Worldbuilding Exchange

Sign ups are due to close at 1955 UTC, or in other words very imminently. If you're still working on your sign up, please comment on this post (comments are screened) with your username so I know to watch out for it appearing before I close them. (I can't hold it open indefinitely, though!)

ETA 2020 UTC: holding sign ups open for one person whose internet went down.

There are 72 hours from the time stamp of this post before sign ups close - countdown here.

Please note that sign ups close at 0755 UTC on Monday. In other words, you've definitely got the weekend, but do check how that works out for your time zone before relying on being able to finish off on Monday.

I will update on progress with matching etc. within the next 12 hours. (I'm hoping it will quite a bit sooner, but I don't want to make promises I can't necessarily keep.)

We seem to be on course for the highest number of sign ups in any round to date; there's still time to add yours if you haven't had a chance to do so yet.

Sign up form here.

Check out requests via the AO3 summary or (easier!) the app, which also provides a searchable/bookmarkable/etc. version of the tag set.

Countdown here - just as a warning, I have to be elsewhere online at 0800 UTC on Monday so sign ups will close when this hits zero.

Sign ups are now open!

Here is the tag set on AO3 and, for the first time this year thanks to the amazing karanguni, on a searchable, bookmarkable, etc. app.

Don't forget that because of the way fandoms are defined for this exchange, many are classified under "Uncategorized Fandoms" on the AO3 tag set interface, including some very popular ones.

I have made a very slight tweak to the sign up form this round, in that I have enabled the "Description" box for Offers as well as Requests, and relabelled it "Matching Notes". I have always been happy for people to make requests privately in relation to matching (though do note that there is no way I can control who gives treats); however, I thought there might be some advantage to being clear about this and having an obvious place for such requests to go. This is very much an experiment that I intend to review at the end of this round to see whether it was worthwhile. This method of communication is just as private as sending an email - the contents of offers on AO3 can only be seen by the individual participant and the collection owner - though you are of course welcome to communicate in other ways if you feel more comfortable doing so. Of course, you do not have to fill in the "Matching Notes" box at all - simply leave it blank if it's not relevant to you. (The box will appear for all fandoms in your offers, but if you do want to use it, you only need to fill it in once.)

Other than that, some key points about signing up:

• Requests: 3-10 You can use more than one slot for the same fandom, but there must be at least three different ones overall. (In terms of fandom tags in the tag set. It's OK if they're different versions of the same canon.)
  
• Offers: 4-10 As for requests, you can use more than one slot for the same fandom, as long as there are four different fandoms overall.
  
• For each request and offer, you have 8 character slots and 8 worldbuilding slots (in the "Relationship" section), and you can request/offer one, two or all three of the "Fanfiction", "Fanart" and "In-Universe Meta" freeforms.
  
• The "Any" tickbox is disabled for requests (but remember that you can use multiple slots for the same fandom), but it is enabled for offers. Please make sure you are confident about creating for any tag in the tag set for that fandom if you are using it. (Please note that this is not quite the same as a "bucket offer" as found in Yuletide and some other exchanges, in that you can't add additional tags to represent further fandoms you are happy to offer Any for.)
  
• OR Matching You are only guaranteed to match on one character and one worldbuilding tag, in one fandom. Your requests should not rely on the idea that people have signed up to create for all your requested tags. Your offers should all be for things that you would be happy to create for even if that's the only tag you matched on.
  
• "Any or No Characters" is used to indicate a willingness to receive/create works where the focus is on the worldbuilding to the point that which, if any characters appear is secondary. This is not the same meaning of "Any" as the AO3 tickbox (where it means "any tag in the tag set"). Requesting the tag means you are open to receiving any canon character, any character implied to exist by canon, any original character dreamt up by your creator, or no characters at all. (It is OK to DNW characters you don't want to appear if using this tag.)
  
• Requests will be visible throughout sign ups.
  
• DNWs Do Not Wants (DNWs) will only be enforced if they are in the Optional Details box on the AO3 sign up form. As a creator, you should avoid including your recipient's DNWs in the work you create for them. However, please do not use your DNWs in an overly restrictive way to box your creator into a corner.
  
• ODAO With the exception of DNWs, the principle of ODAO - Optional Details Are Optional - applies. This means both that you do not have to provide them at all if you don't want to, but also that your creator is not obligated to follow any that you do provide.
  
• Some tags may not autocomplete as you enter them, but they will still work if you cut and paste them from the tag set. This is a known AO3 bug of long standing.

If you have any concerns or queries that the above list doesn't help with, or encounter any difficulties in the sign up process, please do ask, either by commenting here, or if you prefer to do it privately via email to worldbuildingmod@gmx.com or using the DW messaging system.

The letters post and an opt-in post for other media (podfic/vids/IF) will follow very shortly.

If you are right up against the wire, tell me your AO3 username (either by screened comment here, or email to worldbuildingmod@gmx.com) and I'll try to hold sign ups open until I see it appear. (NB not indefinitely!)

Sign ups are now open!

Here is the tag set on AO3 (ETA: and now as a spreadsheet).

Don't forget that because of the way fandoms are defined for this exchange, many are classified under "Uncategorized Fandoms" on the AO3 tag set interface, including some very popular ones.

Some key points about signing up:

• Requests: 3-10 You can use more than one slot for the same fandom, but there must be at least three different ones overall. (In terms of fandom tags in the tag set. It's OK if they're different versions of the same canon.)
  
• Offers: 4-10 As for requests, you can use more than one slot for the same fandom, as long as there are four different fandoms overall.
  
• For each request and offer, you have 8 character slots and 8 worldbuilding slots (in the "Relationship" section), and you can request/offer one, two or all three of the "Fanfiction", "Fanart" and "In-Universe Meta" freeforms.
  
• The "Any" tickbox is disabled for requests (but remember that you can use multiple slots for the same fandom), but it is enabled for offers. Please make sure you are confident about creating for any tag in the tag set for that fandom if you are using it. (Please note that this is not quite the same as a "bucket offer" as found in Yuletide and some other exchanges, in that you can't add additional tags to represent further fandoms you are happy to offer Any for.)
  
• OR Matching You are only guaranteed to match on one character and one worldbuilding tag, in one fandom. Your requests should not rely on the idea that people have signed up to create for all your requested tags. Your offers should all be for things that you would be happy to create for even if that's the only tag you matched on.
  
• "Any or No Characters" is used to indicate a willingness to receive/create works where the focus is on the worldbuilding to the point that which, if any characters appear is secondary. This is not the same meaning of "Any" as the AO3 tickbox (where it means "any tag in the tag set"). Requesting the tag means you are open to receiving any canon character, any character implied to exist by canon, any original character dreamt up by your creator, or no characters at all. (It is OK to DNW characters you don't want to appear if using this tag.)
  
• Requests will be visible throughout sign ups.
  
• DNWs Do Not Wants (DNWs) will only be enforced if they are in the Optional Details box on the AO3 sign up form. As a creator, you should avoid including your recipient's DNWs in the work you create for them. However, please do not use your DNWs in an overly restrictive way to box your creator into a corner.
  
• ODAO With the exception of DNWs, the principle of ODAO - Optional Details Are Optional - applies. This means both that you do not have to provide them at all if you don't want to, but also that your creator is not obligated to follow any that you do provide.
  
• Some tags may not autocomplete as you enter them, but they will still work if you cut and paste them from the tag set. This is a known AO3 bug of long standing.

If you have any concerns or queries that the above list doesn't help with, or encounter any difficulties in the sign up process, please do ask, either by commenting here, or if you prefer to do it privately via email to worldbuildingmod@gmx.com or using the DW messaging system.

The letters post and an opt-in post for other media (podfic/vids/IF) will follow very shortly.

Sign ups will close at 2155 UTC.

Everything seems to have gone very smoothly so far; certainly, I haven't heard from anyone that they've encountered difficulties in signing up. If there are any last minute snags, please do send me an email at worldbuildingmod@gmx.com to let me know.

I will be offline for the next few hours but back on at about 2130 UTC. I do plan to close sign ups on time, so that I can run the initial stages of matching and see if I need to contact anyone about not having any potential recipients before I head to bed. If you are running it very close to the wire, I strongly recommend doing a bare bones sign up with just your DNWs and a letter link and then filling out the details in the letter later. (But hopefully not too much later.)

A smidge early ...

Sign ups are now open!

Here is the tag set on AO3 and as a spreadsheet. In the event of any discrepancies that have crept in between the two, the AO3 version should be taken as authoritative.

Don't forget that because of the way fandoms are defined for this exchange, many are classified under "Uncategorized Fandoms" on the AO3 tag set interface.

Some key points about signing up:

• Requests: 3-10 You can use more than one slot for the same fandom, but there must be at least three different ones overall. (In terms of fandom tags in the tag set. It's OK if they're different versions of the same canon.)
  
• Offers: 4-10 As for requests, you can use more than one slot for the same fandom, as long as there are four different fandoms overall.
  
• For each request and offer, you have 8 character slots and 8 worldbuilding slots (in the "Relationship" section), and you can request/offer one, two or all three of the "Fanfiction", "Fanart" and "In-Universe Meta" freeforms.
  
• The "Any" tickbox is disabled for requests (but remember that you can use multiple slots for the same fandom), but it is enabled for offers. Please make sure you are confident about creating for any tag in the tag set for that fandom if you are using it. (Please note that this is not quite the same as a "bucket offer" as found in Yuletide and some other exchanges, in that you can't add additional tags to represent further fandoms you are happy to offer Any for.)
  
• OR Matching You are only guaranteed to match on one character and one worldbuilding tag, in one fandom. Your requests should not rely on the idea that people have signed up to create for all your requested tags. Your offers should all be for things that you would be happy to create for even if that's the only tag you matched on.
  
• "Any or No Characters" is used to indicate a willingness to receive/create works where the focus is on the worldbuilding to the point that which, if any characters appear is secondary. This is not the same meaning of "Any" as the AO3 tickbox (where it means "any tag in the tag set"). Requesting the tag means you are open to receiving any canon character, any character implied to exist by canon, any original character dreamt up by your creator, or no characters at all. (It is OK to DNW characters you don't want to appear if using this tag.)
  
• Requests will be visible throughout sign ups.
  
• DNWs Do Not Wants (DNWs) will only be enforced if they are in the Optional Details box on the AO3 sign up form. As a creator, you should avoid including your recipient's DNWs in the work you create for them. However, please do not use your DNWs in an overly restrictive way to box your creator into a corner.
  
• ODAO With the exception of DNWs, the principle of ODAO - Optional Details Are Optional - applies. This means both that you do not have to provide them at all if you don't want to, but also that your creator is not obligated to follow any that you do provide.
  
• Some tags may not autocomplete as you enter them, but they will still work if you cut and paste them from the tag set. This is a known AO3 bug of long standing.

If you have any concerns or queries that the above list doesn't help with, or encounter any difficulties in the sign up process, please do ask, either by commenting here, or if you prefer to do it privately via email to worldbuildingmod@gmx.com or using the DW messaging system.

The letters post and an opt-in post for other media (podfic/vids/IF) will follow shortly.

(Well, slightly longer ... A Bajoran day, maybe?)

Sign ups close at 2355 UTC tomorrow.

Sign up here || Tag set: on AO3 | on Google Sheets || Countdown