Discussing: Challenge Assistants
Re: Challenge Assistants
So without further adieu, here are some of the things that a Challenges Assistant could do.
1. Prospective Challenges Watcher
When someone posts to this forum, you would repllly to them about the challenge idea. Try to get people excited about it. If a piecce gets five volunteers, then you would handle setting up the challenge so that it appears in the Challenges section of the website.
This job needs a lot of energy and an ability to get others excited. You also need to be available pretty regularly. It doesn't require a lot of time, but it can be hard to predict when you might be needed.
2. Birthday Drabbles Manager
A little before the beginning of each month you would post a new thread to the Birthday Drabbles thread inviting people with birthdays that month to post requests for drabblers. You would watch that forum, and if a thread reaches fifty posts or more you would start a new thread. You'd also set up a challenge for the birthday drabbles to go into. These drabble requests are very much like challenges and almost always there are five or more written in a month, so it makes sense to create a challenge out of them, and display them to site visitors in the public side of Challenges.
This is probably one of the easiest and funnest parts of challenges. It requires maybe an hour of work at the beginning of the month and you should also check in every few days just to make sure none of the threads are over fifty posts.
3. Closing Challenges
When a challenge reaches its closing date, you will take care of closing it. You will do one of three things with it depending on the type of entries that have been entered into it:
a. If it has four or fewer stories - change its status to "nuzgul".
b. If it has five or fewer stories and no entries set to display to the public - change its status to "closed challenge".
c. If it has five or fewer stories and at least one entry set to display to the public - change itgs status to "closed challenge" and set it to display on the public side of the site.
May sound like a lot, but I will give you clear step-by-step instructions on how to do this and will explain it as many times as you like. RiverOtter or myself will also be available if you're ever confused.
This job doesn't require much time, but yuou do need to be able to close challenges in a timely fashion. If you will be away you can ask someone else to close challenges for you, you just have to tell us beforehand.
And that's about it! There are some other less formal ways that you can help Challenges. Just stay informed about what's available in Challenges and talk it up if you see it discussed anywhere. For example, if there is a discussion somewhere about Boromir's infamous "How many years?" question you could point out that there is a challenge about that at HASA, if poeple are interested in looking at those stories.
What are we looking for? RiverOtter said that we like adult assistants because they can handle challenges that have adult material with them. We have had several challenges dealing with sexuality, and if an assistant doesn't want to deal with those either because they are a minor or for personal reasons, they can ask to have another assistant handle it. So if you're a minor we could still use your help. Those challenges are really pretty rare, actually.
More important is a lot of energy and an ability to have fun. Challenges have to be enjoyable for other people to get involved, so CAs should be able to get other people excited but at the same time enforce policies that Challenges has. Also, it's important to be available fairly regularly, every few days or so. A familiarity with the site helps but isn't necessary.
Does this sound like something you'd be interested in? Don't worry if you feel like you don't understand enough yet just how you'd do this. I will be glad to explain to you the technical side of things, and RiverOtter, myself, and the other challenges assistants won't leave you to do your job alone. It can be a lot of fun, and it's a great way to give back to HASA.
If you are interested, please post here, or email me.
Marta
Re: Challenge Assistants
Re: Challenge Assistants
Re: Challenge Assistants
RiverOtter is right, you don't have to do all of this stuff. So far two other people have volunteered, and since I identified three major areas where we need help three helpers would be perfect. Then one of you could watch the birthday forum, another one could handle setting up new challenges, and the third could make sure they're closed on time - and you guys could rotate every now and then if you like, so you don't get bored. Or not, it would be up to you.
Did one of these areas seem like something in particular you'd be interested in? The way you've handled that Realizations challenge, I think you'd be good at setting challenges up, but it's completely up to you.
I just sent a long email to the two who have expressed an interest privately, giving lots of step-by-step instructions on how to do things like setting up and closing challenges. It's a bit long and I'm sure there are some things I've forgotten to explain, but it is a sort of rough handbook for challenges assistants.
I've just closed down my email but will forward it to you tomorrow night when I get home from work. And you know me from the MEFAs, I think? I love questions, and so if my first attempt at explaining isn't clear please do feel free to ask.
Marta
PS - Will respond to your questions in the Realizations thread tomorrow, work permitting. It's late and I'm only doing challenges stuff because I couldn't sleep but really should try to get on to bed.
Re: Challenge Assistants
Re: Challenge Assistants
Re: Challenge Assistants
Yes, we'd still love your help. Sorry for the delay! MEFAs claimed all of my online time last night, and I only just sent those instructions this morning. I also sent you an email through the HASA contact form about what I hope you and our other two volunteers can do.
Let me know if you don't receive that.
Marta
Re: Challenge Assistants
Are you still needing help? I can't email here from work so I thought I'd just reply to this thread. I'm fairly new to HASA but not to the Fandom and I'd be interested in getting more involved. I don't know that I could do the Birthday Drabbles Manager position just because it seems more extensive but I can help out on one of the others if you still need someone. And yes, I'm over 18 as well 
