Subject: I'd love to help...
Author:
Posted on: 2014-02-10 07:33:00 UTC
...but I don't think I can. I don't know Photoshop (I can work with GIMP a little, but I'm not a design mage in any way), and I don't think I could write for the MM, seeing as I don't have permission (not that I'm complaining).
I'd still love to help though.
I generally love the idea though.
All right, so it's looking like we're leaning towards "publish actual issues only for big events and stuff, leave it assumed issues are coming out the rest of the time too". Do we have anybody up for pitching in on the actual content front? We have a few people up for doing photoshop but articles have to be written, news to be found, etc. as well.
That's newsworthy.
Maybe a feature on PTSD on missions? Because I just wrote a mission where Christianne's backstory comes into play again when she gets triggered by something the Sue does.
Hmm. Maybe some more reviews, a mention or two of the Extremely Lifelike Statues, and... anyone else got newsworthy things?
Except for Al's Waiter and yourself we don't really have a lot of people actually stepping up willing and able to help with the actual content, which is why I asked. We can probably fill up an issue with stuff like that though, yeah, and maybe work up a fictional news item or two; it probably wouldn't be laid out too differently from the past few issues we did.
(Speaking of the ELSes, will we be doing those radio things bimonthly like WTNV?)
It sounds like we're going to work on an issue for the Continuity Council thing, so give me your e-mail and I'll cut you in. What I'm probably going to do is send it to everybody who's said they're interested in this thread.
It's not actually that big a deal, either way. We can label the issue as being for the month the CC was founded - that's part of what makes the option we're going with so flexible.
...with a whopping two contributions to the Monitor in the past, I suggest that we follow the third option and only publish when something big happens. It's just better in terms of Real Life: that way, we only need to contribute stuff on an occasional business. Deadlines are my worst enemy.
Yeah though, I'm noticing a trend of nobody really being able/willing to pitch in except Al's Waiter so as much as I'd like to do 1 or 2 and think it's doable with a couple active people, suddenly not sure how feasible it is. :P
Looks like Lily's already said her piece, and I for one would love to have you aboard! You two can alternate or you can take over if Lily gets too overwhelmed, we can probably hash that out later. If you've got an e-mail I could talk this stuff over with you too.
(With somebody on design stuff, either 1 or 2 are much more feasible if we can get some people actively willing and able to do writing, too. So yay!)
alswaiter@gmail.com
I've been outputting it as PDFs, so yeah.
Right about when I joined the Board, back in 2003, I have vague memories of the first incarnation of the Multiverse Monitor (this being the third). It was an out-of-continuity newsletter-type-thing which included, among other things, a Plotbunny Adoption Centre.
In my admittedly-vague memories, I'm inclined to think you were somehow involved. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about, and if so, do you remember any more details?
hS
As apposed to a year or so, it lasted a few weeks. Six editorials for six issues is not very many, though they may have got a few out before I did the editorials. I don't honestly recall. I also seem to remember the last issue took a lot to get out. *shrug*
I have a vague recollection of doing a few things more than just that for the MM, but I don't remember what. I've started getting old and the internet ten years ago seems so far away. Memory isn't what it used to be.
~AW~
Although... wait, you've somehow managed to forget what must have been the most important act of your life - one might even say the pinnacle, nay, the culmination of your very existence - the act of taking part in the creation of the glorious[Citation needed] Multiverse Monitor? Inconceivable!
hS
I've loved reading all the MM and personally, I would go for Option 1. But seeing that it needs a rather big amount of effort to compile one issue, I'd say, go for Option 2. Like Lily said below, you could publish an issue of the establishment of the Time Lord Continuity Council. I'd love to read that. :)
~Autumn
A bit down the thread I broke down how much effort it would probably need to compile issues. In short: not that massive, but I need people who are willing to be actively involved issue after issue or we're dead in the water.
...but I don't think I can. I don't know Photoshop (I can work with GIMP a little, but I'm not a design mage in any way), and I don't think I could write for the MM, seeing as I don't have permission (not that I'm complaining).
I'd still love to help though.
I generally love the idea though.
My thought had been I already have experience both as a PPCer and journalist so all that would just come with the territory of me checking everybody's stuff to make sure it's good, but if anyone's interested in stepping up and doing that, they can feel free.
I haven't Permission, nor am I likely to get it anytime in the near future, so I probably won't be of any use, but I definitely support the rejuvenation of the MM.
-Aila
. . . just compile entries from various people over time, and put them together when there are enough. That way the timing isn't so demanding. We could still do dedicated issues for big events.
The drawback is that the span of time between stories might not make sense in a single monthly issue, but I don't think we need to be that strict, anyway. Perhaps these versions are digests that collect articles from past years' MMs, being red by agents in the future?
I don't like the idea of altering the nature of the in-continuity MM. But a possibility is doing smaller releases out of continuity except for when events merit making the full one - the understanding would be the full issue is still what's being made and read by the PPC agents, but what we see is different. That's pretty much all that seems to be forming though...
It could even reference the articles we aren't seeing (specifically in the comments sections, although also possibly in interviews or articles)...it could work! And that way, once we've got, say, a limit of four or five pieces (articles, interviews, ads or a series of ads, comments section(s)), it could be published...with the understanding that the 'real' issue contains more.
It could work...
~DF
Once we have an idea of what shape this is all taking we can put heads together and figure out what the heck.
The establishment of the Time Lord Continuity Council, for instance, is newsworthy and I've been meaning to do something about it.
However, given my style for extreme attention to detail I am not certain if I will have the time to do layout, design, and/or writing all the time, so I am also definitely supportive of the third option.
Regularly monthly options seems tiring on my end. College does that to you, and I'm looking at a writing position on my college's satirical news show, so I wouldn't have much time for MM anyway if I get in.
Which is to say, you don't really need to take over on everything, we can always hash out organisational stuff for a given issue and I can deal with directing writing and such while leaving layout to you or whomever's around for the times you're not available. I might have a harder time with that now I work for my paper again and am trying to get schooling started back up, but as long as we can get some people actually present and not flaking out it's doable.
Totally get where you're coming from though, which is why I've presented the options as we talked about them in the e-mail. :P
Then I would be in charge of layout and design while you direct the writing. I mean, we might as well play to our strengths since everyone here is a decent writer to some degree.
My point being like you could take mostly a backseat until that point and I can direct people for actually putting together stories, if it'd work better for you that way. And if all else fails, we can release issues as gdocs until you're available to do design, then update with the laid-out version.
We might be able to make this sync with the production cycle of the Wellesley College TV show thing that I'm applying to. Provided, of course, that I do get in.
They put out an episode every two weeks, and the first week is more writer intensive than the second, so...
Let's see how much support this gets from other Boarders, but I'd be interested in hashing that out once there's more an idea of which way the wind is blowing.
What if we made it a bi-monthly thing instead of a monthly thing? It would be a lot of work to make it happen on a monthly basis, and I think if we spaced it across two months that would be easier on everyone. But I don't know. If push comes to shove, the third option doesn't sound too bad, and it could actually help to flesh out the PPC's universe a bit.
Either way, I would love the Monitor to return, so whatever it takes to bring it back would be awesome!
In theory, doing it as a monthly thing isn't that much extra work. We need people on hand and need to figure out a) what to do about content and b) some kind of organised plan to tackle the issue, but my school's paper puts together issues with a similar amount of content every week, and some of the more active people can take on multiple things (I'll probably be doing so). Bi-monthly is /doable/, but my worry is at that point it gets a bit too easy to lose track or forget about - monthly seems to hit that sweet zone of not so often there's no time to get content but not so rarely people drift off.
Yeah, that's a good point. I just worry that the opposite would be true--that a month becomes too much work for everyone--but I guess that's also true that it would be easier to forget stuff.
No matter what, I'll go with whatever you guys go with, but I'd like to see a semi-regular Monitor again.