2011 amplificathon faq!
welcome to the fourth annual amplificathon faq!
what the heck is this amplificathon challenge thing?
the amplificathon is a points-based podfic-creating challenge. podfics, in case you haven't heard, are audio recordings of fanfic.
who is running this thing and why?
your co-mods are aphelant, were_duck, and our lovely tagging-mod, cybel. they are in general agreement about podfic (they like it) and diversity of fandoms/within fandoms (they like that even more). they enjoy both listening to, supporting, encouraging, and recording podfic. general_jinjur, ‘thon creator, maintains the multifandom podfic archive, audiofic.
the audiofic archive is heavily weighted toward fandoms that have grabbed hold of the idea and run with it, but we all still think it would be nice if we could help that to balance out a bit, in the interest of offering something for everyone.
what's the timeframe & what are the deadlines?
challenge begins april 4, and ends eleven weeks later, on june 20 - right around the beginning of summer. because summer is peak audiobook listening time, and wouldn't it be nice to bump up the number of fics to choose from?
do i need to sign up or tell anyone what i am going to record?
no. that way lies overcommitment. if you do it, join the comm and post it! if you want to do more, do more! it's all up to you. no pressure! unless you like pressure, in which case feel free to announce your to-do list in your lj, and pretend we are breathing down your neck about it.
do i have to allow archiving of my recording?
yes. i mean, the whole point is to share the results. but after the whole shebang is over, if you really don't want the file archived, it will be removed. we only ask in that case that you allow it to be publicly available for six months first.
what about crossposting?
you can post about your recording and/or link to it wherever you want. it's yours. but posting about it in this community gets your challenge points counted. :D
what format should i save my file in? what sound quality should i save my file as?
mp3, please! if you wind up with a different format, we might be able to convert it. mp3 is the most universally accessible. alternate additional formats are great too, but they may not be uploaded to the archive until after the challenge is over, depending on how much free time the archivists have.
bitrate and sound quality are up to the reader. some people hear a tinniness in lower quality files, some don't. it's up to you.
do i need to prove that i have the author's permission?
we expect all participants to have a basic grasp of etiquette, and to ask the author whenever the author hasn't already given a blanket permission. if you wrote the story yourself, probably this step isn't necessary. :p we aren't going to check up on you, in any case. how would we, anyway? notarized letters?
is it okay to add sounds other than me reading to my podfic?
of course! sound effects, music clips, etc. can all add to a podfic recording. we do suggest, however, that you limit music to clips used as an enhancement, only - we want to hear your voice!
what are the minimum and maximum lengths of a recording?
there are no time or file size constraints. drabbles are okay, too.
what if i want to create a collaborative podfic with more than one reader?
then the points count for all of the readers. and also? that would be awesome.
how do i upload files?
well, you can use yousendit or megaupload or whatever. or your own webspace. or if the file is under 20 MB, you can email it as an attachment to audmod at gmail dot com. the mods will upload it in turn to a permanent home in the archive in as timely a manner as possible, and comment on your post/reply to your email with the permanent link.
i want to get the maximum points possible for each recording! how do i find small or unrepresented fandom stories?
find stories your usual way! do your favorites. but if you are trying to maximize your points, we encourage you to find stories in fandoms you are interested in via reccers and recs sites. larger fandoms have their own communities as well, and don't forget that just because a fandom is otherwise big and active doesn't mean it's well-represented with podfic! you can read your own stories, or other people's writing - that part's totally up to you. :)
some handy links:
recsrainbow (multifandom recs comm)
the rck's recs (multifandom reccer)
makesmewannadie's recs tag, and her reccing the reccers post (multifandom reccer)
thefourthvine (multifandom reccer)
crack_van (multifandom recs comm)
newbieguide (multifandom directory comm)
yuletide fandom index (small fandoms)
polyamorous recs (multifandom recs site)
and there's always delicious.com, of course.
what if i record a multi-chapter story in multiple parts? do i get points for each part? what if i have an existing multipart project?
go you! and no. you can only count a project once. if you have an existing multipart project and manage to finish it within the eleven week timeframe, post to the community and we'll count it toward your score.
what if i record a non-english language story?
you get a bonus! :) you will receive a 5 pt bonus for each non-english story, and an additional 5 pt bonus if the language was previously unrepresented!
the list of non-english languages that pre-exist in the archive are: finnish, french, gaelic, german, norwegian, spanish and swedish!
who will win and how? and what do they win?
the people with the top 3 scores, according to the scheme outlined here (not including the mods, even if they suddenly feel really energetic, natch) get a prize! the prize is worldwide acclaim! (seeing how the mods and participants are in at least a couple of countries, this is pretty easy.) the prizes also may include: a podbook anthology of each winner's works; custom read-to-order podfics; shmancy prize graphics. SO MANY PRIZES.
if you have other ideas for prizes that you think are awesome (and, you know: feasible), give us a holler! the only thing we love better than podfic is giving people prizes, seriously.
what is the end result of all of this?
more podfic for everyone! multifandom love! also, the first new-fandom file from the first twenty participants might be put together into a podbook anthology album, sampler-style.
what the heck is this amplificathon challenge thing?
the amplificathon is a points-based podfic-creating challenge. podfics, in case you haven't heard, are audio recordings of fanfic.
who is running this thing and why?
your co-mods are aphelant, were_duck, and our lovely tagging-mod, cybel. they are in general agreement about podfic (they like it) and diversity of fandoms/within fandoms (they like that even more). they enjoy both listening to, supporting, encouraging, and recording podfic. general_jinjur, ‘thon creator, maintains the multifandom podfic archive, audiofic.
the audiofic archive is heavily weighted toward fandoms that have grabbed hold of the idea and run with it, but we all still think it would be nice if we could help that to balance out a bit, in the interest of offering something for everyone.
what's the timeframe & what are the deadlines?
challenge begins april 4, and ends eleven weeks later, on june 20 - right around the beginning of summer. because summer is peak audiobook listening time, and wouldn't it be nice to bump up the number of fics to choose from?
do i need to sign up or tell anyone what i am going to record?
no. that way lies overcommitment. if you do it, join the comm and post it! if you want to do more, do more! it's all up to you. no pressure! unless you like pressure, in which case feel free to announce your to-do list in your lj, and pretend we are breathing down your neck about it.
do i have to allow archiving of my recording?
yes. i mean, the whole point is to share the results. but after the whole shebang is over, if you really don't want the file archived, it will be removed. we only ask in that case that you allow it to be publicly available for six months first.
what about crossposting?
you can post about your recording and/or link to it wherever you want. it's yours. but posting about it in this community gets your challenge points counted. :D
what format should i save my file in? what sound quality should i save my file as?
mp3, please! if you wind up with a different format, we might be able to convert it. mp3 is the most universally accessible. alternate additional formats are great too, but they may not be uploaded to the archive until after the challenge is over, depending on how much free time the archivists have.
bitrate and sound quality are up to the reader. some people hear a tinniness in lower quality files, some don't. it's up to you.
do i need to prove that i have the author's permission?
we expect all participants to have a basic grasp of etiquette, and to ask the author whenever the author hasn't already given a blanket permission. if you wrote the story yourself, probably this step isn't necessary. :p we aren't going to check up on you, in any case. how would we, anyway? notarized letters?
is it okay to add sounds other than me reading to my podfic?
of course! sound effects, music clips, etc. can all add to a podfic recording. we do suggest, however, that you limit music to clips used as an enhancement, only - we want to hear your voice!
what are the minimum and maximum lengths of a recording?
there are no time or file size constraints. drabbles are okay, too.
what if i want to create a collaborative podfic with more than one reader?
then the points count for all of the readers. and also? that would be awesome.
how do i upload files?
well, you can use yousendit or megaupload or whatever. or your own webspace. or if the file is under 20 MB, you can email it as an attachment to audmod at gmail dot com. the mods will upload it in turn to a permanent home in the archive in as timely a manner as possible, and comment on your post/reply to your email with the permanent link.
i want to get the maximum points possible for each recording! how do i find small or unrepresented fandom stories?
find stories your usual way! do your favorites. but if you are trying to maximize your points, we encourage you to find stories in fandoms you are interested in via reccers and recs sites. larger fandoms have their own communities as well, and don't forget that just because a fandom is otherwise big and active doesn't mean it's well-represented with podfic! you can read your own stories, or other people's writing - that part's totally up to you. :)
some handy links:
recsrainbow (multifandom recs comm)
the rck's recs (multifandom reccer)
makesmewannadie's recs tag, and her reccing the reccers post (multifandom reccer)
thefourthvine (multifandom reccer)
crack_van (multifandom recs comm)
newbieguide (multifandom directory comm)
yuletide fandom index (small fandoms)
polyamorous recs (multifandom recs site)
and there's always delicious.com, of course.
what if i record a multi-chapter story in multiple parts? do i get points for each part? what if i have an existing multipart project?
go you! and no. you can only count a project once. if you have an existing multipart project and manage to finish it within the eleven week timeframe, post to the community and we'll count it toward your score.
what if i record a non-english language story?
you get a bonus! :) you will receive a 5 pt bonus for each non-english story, and an additional 5 pt bonus if the language was previously unrepresented!
the list of non-english languages that pre-exist in the archive are: finnish, french, gaelic, german, norwegian, spanish and swedish!
who will win and how? and what do they win?
the people with the top 3 scores, according to the scheme outlined here (not including the mods, even if they suddenly feel really energetic, natch) get a prize! the prize is worldwide acclaim! (seeing how the mods and participants are in at least a couple of countries, this is pretty easy.) the prizes also may include: a podbook anthology of each winner's works; custom read-to-order podfics; shmancy prize graphics. SO MANY PRIZES.
if you have other ideas for prizes that you think are awesome (and, you know: feasible), give us a holler! the only thing we love better than podfic is giving people prizes, seriously.
what is the end result of all of this?
more podfic for everyone! multifandom love! also, the first new-fandom file from the first twenty participants might be put together into a podbook anthology album, sampler-style.