ApolloImperium

Pen Name: Apollo Story link: Prompt: Tradition Type of fic: TwitFic Rating: Adult Fandom: Original Pairing: N/A Warnings: One Shot, COMPLETE, No Sex

Updates from Apollo TOS Review: Archive Intensive Activities Welcome to this week's TOS review. I'd like to take you on a journey into the center of our database... A tale of gentle giants and overloaded tables... Okay, you got me, we really won't be going into the database and it really isn't so much a tale, but maybe a fable since your supposed to learn from fables, right? To give you a bit of history, the archive at this point is 7.7GB. Yes, that is giga with a g! Every single entry into the database creates an entry that takes space and with over 2 million entries? Well that adds up really fast! Because of that, when DemonGoddess took over the database, she immediately knew that changes needed to be made before the archive got very unwieldy. After reviewing how the data was spread out the following changes were made: Author's Note chapters were no longer allowed and capped, review board conversations and lengthy review replies in chapter became taboo and an entire section (Challenges and Searches) was outsourced to the forum. Just to make sure everyone is on the same page, a breakdown is below: Author's Notes Author's always want to talk with readers and we support that, however taking a chapter just for Author's Notes is no longer allowed because of the space that it takes in the Archive. Along the same note, we've capped the length to 600 words max to ensure that they aren't taking up a large amount of space. More indepth disclaimers, summaries, warnings and citations do not count towards the author's note length. If you have one at both the top and bottom of the chapter, the combined length cannot exceed the 600 word limit. Review Board Conversations Each review is an entry in the database and as such, having conversations on the review board is not allowed because it takes up space. We know that author's want to talk to their readers, so what we recommend is to create a thread in the forums and link to it in the story. The Fan Fiction Category is open to guest posters so you can let your readers know they don't have to register. Now since review replies do count towards the 600 word count in Author's notes, again we recommend the forums! Searches/Challenges/Requests These haven't been in the archive since May 2008 when they were moved to the forum. When DG made this change it cleared up 500MB of data, so you can see the value there. Basic rule of thumb: If it's not a story, it doesn't belong in the archive. AFF 2011 Calendar Contest Well we had to extend the contest because of so few entries, but we can't do it again! So there is just 24 hours left for submissions for the AFF 2011 calendar! Remember, submissions are due by midnight 11-14-10, so put on the finishing touches on your pieces and start sending them in! If you haven't checked it out yet, see this topic for more information. Dribs, Drabs and Doggy Tales! Thank you to everyone who responded to our latest prompt, "Tradition" We have 5 responses so far this week! Don't forget that the topic doesn't close until 11:59pm tonight, so there is still time to get in an entry. For everyone that has participated, we will be sending you the badge for this week that you can display where you so choose! If you've read the entries, please don't forget to review the story and let the Author know you liked it! As a reminder, the next topic is now posted, please visit this forum and starting Sunday 8am you can post your new entries! Funding Status Information to exact status is always found on the donations page. Currently, the site has $204.78 stored in PayPal. November's hosting costs have been paid and we are well covered for December! We do always appreciate donations though! Please see the donation page for further information on how. Tech Updates from DemonGoddess Forum Updates As you may have noticed, the forums have been being added to on an almost daily basis! We've added the forum arcade back and added in Shoutbox as a chat option until we can implement something better! To make it even more fun, we've opened them both up to guests for a limited time only, so enjoy from now until December 2nd when you will need a forum log in to access them. Related topics: The Arcade is Back! Shoutbox

Oh god yes it is... we used IE at work and I hated it! Anytime it was a cookie issue it took the rep offline for at least 15 min...and considering 90% of our apps were web based? Yuck!

Hey - I learned something I didn't know! *files it away for future reference*

esperma never loads

LOL! Nope - It's fine and I like it! Anything goes this time around

Alternately, if you are already in your author panel and don't feel like leaving, you can use the jump menu (drop down) on the left side to switch to a different subdomain.

I totally wanna do that now! LOL! However I'm thinking about the eyes being that close or having to wash my hair right after so I don't have a 'There's Something About Mary' moment...

We don't have set size limits, so don't worry you aren't missing anything We just ask that you use common sense and make sure that's not extremely large to the point it would interfere with other people using the forum. If it's too big or offensive, we'll send a polite change request and it's no big deal.

Good luck!

The other way that you can tell is at the bottom of the forum, above where it lists the members online, there is a link that says "The Moderating Team" All the staff is listed there as well. If you are still concerned that it could be a fake, you can always click on the forum profile and that will give you a link to their profile the archive for comparison.

Well that's stupid! I live on pandora when I need music

Friends intro'd them all to me, so passing on the favor! Emilie Autumn's lyrics just amuse me, that's why I keep listening to her LOL! The other two came from another friend who's really into metal (I'm not) and he was on a quest to find metal that I'd like and those two were the result! If you don't already use it, I really recommend Pandora for finding new music. You put in a song/artist/etc and it pulls songs that it thinks are similar based on this complex program it runs, comparing lyrics, genre, musicality, etc. I've found some really neat stuff via Pandora.

You are welcome to submit something that you've already drawn, however this is something that we will be using on the calender and possibly other merchandise in the store if the image is used. We do ask that if you'd like to have your signature on the piece (we understand wanting credit) that you submit 2 copies then. One for use in the poll and one for calendar use. The 11x8.5 means a half inch white boarder around. So basically it's if you want white space around the picture you submit, then do the 11x8.5. If you want it to run to the edges of the paper then go with the 11.5x9. Let me know if any other questions...

Anything at all! The last calendar we had used artwork that DG had done, and was all animal/landscape stuff. So far the photograph I have is non-adult related while the artwork I've gotten is adult themed. Since the users are going to be voting as to what goes in it, send me anything you'd like and if the users like it and would want to see it on the calendar, then it's in! Please just keep with in the guidelines posted if going with adult themed material - no nibbly bits Oh, and since you mentioned firemen, if you are submitting photo's of ppl, please make sure that you have permission for their face to be plastered all over a calendar being sold by an adult fiction website!

Okay... After wading through ALL of the sludge in the last 3 pages and 1 post, since it seems to have gone from reviews on bad fic to the ability to delete reviews, lemme break it down. Cause: FF.Net became draconian. Effect: AFF.Net was created to give true freedom to both the authors and readers. Cause: AFF.Net is against any subjective quality control. Effect: Authors can post anything that they like and so long as it's not just an AN and doesn't fall into our definition of a troll/spam story. Even then it takes ALOT for us to take down a story and when I say alot, heaven forbid you could see some of the discussions re: troll/spam stories that happen in the background. Cause: AFF does not quality control Effect: People post stories that not everyone wants to read, or feel should have a place in an archive. Effect: People with thin skins post work and get crit they may or may not like. While it's not ideal for everyone, that is what the site was created for. I should know, I was the one Ayla handed the site off to and before she did, we have many many long conversations about the creation and her dream. I think the issue that people are forgetting is that we welcome anyone and everyone over 18 so long as they follow our rules. Because of this, you will have writers that feel entitled to post drivel. That's why we exist. Readers have the right to review or not review. If a writer doesn't like it, they can delete it. That's up to them. It's then the readers right to never read another story they post and never review them again. This site is all about freedom and as such, it will be staying that way. Until someone can give me a well thought out, valid argument as to why I should remove a writers freedom to control what gets posted on their review board, it stays. Think of it this way: You write a blog. As the owner of the blog you can remove comments if you choose. Now will a good percent of responsible blog writers leave up all comments unless they are flames? Yes, but some will get pissy and take them down. Some blogs even moderate comments so some comments may never even make it through if they are too harsh. Readers can either keep visiting and commenting, or go elsewhere. That is how I consider stories and the review boards attached. Now, before I continue, let me put things into perspective. These stats are according to Alexa: FF.Net: Ranked 1,519th (US only traffic rank - 933) AFF.Net: Ranked 12,766th (US only traffic rank - 6,769) TtH: Ranked 74,968th (US only traffic rank - 22,176) Dokuga: Ranked 153,036th (US only traffic rank - 28,748) Now unfortunatly, the only site other than FF.Net that was used to illustrate a point is TtH, so for my purposes, I will be using that site. My apologizes to those that write for it, work for it, etc. So please keep in mind when you are comparing a site such as TtH to AFF, we get almost 6 times the overall traffic that TtH does. AFF has 113,939 stories currently posted, TtH according to thier site has over 14,000. Some other interesting stats? AFF has 456,194 chapters posted and 1,361,274 reviews posted. I don't know much about TtH other than what has been posted here and what is available on the site rules, but if I had to hazard a guess I would assume that it was created specifically with the rules that are outlined. They may have been adjusted over the years, but are most likely the same. This means that on average TtH will have good quality fics which means that TtH likely has responsible authors. This translates to the authors being able to handle concrit and therefor TtH admin/mod staff wouldn't see a large percentage of reports on reviews. AFF has over 8 times the amount of stories that TtH does - Assuming that the ratio for reviews needing to be removed would be the same, for every 1 review TtH reviews and removes, we would have to review/remove 8. On top of the moderators daily sweep for issues, reviewing stories for corrections, handling communication with users and moderating the forums. Some more AFF history? I remember when authors couldn't delete their own reviews and before the captcha went up. I remember digging through the database cleaning off spam and trolls and other such reviews. I remember having to handle reports from whiny authors and yes, back then we did explain the difference between concrit and flame, but it was so very time intensive. Quite frankly, trying to compare the sites (or AFF to any other archive) is like comparing apples to oranges. They are both fruits and round, but completely different in texture, how you eat them, taste, etc. Final verdict: Authors can and will be able to delete reviews as they see fit. Personal note: I think it's childish, but I'm not here to judge. I'm here to help maintain the site and keep it open for everyone.

I agree with DG and pittwitch 100%. I've worked with beta's before in the past and while I love when they give me suggestions on how to work with something, I still write it in my own words. Mostly, I just ask for help with word choice, sentence structure etc. I would never ever expect a beta to re-write a chapter for me. If it sucked that bad, I'd hope they would tell me to scratch the whole thing and start over. Plus, I always give my beta's credit in each chapter for their work, but that is just me! IMO: The girl needs to give you credit as a co-author and if she doesn't, I'd say to report it to admin over there because personally, I consider that plagiarism. Going forward, I'd set boundaries with her and be very firm. Or you can just loose the author like they said and beta for ppl here instead... It's very rare that I've heard bad beta stories here, that's the nice thing about knowing your working with adults! Good luck!

Edit: Calendar contest now end 11-14-10, please see either the site announcement or the email sent to members for more information!