Yuletide approaches

[debirlfan]

Since no one else has done this yet, I'm going to jump in and do it. TPTB can whack me with a ruler as needed

Comments

[boosette]

For rules bloat, I think it would be really good to throw all the rules out and rewrite them from scratch, and then to source someone who does documentation as their dayjob to go over it before posting to the community. (In large part because there were a huge number of misunderstandings last year over poor wording in the admin comm posts.)

We have over 10 years of tweaks and edits and explanations that are all piled on top of one another in such a way that I believe the only truly good option is to burn it to the ground and start over from scratch, while trying to make each rule no more than two sentences long.

TLDR Clarity and conciseness are important to me; the current rules are neither of these things.

I would also like to see the 10-year exemption return, so that fandoms which were once active but which had their activity dwindle to nothing or near nothing can be elegible.

[crantz]

You know, that sounds like a good idea. Scrub everything down.

[mme_hardy]

If people want that, documentation is my day job; I do a good readability edit. (Speaking of which, the official yuletide docs are desperately self-contradictory at this point. I remember having problems myself last year, trying to flip between LJ postings and the AO3 page.)

[ext_2142476]

um, yeah. Not just the rules themselves - the posts and basic communications have very much suffered under new leadership that seemed to not prioritize PR and "customer service" as much. Even recently I was baffled by every single Open Doors post, not one of which seemed to come with simple explanations or context regarding what had come before (see also: "the franchise rule" which for years in Yuletide was just referenced as "the franchise rule" as though everybody already knew what exactly the rule was). I'm sure the current mod team is a very capable set of people, but communication has not been shown to be a strong suit, and for a community this large that's not optional. (one also recalls a new mod quitting on day 2 after a few negative member comments...)

[morbane]

While I'm hesitant to hand anyone any matches :D I don't see why anyone can't look at the rules and try to can come up with more elegant phrasings, in all or in part. (Theory is one thing - how about practice?)

Of course, if the mods change any rules based on feedback, some of the results may be moot.

[beatrice_otter]

I don't think we need to torch the rules, but I don't think just cleaning them up is good enough, either. I think what needs to happen is have a group of people who know Yuletide's history get together and talk each rule through: "This was designed to do x and modified because of y, z, A, a', and b. Is there a better way to handle these sorts of issues?"

[boosette]

In a clean document, with none of the rules written down at the beginning of the session.

I think there's a higher chance for internal consistency that way.

[spatz]

Agreed! I've done Yuletide for several years, but had multiple times while reading the edited rules for 2013 where I went, "Wait, we're doing what now? When did that change? Or is the wording just making it sound like it did?"

Of course, having re-written a training manual or two in my time, I know it's a thankless job (for most people), and no wonder the mods have avoided it. But I think it's time. Especially since, as mme_hardy pointed out, the 'official rules' exist in multiple places in contradictory forms. Last year, the *old* YT site even had rules up that were hideously outdated, plus AO3, plus the edits on the comm.

[desert_vixen]

I'd agree with this. It's something I'd be willing to help with.

[heartofoshun]

I have a fair amount of sympathy with that "rules bloat" proposal. But am not volunteering to do the work--I am not good at that kind of thing and I know it! It is true that accretions of rules and regulations over the years do get unwieldy and ever harder to navigate.

[beatrice_otter]

AMEN HALLELUJAH SING IT SISTER!

::cough:: Ahem. Yes, that might be helpful. Slightly

[carmarthen]

+1, although I agree with the comment below that any rules rewrite should take into account the reasons behind the complicated mess of old rules.

But simply because all the complicated exceptions were introduced for a reason doesn't mean it's not a good idea to look at things with a clean slate and see if they can be streamlined into a human-readable document, especially this far in advance when there's no looming deadline pressure. And since fandom DOES evolve, it's quite possible some of the reasons behind some of the complications no longer apply, or there are better ways to handle those situations.

tl;dr at the very least I'd like to see the rules rewritten to be more clear and succinct.

[navaan]

A full rewrite sounds like a perfect idea actually. Clarity is so important.

[sixthbrightest]

I love the sound of the 10-year exemption.

[bookshop]

I would LOVE to see the ten-year exemption return.