mods approve it.  We will send you an email letting you know that your submission has been approved or alerting you if there is something preventing us from approving it.  You can also check the status of your work in AO3 by going to your "My Assignments" list.

3) You can continue editing your giftwork after it's been posted to the collection.  However, we strongly encourage you to post an as-final-as-possible version: it makes it easier for the mods to review your submission, and you can rest easy knowing that the most you have to do is chase down those last few elusive typos!

If you prefer to post a rough draft and do your edits within AO3, please email the mods to let us know you're doing so, and we will defer looking at your submission until you tell us it's finalized.  If you go this route, do please remember to email us again when you're ready for us to take a look! :)

4) We expect a high standard of quality, meaning that gifts should represent careful effort by the creators, and should be proofread for typos, spelling and similar "rough edges."  If the mods consider your fanwork requires it, you may be asked to correct/revise your work before we can approve it.

5) Remember that ALL primary giftworks need to be beta-ed, including art/vids/podfic.  (For treats, we strongly encourage betas, but do not require them.) If you still need to find a beta, check out the beta volunteer post on DW or or contact the mods at dsss.admin AT gmail DOT com for help.

Finished early? Extra-excited about gift-giving? Starting December 9, requests will be made visible so that people can make Treats for participants, pinch-hitters or mods. Instructions about Treats will be posted then. (But make sure you finish your main gift before getting excited about making extra Treats!)

Works will go live in the evening of December 24th. Reveal Day is January 1st.

Cheering you all on! *\o/*

Posting Instructions for WRITERS

[desireearmfeldt]

These instructions are for posting non-illustrated DSSS stories. Artists, vidders, and podficcers have a different procedure. If you're uploading a story that contains illustrations, you need to use the artists' instructions.

The posting deadline is Saturday 16 December 2017 11:59PM Chicago time. Stories must be at least 1000 words per the AO3's word count, be beta-read and revised, and meet DSSS' quality standards. Your story's word count appears in the header to your work and in all AO3 indexes that include your work. (See AO3 Hints section below for more on word count.)

NOTE: We try to keep the following detailed instructions up to date.  It's possible AO3 has made changes since last December that affect the posting process -- if you find something that's no longer accurate, please let us know and we'll update the instructions!

( Detailed Instructions Below the Cut )

Yikes!  Where’s My Uploaded Work?

The Seekrit Santa exchange is moderated.  This means that when you submit your work, it goes into an approval queue; it won’t appear in the collection until the mods have approved it.

Until works are “revealed,” your submission will not appear in your Works page, or in the due South tag filter.  Do not panic!  This does not mean your draft has fallen down a black hole.  It’s just a little hard to find.

There are three ways you can find your work if you need to edit it:

1) The DSSS 2017 collection’s Works index. If you are logged into AO3, your own work will be visible to you in the index (everyone else’s will be listed as “Mystery Work”). Click on the title to go to the work itself.  You will only be able to see your work here after the mods have approved it.

2) In your “My Assignments” list, find the entry for due South Seekrit Santa 2017. Your work’s title should appear there; clicking on it will take you to the work itself. You will be able to see your work here even before the mods have approved it. There will also be a “Status” for the work in the “My Assignments” list: if it says “Complete!” your work has successfully been posted to the collection.

3) On your own Works page, click the “Works In Collections” button.  (If you can’t find the button, this URL will take you there: http://archiveofourown.org/users/YOUR-NAME/works/collected; replacing “YOUR-NAME” with your AO3 name, of course.) Your work’s title should appear there; clicking on it will take you to the work itself. You will only be able to see your work here after the mods have approved it.

Again, you may edit your uploaded work as much as you like.

Once your fanwork is uploaded, the mods will review and approve it (or contact you if there is an issue that needs to be resolved before approval). Unfortunately, last we checked, AO3 does not send out a notification email when a submission is approved.

AO3 Hints & Further Details

( Hints Below the Cut )

Whew...okay! That should be everything! If you need help with your upload, please consult these instructions first! I know there are a lot of steps, but they're fairly easy and most are entirely optional. If you still have questions specific to your upload OR if something goes horribly wrong, please email us at dsss.admin at gmail & we'll do what we can to help! If it's beyond our understanding, then we can contact AO3 support and bring in the experts.

Note: this year all the mods are in North America, so time zones and RL factors may delay an immediate reply. Be patient!

If you have general questions, email us or comment below! (Comments are visible to all, so be sure to keep seekrit things seekrit!)

Remember, the deadline for posting assigned giftworks is Saturday 16 December 2017 11:59PM Chicago time. We absolutely have to hear from you by then. If we don't, we'll pass your assignment on to a pinch hitter.

Posting Instructions for ARTISTS, VIDDERS or PODFICCERS

[desireearmfeldt]

These instructions are for posting ART, VIDS, or PODFIC. If you're uploading a story that contains illustrations, you MUST use this version.

To maintain secrecy, artists, vidders and podficcers need to either get an external link URL from the mods, or use one that does not give away the artist's identity. Please plan ahead!

(In an AO3 post, if you right-click the image and select "View Image Source" you can see the source, which may have identifying information in it, e.g., ". Alternately, if you right-click and select "View Image", the image will open in a new tab and the image location will appear in the URL. That's why the image locations need to be anonymous. The same goes for vids and podfic. You don't want to give away your seekrit identity with a url.)

Feel free to use your own link/source image if you are confident that it doesn't contain clues to your identity.  If you're not sure, play it safe and ask the mods to host your work on the seekrit server and send you a link.

It isn't the end of the world if we get last second URL requests, but the sooner you upload, the less you'll have to compete with Yuletide to get the page to load.

Credits: In order to maintain secrecy, works by artists, vidders and podficcers should be unsigned or signed as "Your DSSS Santa" until Reveal. (That is, do not record credits that give away your identity on your podfic, or incorporate a signature that gives away your identity into your visual art.) Then after Reveal you can upload a signed version with credits, beta thanks, etc.

The posting deadline is Saturday 16 December 2017 11:59PM Chicago time. Art must be beta-ed and revised, and meet DSSS' quality standards.

When you're ready to upload, please follow these step-by-step instructions.

1) Email the file with your fanwork to us at dsss.admin at gmail dot com. If the file is large, please use a file sharing site like DropBox, MediaFire or SendSpace.

2) We will respond with a url where your fanwork is hosted. (This may take a day or so, depending on your timezone and the mods’ RL schedules.)

3) Upload your work to the DSSS 2017 Collection.

NOTE: We try to keep the following detailed instructions up to date.  It's possible AO3 has made changes since last December that affect the posting process -- if you find something that's no longer accurate, please let us know and we'll update the instructions!



( Detailed Instructions Below the Cut )

Yikes!  Where’s My Uploaded Work?

The Seekrit Santa exchange is moderated.  This means that when you submit your work, it goes into an approval queue; it won’t appear in the collection until the mods have approved it.

Until works are “revealed,” your submission will not appear in your Works page, or in the due South tag filter.  Do not panic!  This does not mean your draft has fallen down a black hole.  It’s just a little hard to find.

There are three ways you can find your work if you need to edit it:

1) The DSSS 2017 collection’s Works index. If you are logged into AO3, your own work will be visible to you in the index (everyone else’s will be listed as “Mystery Work”). Click on the title to go to the work itself.  You will only be able to see your work here after the mods have approved it.

2) In your “My Assignments” list, find the entry for due South Seekrit Santa 2017. Your work’s title should appear there; clicking on it will take you to the work itself. You will be able to see your work here even before the mods have approved it. There will also be a “Status” for the work in the “My Assignments” list: if it says “Complete!” your work has successfully been posted to the collection.

3) On your own Works page, click the “Works In Collections” button.  (If you can’t find the button, this URL will take you there: http://archiveofourown.org/users/YOUR-NAME/works/collected; replacing “YOUR-NAME” with your AO3 name, of course.) Your work’s title should appear there; clicking on it will take you to the work itself.  You will only be able to see your work here after the mods have approved it.

Again, you may edit your uploaded work as much as you like.

Once your fanwork is uploaded, the mods will review and approve it (or contact you if there is an issue that needs to be resolved before approval). Unfortunately, last we checked, AO3 does not send out a notification email when a submission is approved.

( AO3 Hints Below Cut )

Whew...okay! That should be everything! If you need help with your upload, please consult these instructions first! We know there are a lot of steps, but they're fairly easy and most are entirely optional. If you still have questions specific to your upload OR if something goes horribly wrong, please email us at dsss.admin at gmail & we'll do what we can to help! If it's beyond our understanding, then we can contact AO3 support and bring in the experts.

Note: this year all the mods are in North America, so time zones and RL factors may delay an immediate reply. Be patient!

If you have general questions, email us or comment below! (Comments are visible to all, so please be vague about your giftwork's details and recipient!)


Remember, the deadline for posting assigned giftworks is Saturday 16 December 2017 11:59PM Chicago time. We absolutely have to hear from you by then. If we don't, we'll pass your assignment on to a pinch hitter.