QAF Beta Comm

[switch842]

This is a continuation of the comments started over in the bjfic community about starting a related community for betas and those looking for one. Please post here if you are interested in participating in this and have any ideas about how this could be maintained.

Comments

[huh789.livejournal.com]

I agree that email is the best way to go.

I would like to suggest that betas include information about expected turnaround of stories and that writers include what they expect in this area as well. That is something I have had a problem with in the past.

Also, and I'm not sure how this would work, but maybe we could have some sort of feedback system for the betas. We would certainly have to encourage writers to be constructive...but maybe they could rate betas on several criteria. Might help other writers pick a beta.

Anyway let me know what you think and how I can help.

[switch842.livejournal.com]

I do like the critique idea. It would help to weed out maybe those that aren't really the best betas. Or are good at one part but maybe not everything. That kind of stuff.

[huh789.livejournal.com]

We could suggest that writers give a 1-5 rating on certain areas like turnaround, availability, grammar, help with general content (not a good way to word that) and anything else they might feel is important. That way we might be able to keep people from getting too mean if they have a bad beta.

On a different note. I have had a beta go through a story and miss most of the grammar issues but make major content changes... maybe we should suggest writers state if they want help with content.

[crazy4qaf.livejournal.com]

I like that suggestion. Yeah, some betas have a weird way of working. In my opionin, a beta is there to check the grammar and the spelling and such, along with correcting things that would be OOC for the specific fandom. Changing the content majorly just seems too much (well, unless the content is something that the particular character really wouldn`t do, I guess). But the character`s reaction to some situations, that weren`t met in the canon, are simply based on the individual perception of the author and that can be disconcerting to the writer sometimes. Not to mention that the fanfic itself is actually a pure AU. :)

Damn, I never thought all of this would come out. *rotfl*