What would it take for dhr_news to get started again?

[boundbooks]

I saw that eevilalice posted over on dramione about it, and I was just thinking/brainstorming about what it might take for it to get started again.

http://dramione.livejournal.com/2642326.html

A couple of things I know aren't a problem:

1) Getting control of dhr_news. terrayn appears to be gone from fandom, and I know that denise will transfer ownership of communities. I asked to have theauthority given to me due to a missing mod, and after getting the OK from the community, Dreamwidth made me the administrator.

2) It looks like the person who owns dhr_news is still around, so that wouldn't be a problem to bring on new mods.

3) Getting someone to post it on DW. If it remained a weekly thing, I know that at the very least, I could be persuaded to hit the 'post' button once a week on a pre-formatted thing. Probably the same with the LJ one, for a 'posting person.'

The problems:

1) The big, huge, cluster-@#$@# of work that comes with running a newsletter. I assume that it would remain weekly, because, well, too much @#$#@$-ing work. But otherwise, I'm not sure what could be done to make it useful and manageable. Thoughts?

I'm not stepping up and saying 'I will run this,' because that's a huge commitment. What I was mostly thinking is that 'what if it was possible to break this down into many smaller commitments.' Because if it was, THEN I think we (or a team of people) might be able to get this running.

Comments

[musyc]

I thought about it, but I'm incapable of doing something on a scheduled basis for more than a few months, so I know I'd be bleh at running it. It was a good newsletter, though, and I'd like to see something like it again. There's no het newsletter to my knowledge, and Dramione is a non-allowed pairing for the newsletters I *do* follow.

[boundbooks]

I'd totally love to read something like dhr_news! Hm, you're on IJ, so I figure you're a good resource! :D

Do you think there are enough unique (or primary) users on IJ to make it worth mirroring a dramione newsletter over there?

[musyc]

No. IJ is heavily focused on slash when it comes to HP fandom. It was the first place people went to when strikethrough happened, and the majority of fen who went were slashers. I wouldn't try to run anything het-focused there at all.

[boundbooks]

That's great to know! :D

I know pretty much nothing about IJ culture, so I'm glad that you do. :) Knowing that it's slash focused will make it so that the newsletter will only have to be mirrored on DW and LJ...hmmm....tumblr....

...hm.....

What about tumblr? D:

My idea of tumblr = black void of death into infinity of chaos with awesome incomprehensible things flying at my face

But. It is a *major* fandom epicenter these days. Hm.

What do you think?

[boundbooks]

Now that I think about it, it's a major *dramione* fandom epicenter. D:

The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards tumblr as being important....

/quails in terror at tumblr's incomprehensible interface

[musyc]

Honestly, I think trying to incorporate Tumblr is reaching. Tumblr and LJ/clones are far different cultures and attitudes. Tumblr skews very, very young in comparison to LJ-like fandom, and trying to connect the two is just asking for spats and wankery. For one example, ablist/racist/sexist language is rampant on Tumblr. Unless you're looking to have your newsletter constantly reblogged with rape jokes, troll gifs, and insulting comments attached, it's not a good idea in the slightest.

[boundbooks]

"Unless you're looking to have your newsletter constantly reblogged with rape jokes, troll gifs, and insulting comments attached, it's not a good idea in the slightest."

Oh sweet pie. I had no idea. D:

Boy am I glad that I asked you! Since tumblr appears to be a horror show, I guess we're back down to DW and LJ. Which does make things easier, though I'm saddened to hear that tumblr is that horrific for fandom/in general.

[musyc]

Yeah, it's *great* for finding pretty graphics and the like, but that's about it. The average user, from what I can tell, is in the 14-18 range, and being ~*~edgy~*~ and ~*~cool~*~ is far more important than anything else. Stick to DW/LJ if you expect a basic standard of responsibility and respectability.

[boundbooks]

"~*~edgy~*~ and ~*~cool~*~"

I just had a flashback to Geocities. Given that 14-18 was about the average age on Geocities, I think I know why. XD

"Stick to DW/LJ if you expect a basic standard of responsibility and respectability."

Sounds like a plan!

(I think this entire discussion has just convinced me to either

1) volunteer to hop on the mod team if the d_hr people want to do this again. I could at the very least do the posting on DW.

or

2) if the d_hr people don't want to do this again, find a new mod team who does

Hark, is that the sound of overcommitment I hear in the distance?

/listens intently)

[eevilalice]

I also really don't think of tumblr as fanfic-centric, more fanart-centric (or for just general shippy shenanigans), and while the dhr newsletter covered more than fic, it seems to me that it did skew towards reporting on fic.

[boundbooks]

Hm. That's also quite true re: skewing towards fic. Fanart on tumblr also seems nigh impossible to track to the source, given the whole problems with reblogging/credit. Honestly, the only tumblr I trust to actually have the info is musyc's justdramione one (http://justdramione.tumblr.com/).