Crack Van drivers...

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

My second turn to drive the crack_van for Professionals recs has just come up (it's nearly February already?), and I couldn't help but notice that we're running out of volunteers again - there's just one person on the list after me, and she's another repeat offender... *g*

Pros was dropped as a Monthly Featured Fandom for several years because there weren't enough people playing - it was put back on the list after a burst of enthusiasm via one of the other Pros comms, but that seems to have died away now. I don't know about anybody else, but I like seeing a Pros rec pop up in my flist each week or so - I might not always agree about the story, but it's nice to be reminded, and I've been reminded to re-read some real gems, too!

The site is a little daunting to wander into at first (well, it was to me!) - it's hugely multi-fandom - but what it comes down to is popping over to this page and adding your name to the sign-up list by commenting. The post explains what you need to do, and then you just wait to be assigned a month for reccing Pros! (You can usually work out roughly when that will be, by how many people are above you on the list, though they very occasionally seem to skip months for some reason). There are lots of stories that have been recced already - 165+ *g* - because it's been going since 2003, but that's all the more reason to keep Pros up there, right? It's not as if there's no one writing any more... *g* You can see what's been previously recced either at the Memorable Pages entry at crack_van itself, or via the alphabetical list at Palelyloitering.com (slightly out of date whilst I'm getting Kompozer up and running so that I can work on the site again!), and there's also a Delicious list for people who play there (it doesn't seem to have been updated since last April though).

It's actually quite good fun, and I'm looking forward to February 1st, even with everything else going on in my life just now! Recs can be as complex or simple as you like - you fill in their header for people to find the fic, and the "Why this must be read|" part can be no more than "...because it'll make you feel warm and fuzzy inside" or "...because it's a classic example of a Pros adventure", or... well, anything short and sweet if that's what you prefer! So... go on, have a go!

Here's the sign-up sheet again!

(And if you've not yet been, I'd absolutely recommend a visit, and wandering the Pros recs especially. It's fascinating to see what was recced way back when, who was doing the reccing, and who was active in Pros fandom, when... *g*)

ETA - it's also useful to know that you can join/watch crack_van but filter the posts that appear in your flist to only those that are tagged for Pros - and tags are compulsory there, so they should all come up! I joined and then de-joined sharpish when I saw that every rec appeared in my flist, years ago, but lj's new tag-filtering system is perfect for Crack_van! *g*

ETA2 - More info about how to rec etc can be found here... at the crack_van User Info Page. There's more specific information via links on the comm's sidebar, including Posting Guidelines for the comm which includes Crack Van Collisions (crossover recs) and Friday Night Drive-in (vid recs) guidelines. Go and look!

Comments

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Hah, I shall try not to drive it through the central reservation.

How "slightly" is slightly out of date on Palelyloitering? On first glance, it looks easier to skim through (alphabetical, phew!) so is there just a month or two that is missing? The Memorable Pages thing looks a bit unwieldy for more than the odd month.

Brmmm, brmmmmm!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

How "slightly" is slightly out of date on Palelyloitering?
I can't remember exactly when I added the last recs there, but sometime before Christmas, maybe even before I went to Australia in October? But you can scroll through the Pros tag page and see the most recent recs, so you should be able to catch any that have been more recently recced there without too much trouble! Definitely not as time-consuming as scrolling through the un-alphabetical CrackVan Memories page to find all the recs (which is why I began the list in the first place - I was up for reccing, and found it nearly impossible to see what had already been done! *g*)

And yeay for volunteering (had a feeling you might fancy the idea... *g*)

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's fine then, I'll have a poke about. If you're very lucky, I'll mail you the results.

I shouldn't volunteer at the moment, but it looks like the sort of thing where I can do them ahead of time, stick templates in my journal, and then just cut and paste when the time comes. So long as no-one picks *everything* I pick.

Are we allowed the odd zine-only rec? I'm not saying I would; it would just be handy to know.

And the posting guidelines I saw don't mention anything about vids, but I was under the impression that there had to be a vid at the end of the month?

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

No, I shouldn't volunteer either, none of us should, except that we should!

Did you check out the Posting Guideline post that's linked in the comm's sidebar? That's the main information - I've added a link to my post too. Why does no one ever seem to go and check out the User Info/Community Sidebar links for further information?! (Though I will grant you, as I said above, Crack Van takes a whilst to get used to navigating...)

We are allowed the odd zine-only rec, as long as most recs are online stories that people can access easily. If you read the comments to the Posting Guidelines page you'll find a few people asked about that, and the replies they were given, for example: here (http://crack-van.livejournal.com/1811995.html?thread=6933275#t6933275) and (most recently) here (http://crack-van.livejournal.com/1811995.html?thread=11307803#t11307803).

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Did you check out the Posting Guideline post...? - seriously, I did. I checked out the posting guidelines and the userinfo. And I started reading all the comments, but there were 153 and I chickened out.

I've now read them all, and I am currently more confused than ever. Time for coffee.

God knows where this poor crack van is going to end up: straight over the central reservation and terrifying oncoming traffic, in all likelihood. Brrrmmm!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

But... you don't need to read the comments to find out about the vid reccing, it's there in the Posting Guidelines post:

"The 15th of every month is Crack Van Collisions, a.k.a Cross-over day, and the last Friday of every month is Friday Night Drive-In, a.k.a. Fanvid day. These recs do not count towards the 12-rec limit. Watch for mod posts in advance of these days with the required posting formats."

Which bit's confusing?!

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

The 15th... is.... and the last Friday... is... and required posting formats: required if you post these, or required that you post these? Are they optional "fun ideas" or mandatory "expected to find some"?

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

As the guidelines say elsewhere, the only "requirement" is that you post at least 1 rec a week, but no more than 12 over your month. It's not required that you post either a vid or a crossover rec, it's an optional bonus!

Watch for mod posts in advance of these days with the required posting formats.
The formats that are required for posting the Collision and Drive-in posts. That sounds more complicated than it is - I don't actually remember waiting for a mod post when I did it, I just copied and pasted the header from one someone else had done...

I wasn't sure if The 15th... is.... and the last Friday... is... was something you were asking about, or...?

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

Signed up. I feel a kind of affection for the comm, although I rarely check it unless prompted. I used to have it on my f'list page and then filtered it out. I will never ever forget finding that my very first posted fic (SG1, not Pros) was recced on the van - I walked on air for a week!

Thanks for the links to lists of what's been recced already.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Excellent! Before I was watching via Pros tag I kept forgetting to check too - but then for years there was no Pros up there, so... It's worth joining/watching the comm though, and filtering it by tags - in fact I've just edited my post to say so!

And yes - isn't it lovely when someone recs one of your stories there? *g* Well anywhere, of course... *g*

[solosundance.livejournal.com]

A timely reminder re sign-ups, thank you!... my experience is that the com will only return a 'lagging' fandom to regular status once (ie if the enthusiasm wanes again then there's no special pleading for reinstatement), and that "Monthly Featured" status can mean waiting months for the keys to the van. I've never recced for Pros and I really ought to - although argh I am not nearly as well read as many people. I like trying to find a theme to link my recs but that can involve quite a bit of work - very pleasurable work mind! I know in theory you're not supposed to repeat recs but maybe re-reccing is fine as long as you're reccing something for a different reason or in a different way - hmmm, whatcha rec? heh, geddit?

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Ooh, you should so rec Pros! I'd love to see what stories you rate... Plus - fun! *g* And I don't suppose it matters how "well read" someone is, as long as they've read the stories they liked and want to rec... *g*

I've just avoided work for aaaages by trying to find something about repeat recs over at crack_van, but couldn't... I know at least one story's been recced twice for Pros, and I'm sure it'll happen again. As you say, people might have different viewpoints, too, and they'd be valuable... It wouldn't be hugely helpful if there was nothing but repeated recs on there, but occasionally I'd guess re-reccing was okay... You could post a question (to the Posting Guidelines post over there) to ask shaggirl...

Well, that's what I rec... geddsit... heh. *g*

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

I see three more of us have signed up. I'm assuming we'll all be watching it from this point anyway, but just for the record, I have done a quick trawl back to September 2011, and I think I've picked up all the recs between then and now which are not yet on the palelyloitering list. (Some already are.) To save all four of us doing it, here they are. (I've emailed the list, plus links, to slantedlight).

Burning Bridges by PFL
Carved by Callisto
Happenstance by Krisser
In the Interest of Bodie and Doyle by Maddalia
Keeper Of Secrets by Jackie Thomas
Like A River to the Sea by Kitty Fisher
Losing Grip, by Ailcia
Ninety-Nine Yew Trees by Draycevixen
Path Not Taken by Meridan
Poetry to Protect Us by The Hag
Stop Breathing by Creed Cascade
Such Different Wants by Veronica
These Layers of Charnel Air by Slantedlight
This is Just the Beginning by Murphybabe
Ties by PFL
With a Dark Lantern by Callisto

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Great, thanks. As I said, it might be a little while before I'm able to get these up at the moment, so that's helpful.

[krisserci5.livejournal.com]

Thanks moonlightmead for posting that list. . . .

but filter the posts that appear in your flist to only those that are tagged for Pros

How does one do this?

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

If you go to Other Friends Tools and then Manage Friends, you should see a new column on the very right, with a box, and a link that says "Select Tags". Clicking on "Select Tags" for someone should bring up your Modify Friend page, and at the bottom of that you click "Modify Entry Feed" - it'll present you with a list of their tags, which you can click on etc to add. And you can either choose to include or exclude tags too, so... *g* Good, innit!

[krisserci5.livejournal.com]

Do you have a paid account on LJ? (I don't, only on DreamWidth.) I didn't see anything dealing with tags. . . .bummer

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

I don't have a paid account and I filter - but I don't have it appearing on my friends page. Instead, I get an LJ message when someone posts a Pros rec, and I just follow the link in the message. You can set it up to email instead of sending an LJ message, and I think there's a couple of other options.

I had thought I did this by clicking the 'filter' link on the crackvan comm, but that is now not doing what I expect. I don't want to mess with that comm's settings, but poking about with other comms, if I change a subscription from 'watch' to 'friend', and tell it to 'modify', I get a set of options about notification: 'when xxxx posts a new entry', 'when someone posts a new entry tagged with', 'when comm is deleted' etc. This is the menu I originally had for the crack_van. Under the 'new entry tagged with', I checked 'the professionals' and 'inbox'. (You have to pick a method of notification: by default, there isn't one.)

The menu is definitely there - somewhere - even with free accounts.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

From what MoonlightMead says - are you a friend of the crack_van, or just watching it? Maybe friending it will give you the option?

[robeau.livejournal.com]

Having been driving the van this month - and yes every last kitty hair will be hovered out before I turn over the keys- I highly recommend it. It does not take much time, I have rediscovered some of my very favorite stories and found a whole new batch I hadn't read yet. I already gave my vid rec picked out and aside from missing crossover day because I thought it was a week later ( getting older does that to you) Ibhave enjoyed myself.

Plus I always check for new recs as It is always a treat to discover a new favorite or find out a favorite author has a story I missed.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Its good fun, once you work out how to navigate round it, which took me a while! Yeay recs!

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

Crack_van's own list of recced fics as seen in the comm's memories doesn't seem to have been updated since 2007. I've had a look at your list on Palely Loitering which is much more comprehensive. How much 'not up to date' is it? Because whilst I shall now watch as 'our' turns come round I want to avoid re-reccing if possible.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Palelyloitering's not too out of date, though it is a few months - but then I think Crack_van missed at least a month around Christmas anyway. Moonlightmead, up above, pulled out what she thought I didn't yet have on palelyloitering, so that you can get an idea.

I'd like to say I'll be able to catch up now, but have just started my 10-days-worth-of-madness job, and although I might manage it, I can't promise...

I think it's more accurate at crack_van to go via their professionals tag rather than through the memories - looks like someone along the way decided that the tags were simpler than the memories and gave that up... You can certainly see the stories recced most recently that way, too...

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

Like you, I joined ages ago then backed out when my f'list seemed to be flooded. I've rejoined but I think I'll just filter them off my daily reading page - I like recs from a variety of fandoms, just not quite so many recs at once!! I will have a look at the tags.

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

I've updated my list of additions. It now looks like this:

Action Of The Tiger, by EPS
A video called Every Little Kiss.
Bodie's Luck, by Stew
Burning Bridges by PFL
Carved by Callisto
Concatenation, by Sineala
Daring the Sea, by Bistokidsfan
Florida Sunshine, by DVS
Footbridge, by M Fae Glasgow
Fruit of the Spirit, by Cherilyn
Happenstance by Krisser
Hazardous Fortune, by Sally Fell
Home Improvement, by Brenda K
If I Should Fall From Grace With God, by Luka
In the Interest of Bodie and Doyle by Maddalia
Just A Kiss, by Sebastian
Keeper Of Secrets by Jackie Thomas
Killing Notes, by Ellis Ward
Leftovers, by HG
Like A River to the Sea by Kitty Fisher
Loose Change, by HG
Losing Grip, by Ailcia
Masquerade, by Tarot
Midnight Truths, by Ginny
Miles Scortillusque, by Sineala
Ninety-Nine Yew Trees by Draycevixen
Oh No We Didn't, by Gil Hale
Path Not Taken by Meridan
Pleasure Bent, by Sebastian
Poetry to Protect Us by The Hag
Pwnco, by Slantedlight
Resolutions and Temptations, by PFL
Riverboat Queen, by Fictionwriter
Scenes From The Edge, by Kate Maclean
Security Risk, by Oriole T
Sing My Heart, by Judes
Stop Breathing by Creed Cascade
Such Different Wants by Veronica
The Same River, by Helen Raven
The Say It's Your Birthday, by Mistress Kat
These Layers of Charnel Air by Slantedlight
The Third Week in April, by Ellis Ward
The Time For Tears, by Slantedlight
This is Just the Beginning by Murphybabe
Thoughts Unvoiced, by Merentha
Three Men Walk Into A Bar, by Draycevixen
Ties by PFL
Werewolves of London, by Rimy
With a Dark Lantern by Callisto

...as of today (when moth2fic recommended Pwnco)