Lights, Camera, Translation!

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2015-10-11 16:06:03 UTC

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Different Tropes for Different Folks – OTW Membership Drive October 2015

Check out the long list of languages this post is available in! Here's the story of how they got there:

One month ago…

Membership drive content begins reaching the OTW Translation committee. This is only the beginning; it won't stop coming until the drive starts. Getting everything finished on time in all languages is a challenge that will require extensive coordination, a huge commitment from all 170+ volunteers, and a lot of fireworks when everything's over.

As soon as a post is written, Translation staff coordinators create a document for each language and assign it to a translator with a short deadline. Once translators finish their tasks, it will be time for betas to review each document. Everyone is exchanging countless messages discussing their translations and polling their respective language teams for opinions.

Three weeks ago…

Translators and betas are being assigned to the text that will appear on the drive graphics. Staff and volunteers will work together to make translated versions of the images in every language, adapting the graphics as needed. Language teams will double-check and approve each image at the end.

Ten days ago…

Everyone is in a madcap rush to complete all the posts and graphics in all languages. (There are lots and lots of checklists.) A few change requests from other committees have come in, meaning staff needs to note the changes on the document for each language, contact the relevant translators and betas, and track which ones have been updated. It's a bit of a scramble, especially those few last-minute edits!

Five days ago...

It's a wrap! The committee celebrated each team individually as they finished all the drive content, and today they're throwing a party on chat with tons of gifs and virtual confetti. Their work isn't quite done, though.

Earlier today...

Several Translation members are gathering to upload the translations of this post to AO3 News and the OTW website. Each will check the post in their own language one last time for mistakes, of course. (Just in case!)

Now

We hope you enjoyed these flashbacks to how this post and its translations came together! Your support makes the OTW's mission and projects possible. To continue empowering the work of these translators as well as hundreds of other OTW volunteers, please make a donation.

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impertinence Sun 11 Oct 2015 05:09PM UTC

Hi guys, I am still waiting on answers to the following questions:
- Is it true the OTW is currently operating and fundraising with no budget? If so, how do you justify doing so without disclosing directly to users who've asked you?
- Is it true that the OTW is currently in possession of two PayPal accounts, both of which are viewed as the organization's, and both of which are listed on balance sheets? If so, how do you justify allowing donors to continue to donate through PayPal while being actively in violation of PayPal's terms of service?
- Does the OTW have any plans to remediate inconsistencies in accounting and bookkeeping?
- Does the OTW have the ability to demonstrate lack of financial wrongdoing (ie embezzlement of funds) if asked?
Thank you!

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1. locusinbloom (Fractual_Visions) Mon 12 Oct 2015 01:24AM UTC
  
  I'm glad you saw the post where they responded to your questions! I've always felt like the OTW works hard to be open with us, but it's good to ask questions and keep people accountable.
  
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2. 1. impertinence Mon 12 Oct 2015 01:26AM UTC
    
    Yes, I am very glad they have responded. My impression of the OTW has been that they try for transparency but in the past have maybe not had a thorough grasp on what "transparency" consists of - which is not really an uncommon problem, I run into the same thing at my IRL corporate job as well! But improvement is a good thing and I'm excited to see it. :)
    
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syllic Sun 11 Oct 2015 05:11PM UTC

(First things first: thank you so much to all the Translation Committee volunteers. While I communicate primarily in English, it is not my first language, and the time and effort--and talent, because translation is an art as much as it is a skill--that goes into making OTW/AO3 information and services available in different languages is amazing to me. I am grateful.)
Dear OTW Board,
I'd like to take this opportunity not only to acknowledge the remarkable work done by the Translation Committee as outlined in this post but also to respectfully reiterate my suggestion to the Board that it considers deviating from its fundraising communications strategy in order to issue a formal statement regarding the serious concerns OTW stakeholders have been raising over the last week.
It has been correctly and fairly pointed out by many that providing answers to the questions raised could take time. That's not only acceptable, but expected. There have been some time-sensitive questions raised (the potential circumvention/violation of the PayPal TOS being the most pressing), but by and large we are talking about identifying structural, organisational, and regulatory gaps and formulating a strategy to address them. This is challenging.
I am not suggesting the OTW needs to provide answers tomorrow; the priority should be to answer comprehensively. I would, however, greatly welcome seeing a timeline for addressing the concerns and providing satisfactory answers to the questions raised, and I would encourage you to make that timeline as demanding as possible (taking into account constraints related to the volunteer nature of the work carried out by OTW staff).
If you need additional funds (though my best-practice advice would be to use the funds you already have, as meeting a high organisational standard for accountability and transparency should be a priority of any serious non-profit), I add my voice to venusm's here and welcome considering different options for ensuring that an audit, or some other formal assessment, is carried out.
I would also encourage you to pay for the expertise of someone who can help OTW develop codified, best-practice-based, financial and general transparency guidelines, and train all relevant staffers/Board Members in how to follow and enforce them.
I urge you not to continue the current approach of silence, obfuscation, or dismissal of people's concerns. It is severely impacting on your capacity to maintain stakeholder trust and engagement. I would welcome a formal statement that (i) acknowledges receipt of the questions and concerns in these threads, ideally enumerating them and inviting people to contribute if one has been missed out and (ii) outlines a strategy for addressing these concerns, ideally with specific target dates. I made a (very brief) suggestion of what this could look like here, and I am available to help if you believe I can be of use.
At this point the number of issues or questions raised may seem overwhelming. I fully understand that OTW is staffed by volunteers and that this kind of assessment process is demanding. I hope you will contract help where necessary and please rest assured that for me, AO3/OTW is primarily a community that is supportive, open, and understanding, and I call on all of us who have concerns to provide the Board with support and resources where we can.
In responding to these requests, I would urge the Board to consider that the OTW's current assets, and your ongoing fundraising campaign, both place a serious obligation on the organisation to respond to stakeholder concerns and to ensure OTW is functioning transparently, regardless of the volunteer nature of its staff.
I have made the decision to write you so formally because that, too, is best practice, and I want to practice what I preach.
Yours sincerely,
Syllic

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Ex-Volunteer (Guest) Sun 11 Oct 2015 05:24PM UTC

So, why exactly don't you let your precious translation volunteers become members (and vote) by refusing to track their hours? Someone can make 40+ hours/week contribution and you still require them to pay you to become a member. I didn't exactly feel empowered working for you.

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1. OTW_Translation (Official) Sun 11 Oct 2015 06:14PM UTC
  
  Hi,
  According to the OTW's bylaws, only people who donate US$10 or more can become members. No volunteers or staffers anywhere in the OTW, regardless of how many hours they dedicate to the organisation, can become a member unless they donate. If that were to change in the future, it would be up to the OTW Board, in consultation with the Legal committee, to examine and decide. I'm very sorry!
  Best,
  Priscilla
  OTW Translation
  
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2. 1. Ex-Volunteer (Guest) Sun 11 Oct 2015 06:21PM UTC
    
    That's funny, because I was told you couldn't do it because the US regulations for non-profits forbid it. Since you admit these are your own internal rules, what's the reasoning behind it?
    
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  2. 1. Betsy (Legal Chair) (Guest) Sun 11 Oct 2015 08:37PM UTC
      
      Thanks for the question. Actually, both are right, in a sense. As a matter of law, the organization must follow its own by-laws, and the content of by-laws provisions (like this one) are often closely bound up with what the relevant laws require of corporations generally and nonprofits specifically. The current provision regarding membership complies with U.S. law regarding nonprofits, but any proposed changes to the by-laws would have to be carefully examined and researched by lawyers to make sure they wouldn't conflict with the law or have other adverse impacts such as creating problems for the organization's tax responsibilities. As a rule, volunteers (at any level, including staffers and Board members) do not receive any compensation whatsoever for their work--including compensation in the form of membership.
      I hope this is helpful.
      Betsy
      Legal Chair
      
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    2. 1. impertinence Sun 11 Oct 2015 08:49PM UTC
        
        So, to clarify, it's actually not illegal at all, your own bylaws simply prohibit it? Because, bluntly speaking, interpreting membership in an organization as "monetary compensation" seems an even more generous interpretation of US non-profit regulations than the OTW's own willingness to pressure volunteers into employee-esque responsibilities and hours.
        
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      2. NerineLunaCyran Sun 11 Oct 2015 11:24PM UTC
        
        impertinence, are you a volunteer for the OTW? Because you seem to be talking about the OTW *pressuring* volunteers into responsibilities and hours, and I would be interested in knowing where you get this impression.
        I myself am a volunteer for the OTW, on multiple committees, Translation being one of them, and I have never felt particularly pressured. Yes, we take on a certain amount of responsibility and hours, based on whatever committee or project we work on, but we *volunteer* for those. Volunteering for the OTW is a decision that *we* make, based on whatever personal reasons we have. The regular recruitment posts that are featured on here clearly state those things that are expected of volunteers interested in the roles they recruit for, and the amount of time one is expected to put into whatever it is they are volunteering to do. If that time commitment is too big, then you simply don't volunteer for the position. Also, if at any point I am no longer able to commit to the responsibilities or hours, for whatever reason, I am able to 'retire' from my position(s).
        Taking these Drive translations as an example, I have participated in multiple Drive translation projects in the past, but wasn't able to commit to the amount of time working on those would require this year. So I let the rest of my team know, and I wasn't required to work on any of it. Nobody tried to convince me otherwise, nobody tried to force me to do anything I didn't want or wasn't able to do. It was literally that simple.
        
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        impertinence Sun 11 Oct 2015 11:40PM UTC
        
        NerineLunaCyran, I'm pretty sure you're aware I'm not an OTW volunteer! I was actually referring to various posts I've seen over the years, including the old skins fiasco in 2011 where someone attempted to justify a buggy release by saying the UI coder had been working 40+ hour weeks on it, and this post, which is from a former volunteer with the OTW who says, "Many people who work for OTW devote the equivalent of a full time job to it, without pay."
        Now, maybe those people are outliers, and maybe most people who volunteer for the OTW don't do that much work at all! I certainly don't assume that everyone who's with the OTW suffers from burnout and terrible management and so on. However, as far as I can tell, the following issues do indeed exist:
        1. No one is tracking volunteer hours, and thus, no one actually knows how many people really are devoting an unreasonable amount of time volunteering with little or no recognition
        2. The OTW suffers from a high rate of burnout (which I believe they have themselves recognized)
        3. Experience as an OTW volunteer can vary greatly across the organization (we must assume this to be true, if both your account and the linked account are true; I see no reason why they both can't be)
        4. The OTW's legal and managerial teams have collectively decided that prioritizing volunteers having a meaningful voice in board elections would be a mistake, or at the very least, isn't an avenue they're interested in exploring
        I am very happy that your work with the OTW is voluntary! Had I been alleging involuntary work, I would have used considerably stronger language. I'm aware anyone can walk away at any time. However, both standard practice and legal code in the United States does not actually stop at "not literally slave labor". There are tons and tons and tons of resources for volunteer management, both online and off, specifically because it's so important to be careful with volunteers' time and energy. What I'm getting from Betsy Rosenblatt's comment is that the OTW has very little consideration for their volunteers, and chooses to define a legal option dictated by their own policy as simply "illegal under US law". That is erroneous and deceptive, unfortunately!
        
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        NerineLunaCyran Mon 12 Oct 2015 01:24AM UTC
        
        I was truly not aware whether you were or weren't a (former) volunteer for the OTW. The OTW has hundreds of volunteers, none of us will know everyone else. I haven't been around since 2011, so I don't feel like I can say much about that reference. As for whether or not there are those who devote the equivalent of a full time job to it, I won't deny that. I'm sure in our pool of volunteers there are probably people who devote that much time to the OTW. But then, does that necessarily have to be a bad thing? There are people all over the world devoting the equivalent, or more, to volunteer work.
        I would like to react to the issues you presented, not because I want to deny them or say they're not important, but in the spirit of having a discussion. I hope that intention comes across.
        1. I agree that I don't think anyone is (formally) tracking volunteer hours. (I do think some committees might occasionally informally find out how much time their volunteers are spending on their committee work.) Then again, I don't know what would be considered an unreasonable amount of time. If I would choose to spend a certain amount of time volunteering, of my own free will, I'm not sure if that could be considered unreasonable? There have certainly been times in the past where I spend hours upon hours in certain weeks on OTW-related tasks, but I did so because I had the time and energy for them, and so I never thought of it as unreasonable. I'm also not quite sure what kind of recognition you have in mind?
        2. I do not know any actual numbers on burnout rates. I do know that, at least on the committees I serve, trying to accommodate both volunteer availability and ability and the requirements of our work are a constant work in process. It is one of the reasons there are recruitment for various positions year-round. As the Archive and the various other projects of the OTW grow, volunteers are added to help shoulder the amount of work that goes into running an organisation as large as the OTW. I do not believe there is a simple and fool-proof way to stop burnout from happening, or it would have been implemented already.
        3. I will readily agree experience as a volunteer can vary greatly across the organization. One of the main reasons for this, I think, is because there are different committees people work for, each with their own 'requirements' on volunteers, and their own internal 'cultures', so to speak. Another reason will probably be that every person themselves is different, and will experience things differently. One person might feel better about more direct oversight from their committee chair(s), while another might feel better when left to do their work on their own.
        But I also think this is probably the case for many organisations, companies, etc. Wouldn't, and shouldn't, this be a constant work in process?
        4. I do not feel qualified to speak much on the elections process, seeing as how I am not involved with any part of the organisatorial process. Anyone who volunteers can become a member of the OTW, same as anyone else, and be involved in the board elections that way. Anyone who meets the necessary requirements is also able to announce their willingness to "run for board". The election process is currently regulated by the organisation's by-laws, if I'm not mistaken. As I am not in any way qualified in legal matters, I will not attempt to go into the issue, leaving that to our legal team. I assume that they have their (legal) reasons for doing things the way they are being done.
        I don't think I agree with you about the fact that the OTW has very little consideration for her volunteers. The entire OTW is being run by volunteers, from the 'regular volunteers', to staff, to chairs, to Board itself. Staff and chairs almost always have been a 'regular volunteer' first, and Board come from our staffers and chairs. As such, it seems very counter-intuitive to me to say the OTW has very little consideration for their volunteers. As for the legal part, once again I'd like to state I'm in not qualified to speak on the topic, and thus shall not.
        (English isn't my first language, and I apologise if sometimes my sentence structure or word choice might be a bit off.)
        
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        impertinence Mon 12 Oct 2015 01:40AM UTC
        
        Apologies for snapping at you re: knowing I'm not a volunteer; I had been all over these posts trying to get the OTW to answer some basic finance questions, and perhaps overreacted.
        I think we mostly agree. I do think there are some people who can feasibly volunteer a ton, for a variety of reasons (not currently working, it's their biggest hobby, etc). My concern is that ultimately, I don't think subjective measures of volunteer effort are really enough. In US volunteer orgs, tracking hours in some way is considered very desirable to, among other things, manage liability and understand when you are needing so much labor that hiring someone might be reasonable. To bring this back to the OTW's issues, I think the OTW over-relies on assumptions of good faith. I've never seen evidence that anyone involved in the OTW was acting in bad faith, but I have seen a lot of examples of well-intentioned bad behavior that might have been curtailed with conflict resolution, volunteer management, and other policies in place. From its inception, the OTW has relied on having good people. My position is that having good people isn't enough; you need policies in place that will, for example, prohibit appointing a treasurer with no money management experience or education. So, from the POV of tracking hours and burnout, I think it's very important to have those metrics; they enable you to identify weak points in your volunteer structure, curtail overwork, etc.
        In terms of respect for volunteers, I've spoken with more than one OTW volunteer - non-anon - who's felt that their work wasn't respected or valued. Even in an all-volunteer organization, there's a hierarchy - and that's not necessarily a bad thing! But in this case, it seems to have a very high potential for overwork and lack of recognition (not monetary, but verbal). Again, this is where concrete policies come into place.
        In short, while I trust and believe your account that many volunteers have a good experience and aren't overworked, I think it is very, very important that the OTW implement actual concrete measures so that they can know that for sure. The community they serve is also the community they draw funding and labor from. It would benefit them in the long run to have a solid measure of who's giving time and money, and how much.
        I am sticking by what I said about the legality of membership-for-volunteering: it's legal and common. But I do agree that since neither of us are experts, we should set it aside.
        
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        Alex (Guest) Mon 12 Oct 2015 02:47AM UTC
        
        Volunteers who are compensated aren't volunteers. They are employees or interns. The membership has monetary value ($10), therefore they can't be paid out to volunteers.
        Here is are articles about the idea of paying/gifting volunteers:
        https://www.nonprofitrisk.org/library/articles/volunteer052004.shtml
        http://www.nonprofitrisk.org/library/articles/employee_or_volunteer.shtml
        It is not the OTW's job to parent their volunteers. The volunteers are adults and can decide for themselves how to use their time and effort.
        Just to absolutely clear with you, I am not a staff member, ok?
        
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        impertinence Mon 12 Oct 2015 02:48AM UTC
        
        Ok Alex take a long walk then. If you honestly think responsible management is "parenting" then you are too ignorant by half to bother talking to.
        
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        Alex (Guest) Mon 12 Oct 2015 04:30AM UTC
        
        A long walk would help you calm down and to think clearly.
        
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        Ex-NP Volunteer (Guest) Mon 12 Oct 2015 07:16AM UTC
        
        Hi Alex,
        Can I inquire what expertise you're coming from when you make these comments about volunteer management = parenting and not OTW's job? Because I'm coming from a non-profit background, as seem to be many many of people raising concerns on these threads, and I can assure while it's not a legal stipulation, it's highly desirable and something done by most, if not all, successful and reasonable non-profits out in the real world.
        None of the concerns being raised here would be concerns if OTW was just a fun fan organization. But it's not. It's a legal non-profit entity. As such, I am completely unable to understand why both OTW and some of the more non-critical of its supporters are so invested in treating it as such? "Budgets aren't fun, so we haven't really been doing that" is a completely valid response to a unreasonable response for budget, if the OTW was just a bunch of 4-5 fans informally bonded together, getting a few thousand dollars from fandom to run the servers. I am unable, however, to see any AU where it is a reasonable response given the actual premise of OTW remains the same - that it is a legally incorporated non-profit entity, with a board, elections, membership drives that make you eligible to vote, finances in the hundreds of thousands of dollars!
        
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        Alex (Guest) Mon 12 Oct 2015 03:07PM UTC
        
        I have 20+ years volunteering experience, across a spectrum of organizations. I volunteer at three places currently, one of which requires volunteers to show up at a certain time, at a certain place, and has each volunteer sign-in. This is so the org knows who is there for liability reasons and to have a headcount--a measurement to track growth for budgeting purposes. Volunteers are given t-shirts. This is not compensation, or a gift, this is because we are in a public space and need to be quickly identified. The second opportunity has a sign-in and a sign-out so that every volunteer works the same number of hours. We work together at set hours, in a set space, on set days weekly. Both of these opportunities have (paid) employees of their respective orgs who manage the volunteers. It's like working in retail in that regard.
        The third opportunity is all online and all volunteer and there are no set times. All that is asked is a minimum requirement of logging in once a week, and then there is a suggestion that you should work for an hour, as that is how long it generally takes to complete a task. Some people are faster and some people are slower, but it's all getting done. In this online capacity I set my hours, including how much I work, and across the years I've been volunteering at this place, it has varied. I have put in 40 hours in a week before; it was my personal decision to do so. I work in teams as well, and it can be difficult because, being online, you won't get an instant response from your team-mate. It could be that your message, by the time they check their inbox, is buried under a deluge of other messages. Patience is a virtue. I don't know if other volunteers, whether they are my team-mates or not, are putting in more than the minimum. I imagine there are quite a few that are putting in as many hours as they can.
        In this online opportunity, hours are not tracked and I am responsible for my own work. It was part of the application process; it is in the job description. Not that I am alone--there are other, let's say more senior, volunteers whom I can contact for advice or for personal reasons (like taking a break from the org or if there is conflict between myself and another volunteer, although that has never happened to me personally). I would not call them managers. I would call them support. Having them track my hours would bother me because it would open comparison between volunteers and their perceived efforts. And, to be fair, some groups have bigger, more difficult workloads than others. But then support is there to help when a backlog builds. There are experimental projects undertaken to rethink how groups are structured or how the work is being done; changes are brought to the volunteers as a whole and we have the opportunity to discuss them. If people are shy, they can forgo the group discussion and offer their input privately to support.
        As for the idea that fannish spaces are fun places, I think the opposite is true. I think the bigger concern is that people who are familiar with fannish cultures are more aware that certain personalities are more prevalent in fannish spaces and therefore people are worried that social interaction will be an overpowering roadblock to growth and success. Just in these comments, there are some very well meaning, but very confrontational, negative personalities trying to dominate the discourse, and then there are other people who have a more polite, business like manner. We are all fans together, but I can say emphatically that if I had to work through solutions with some of these people, it would be very, very difficult. I don't see how anything would get done; arguments would become petty and circular. I can't imagine how hard it would be for some of the people who have been reading along but haven't been able to raise their voices.
        So when I say the OTW is not a parent, I mean that it is not their place to say how zealous a volunteer can be with their own time. It is the volunteer's privilege to dictate their efforts.
        
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        syllic Mon 12 Oct 2015 05:05PM UTC
        
        Hey Alex. I wholeheartedly agree with a lot of the points you're raising, but I'm struck particularly by all the things you outline about both your volunteering experiences that do have a pastoral (if not p/maternal) element to them--formal safeguards to ensure the safety and wellbeing of volunteers and the avenues open to them if they have a problem. The senior colleagues, support when a backlog builds, the active exploration of "how groups are structured or how the work is being done", in order to improve efficiency and presumably the volunteer experience.
        I honestly have a very limited understanding of how volunteering works in the OTW, having not been a volunteer myself, but anecdotally I understand that those safeguards and systems are lacking. I have a lot of understanding for why they are: the people who would traditionally develop those safeguards are themselves volunteers in the OTW's case, and that's challenging--leading while trying to look after others and yourself.
        I think a lot of what this conversation comes down to is: it's time to address these gaps and challenges, because the OTW is just not what it once was, a small group of dedicated fans/friends who were making something amazing happen in fandom. It's now the kind of organisation that feels comfortable asking donors for 175k, and so there is now a corresponding onus on them to develop the kinds of tools you just highlighted. Those tools could actually go a long way, I think, to diminishing the issues re: personality that you pointed out. My experience elsewhere has been--give people systems, and even the asshole in them has to conform. Otherwise, the system spits the asshole out. It doesn't always work, obviously (assholes gonna asshole), but it does tend to put an additional safeguard in place for everyone.
        
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        Alex (Guest) Mon 12 Oct 2015 11:45PM UTC
        
        I was describing the OTW. There are also a lot of tools I didn't have the character limit to mention, but they include internal mailing lists, chat, and an internal wiki that contains everything you'll every need to know about Ao3 and OTW. It also has really neat training tools (I thought it was fun when I went through it in my early days). Really, you should volunteer; you have a passion for the well being of Ao3 that would be invaluable to Ao3 itself. There is a recruitment drive happening soon. Please look into it (I suggest starting as a tag wrangler, as that has direct interaction with fandom and the running of the site on the user end).
        I am sorry, I had a longer response but the internet ate it (Don't you hate that?!). I'm not logged in for any of these discussions because I am fearful of doxxing from fandom, but I trust my fellow volunteers, like NerineLunaCyran and Qem (who have voiced their positive opinions about volunteering).
        If you have any questions about volunteering or what is already in place for volunteers, you can contact support (http://archiveofourown.org/support), or I can answer something for you, if I can. I can't speak about all groups, but perhaps NerineLunaCyran is still reading this, and can jump in. Nerine is one of the (many) lovely, supportive people I would ask for help from, if I need it (as is Qem).
        I know you are really invested in the future of Ao3 and that's why I wanted to respond so quickly, so again, I am sorry I don't have a longer response. And again, syllic, really consider giving your love and talents to the OTW.
        
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        syllic Tue 13 Oct 2015 01:24AM UTC
        
        Thanks, Alex. That's really interesting; thanks so much for getting back to me so quickly. I find it particularly interesting because your/Nerine's experience contrasts so fully with other accounts of OTW volunteering I've heard, including several from this weekend; that means that systems are serving some people really well and failing others (or that the design of the system doesn't "catch" everyone). It's worth looking into the characteristics of those who have had a really positive experience, and the way they approach their work, versus those who have felt unsafe or under extreme pressure or unhappy. It could be a personality issue, as you say, or it could be about the area for which people volunteer, or a matter of adapting or broadening the systems.
        I've learned a lot about OTW/AO3 during this discussion, and like I've mentioned elsewhere in these threads, I am trying to evaluate what kind of contribution I can make. Despite my constant presence here the last three days (because you are right that I am really invested), I normally don't have this kind of time at all, with work. I will take you up on talking about it more, though.
        Thanks again for this (and yep, I've deleted a bunch of my own messages this weekend before hitting 'send', and wailed to myself in anguish).
        
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        NerineLunaCyran Thu 15 Oct 2015 02:16PM UTC
        
        Still reading this, yes. ^.^
        You suggest that it's worth looking into why our systems seem to serve some better than others. Working on multiple committees (though of course, by far not all) I know for experience that this is something multiple committees are already trying to do - through surveys, informal contact, etc. However, understandably, getting any concrete conclusions out of this information is difficult and time-consuming. Plus, with our projects and committees constantly changing, our systems/policies are constantly needing to be changed, and thus information gets outdated quickly.
        I hope you can rest assured though that we definitely are trying, and input from both volunteers and those of you in the comments is being read and/or passed on to the appropriate people/committees, even though this might not always be apparent from an outsider perspective.
        As for volunteering, different roles and committees require different time commitments, and I'd like to echo earlier comments that it might be worthwhile to keep an eye on our recruitment messages in the future. :)
        
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        syllic Thu 15 Oct 2015 04:44PM UTC
        
        Thanks NerineLunaCyran--I'm definitely still reading this too. :)
        I actually know a number of OTW volunteers (or have met them through these threads) who are committed, working incredibly hard, and--perhaps most importantly?--are really satisfied in their roles/with their work. That's great, and in my reply about looking into the differences between those who thrive in (and are served well by) the system and those who don't/aren't, I wasn't implying that efforts haven't been made to do so, but that some "concrete conclusions" might really help to find answers about how you can raise the percentage of people who thrive (though I do also understand the limitations you highlight when it comes to reaching those conclusions).
        I've said this elsewhere, but I just want to say again that I'm not criticising the individuals involved in the project that is OTW/AO3--and particularly not volunteers who don't set the tone or direction of work and give their time selflessly to making AO3 available to us all. Criticising individuals is kind of a pointless practice when it comes to making systemic improvements. Success in a venture like that comes from an extensive analysis of gaps and challenges, a survey of current staff (not as individuals but as a whole, allowing you to get a fair grasp of what's up within an organisation), and analytical exercises that involve current staff and leadership and allow you to come to some conclusions about what next steps might work. I've been pointing out where I think the OTW lacks the very baseline of best practices--as a "hey, heads up that this needs addressing as soon as possible for organisational health!", not as a "you are all terrible!"--but I am also volunteering my time to help the organisation get to the bottom of why that is, and to address any issues they identify. I actually do that for a living at the moment. I doubt this fits into any of the recruitment areas that will come up (though maybe the Board will open a space for this?), but I think I can open some time around my job responsibilities between now and December to help, if the OTW is interested. I'll also keep an eye out for any notices coming up, as there may be some way to help I haven't thought of (and I welcome suggestions like yours and Alex's).
        Something that I know to be true from my involvement with these exercises in the past is that just because people are already having a good experience, that doesn't mean that it can't be made better. You may already love your work as a volunteer, but the Contractor of Our Own might help resolve issues that sometimes complicate your work, and having a budget and accountable financial practices might allow the organisation to eventually give a few thousand dollars to your volunteer area for development, if they have more clarity about what money they can spend where and the areas that could make the most of financial resources. In its last statement the Board said they're looking into these things, and I hope they will result in positive change for everyone.
        <3
        
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      3. Ex-Volunteer (Guest) Sun 11 Oct 2015 09:38PM UTC
        
        No, it's not helpful at all.
        All you've said is that law requires you to follow your bylaws. That doesn't mean that it wasn't your deliberate choice to exclude this option which isn't illegal ON ITS OWN RIGHT. It's outright deception to claim you can't do it because law forbids it.
        Actually, I see why you don't want all your volunteers to be able to vote.
        
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blissfire Sun 11 Oct 2015 06:55PM UTC

I'm so impressed by the whole Translations committee and volunteers! You guys work so hard. *brings cake and coffee for everyone*

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1. OTW_Translation (Official) Sun 11 Oct 2015 08:45PM UTC
  
  Thank you so much! \o/
  Best,
  Priscilla
  
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kiloamps Mon 12 Oct 2015 12:53AM UTC

Thank you translation team! I only browse in English but I commend your work in making AO3 and the OTW increasingly accessible for all.

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1. OTW_Translation (Official) Mon 12 Oct 2015 01:54AM UTC
  
  Thank you for the kudos, kiloamps!
  Best,
  Priscilla
  
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locusinbloom (Fractual_Visions) Mon 12 Oct 2015 01:28AM UTC

What I love most about the dedicated translation teams is that it gives me a chance to practice reading stuff in the languages I'm learning. It's surprisingly hard to find multilingual stuff that isn't stuffy and formal like legal documents.
You guys rock!

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1. OTW_Translation (Official) Mon 12 Oct 2015 01:56AM UTC
  
  That's brilliant! We're very happy to hear it—please don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you ever have any questions or suggestions about any of our documents.
  Best,
  Priscilla
  
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2. NerineLunaCyran Mon 12 Oct 2015 02:57AM UTC
  
  That's definitely a use of our translations that I never thought about before! I might have to try it myself sometime, it sure seems less boring than a lot of language-learning reading material out there. ;)
  
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naverlands Mon 12 Oct 2015 03:45AM UTC

i dont even know where it send this message so i will just give it a shot.
its about donation's link
there are a whole bunch people who are willing to donate in china, but we cant open the link. would it be too much to ask for a donation link that works in china? and maybe even a more easy to access donation method?
just to be clear, anything that looks like this: http://bit.ly

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1. OTW_DevMem (Official) Mon 12 Oct 2015 04:00AM UTC
  
  Hi naverlands,
  Try this direct link to our donation page: https://otw.cividesk.com/crm/index.php?q=civicrm/contribute/transact&reset=1&id=17
  We use bitly to track clicks of our links. If this does not work, please email us at [email protected] and we will try to find a way to make it work.
  Thank you for your support!
  Dan Lamson
  OTW Development and Membership
  
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2. 1. naverlands Tue 13 Oct 2015 12:35AM UTC
    
    thank you!
    i will spread the word!
    
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deedeeds (Guest) Mon 12 Oct 2015 12:38PM UTC

hello AO3s, is it possible for me to become a translator on this site? I live in Indonesia and I would love to translate your works into Bahasa Indonesia. Thank you!

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1. OTW_Translation (Official) Mon 12 Oct 2015 02:27PM UTC
  
  Hi,
  Thank you so much for your interest in volunteering with Translation! We're always happy to welcome new volunteers. Just to clarify, we don't translate fanfiction. We translate content on the OTW site and the AO3, such as newsletters, news posts, FAQs, tutorials and so forth and translators can optionally work on time-sensitive tasks such as helping AO3 Support and Abuse with user requests in their languages.
  If that still interests you, please email [email protected] and we'll get in touch with you.
  Looking forward to hearing from you!
  Best,
  Ridicully
  
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Gesundheit Wed 14 Oct 2015 07:04PM UTC

Thank you translation team! <3 And thank you to every wrangler working in their second, third, fourth language, and to the people who translate tags. :-D You're the best!

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impertinence Sun 11 Oct 2015 05:09PM UTC

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