Something Important -- Fandom Embarasses Itself
I just read a very interesting post on sunhawk's journal that I wanted to spread the news about.
www.refresheverything.com is a program run by Pepsi where people can vote for charities to get grants. There are different categories as well as 4 levels of funding ranging from $5k up to $250k. People can vote for up to 10 charities each day until the end of the voting cycle. I may have posted about this before, since I was all over this when my library was participating in the round that happened back in August, so if this all sounds familiar, I'm sorry for repeating myself.
The charities that apply to this grant program may differ, but they are valid charities and deserve a second glance.
The issue at hand, which is covered in sunhawk's journal, as well as being summed up best here: http://community.livejournal.com/sf_drama/3095660.html is that the FictionAlley site (a Harry Potter fanfiction archive) has applied as a chairty for the $25k ammount. The way they intend to use the money is not clear, and... it's fucking fanfiction. True, fanfic has enriched my life for the past many years and I believe it's a wonderful tool to get people writing, expressing themselves, meeting others, and any other myriad of excellent benefits that writing can bring. The only issue is that they are competing against Cancer charities or no-kill shelters.
I can't even put my thoughts in order to create a proper explanation here, I'm just so mad and embarrassed that someone might think that, because I'm in fandom, that I'm lumped in with these people.
That is all. I just wanted to spread the word that this is happening, in case you had something to say to it. Also, if you're inclined, please visit the pepsirefresh page and vote on some charities if you find any that interest you. There are some great people out there trying to make a difference, even if it's building a shelter for dogs on their own property.
The good thing about this thing happening is that it reminded me to go over there and vote for more charities.
www.refresheverything.com is a program run by Pepsi where people can vote for charities to get grants. There are different categories as well as 4 levels of funding ranging from $5k up to $250k. People can vote for up to 10 charities each day until the end of the voting cycle. I may have posted about this before, since I was all over this when my library was participating in the round that happened back in August, so if this all sounds familiar, I'm sorry for repeating myself.
The charities that apply to this grant program may differ, but they are valid charities and deserve a second glance.
The issue at hand, which is covered in sunhawk's journal, as well as being summed up best here: http://community.livejournal.com/sf_drama/3095660.html is that the FictionAlley site (a Harry Potter fanfiction archive) has applied as a chairty for the $25k ammount. The way they intend to use the money is not clear, and... it's fucking fanfiction. True, fanfic has enriched my life for the past many years and I believe it's a wonderful tool to get people writing, expressing themselves, meeting others, and any other myriad of excellent benefits that writing can bring. The only issue is that they are competing against Cancer charities or no-kill shelters.
I can't even put my thoughts in order to create a proper explanation here, I'm just so mad and embarrassed that someone might think that, because I'm in fandom, that I'm lumped in with these people.
That is all. I just wanted to spread the word that this is happening, in case you had something to say to it. Also, if you're inclined, please visit the pepsirefresh page and vote on some charities if you find any that interest you. There are some great people out there trying to make a difference, even if it's building a shelter for dogs on their own property.
The good thing about this thing happening is that it reminded me to go over there and vote for more charities.