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Published:
2018-07-04 12:40:24 -0400
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OTW Recruitment

Are you an awesome beta, or a writer with an eye for technical details? Or are you fluent in a language other than English? The Organization for Transformative Works is recruiting!

We're excited to announce the opening of applications for:

  • AO3 Documentation Staff - closing Wednesday 11 July 2018 23:59 UTC
  • Translation Volunteers - closing Wednesday 11 July 2018 23:59 UTC
  • Systems Committee Staff - closing Wednesday 11 July 2018 23:59 UTC
  • Systems Technical Writer - closing Wednesday 11 July 2018 23:59 UTC
  • Systems Technical Project Manager - closing Wednesday 11 July 2018 23:59 UTC

We have included more information on each role below. Open roles and applications will always be available at the volunteering page. If you don't see a role that fits with your skills and interests now, keep an eye on the listings. We plan to put up new applications every few weeks, and we will also publicize new roles as they become available.

All applications generate a confirmation page and an auto-reply to your e-mail address. We encourage you to read the confirmation page and to whitelist our email address in your e-mail client. If you do not receive the auto-reply within 24 hours, please check your spam filters and then contact us.

If you have questions regarding volunteering for the OTW, check out our Volunteering FAQ.


AO3 Documentation Staff

Do you enjoy helping others learn about AO3? Are you an awesome beta, or a writer with an eye for technical details? If so, then please consider joining Docs!

AO3 Documentation is the committee that writes and updates AO3 FAQs, tutorials, and more. We’re looking for people who love the Archive of Our Own and who have experience relevant to writing and proofreading user help documentation. If that sounds like you, then please follow the link for more information and apply today!

Read the position description and apply!

Applications are due Wednesday 11 July 2018 23:59 UTC


Translation Committee Volunteers

If you enjoy working collaboratively, if you're fluent in a language other than English, if you’re passionate about the OTW and its projects, and want to help us reach more fans all around the world, working with Translation might be for you!

Translation volunteers help make the OTW and its projects accessible to a wider global audience. We work on translating content by the OTW and its projects from English to other languages, such as site pages, news posts, AO3 FAQs and AO3 Support emails. (However, we do not translate fanworks.)

We really need volunteers who speak  Arabic, Bengali, Catalan, Croatian, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Marathi, Serbian, Turkish, Vietnamese,  and  Welsh —but help with other languages would be much appreciated. If you're interested in starting a team for a language we don't have yet, you're very welcome to!

(Please note that our Chinese, Czech, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish and Swedish teams are not accepting new members at this time.)

Applicants may be asked to translate and correct short text samples and will be invited to a chatroom interview as part of the selection process.

More information about us can be found on the Translation committee page.

Read the position description and apply!

Applications are due Wednesday 11 July 2018 23:59 UTC


Systems Committee Staff

The Systems Committee supports, troubleshoots, and expands the technological infrastructure that underlies the OTW’s many projects.

We manage email, DNS, domain registration, Apache/Nginx, MySQL clusters, Xen hypervisors, routing and firewalls, and respond to help tickets. We are seeking people who have some experience in remote Linux administration in one or more of these areas. Self-motivation is a critical attribute.

If you aren’t sure you are skilled enough, please apply. We are happy to talk.

Read the position description and apply!

Applications are due Wednesday 11 July 2018 23:59 UTC


Systems Technical Writer

The Systems Committee supports, troubleshoots, and expands the technological infrastructure that underlies the OTW’s many projects.

Come help us keep on top of all of this technical information! We are looking for a skilled writer who will take the lead in ensuring our documentation is comprehensive and comprehensible, to help with training new team members and increasing knowledge transfer within Systems and from Systems to the wider OTW.

Read the position description and apply!

Applications are due Wednesday 11 July 2018 23:59 UTC


Systems Committee Project Manager

The Systems Committee supports, troubleshoots, and expands the technological infrastructure that underlies the OTW’s many projects.

We need a Project Manager to help us to keep track of the many things that we're trying to achieve at once; to help with managing vendors, budget, and expenses; to liaise with other parts of the OTW, and to assist the Chair in managing the Systems Committee.

We are seeking someone who is organized, dedicated, and has strong leadership skills. A background in managing technical projects is a plus but not required. Good communication and interpersonal skills are a must, as we work remotely and are sometimes in the midst of dealing with sudden, stressful technical problems.

Read the position description and apply!

Applications are due Wednesday 11 July 2018 23:59 UTC


Apply at the volunteering page!

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Published:
2018-06-06 13:00:03 -0400
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OTW Recruitment banner by Erin

Would you like to help your fellow fans use the AO3? Do you like planning events? Are you passionate about organization or love fandom in general? The Organization for Transformative Works is recruiting!

We're excited to announce the opening of applications for:

  • Communications Staff – Event Coordinator - closing Wednesday 13 June 2018 23:59 UTC
  • Fanlore Graphics Designer Volunteer - closing Wednesday 13 June 2018 23:59 UTC
  • Support Staff - closing Wednesday 13 June 2018 23:59 UTC
  • Tag Wrangling Volunteer - closing Wednesday 13 June 2018 23:59 UTC or at 80 applications

We have included more information on each role below. Open roles and applications will always be available at the volunteering page. If you don't see a role that fits with your skills and interests now, keep an eye on the listings. We plan to put up new applications every few weeks, and we will also publicize new roles as they become available.

All applications generate a confirmation page and an auto-reply to your e-mail address. We encourage you to read the confirmation page and to whitelist our email address in your e-mail client. If you do not receive the auto-reply within 24 hours, please check your spam filters and then contact us.

If you have questions regarding volunteering for the OTW, check out our Volunteering FAQ.


Communications Staff – Event Coordinator

Do you enjoy event planning? Have you ever celebrated International Fanworks Day? OTW Communications is looking for someone to help coordinate events large and small.

The Communications committee is the central information distribution arm of the OTW, responsible for the distribution of information internally to OTW personnel and externally to the general public, the media, fans, and other fannish organizations. Usually, that information is news-related, but sometimes it's celebration-related. The Event Coordinator is responsible for planning and executing organization-wide events throughout the year. Larger events include International Fanworks Day and the OTW's anniversary. Smaller events include single-day celebrations such as SysAdmin Day.

Applications are due Wednesday 13 June 2018 23:59 UTC


Fanlore Graphics Designer Volunteers

Would you like to help Fanlore reach more fans and get new editors? Do you have graphic design skills and enjoy creating social media content? If so, we need your help! The Fanlore team needs designers to create graphics and banners for Tumblr posts, tweets, and other Fanlore announcements, to help us reach more fans and potential editors. We have a lot of amazing fan history content, but we need your help to help others find out about it. If you think you might enjoy that, come and join us!

Applications are due Wednesday 13 June 2018 23:59 UTC


Support Staff

If you've spent time figuring out how to make the Archive dance (or are willing to press the button to see what happens), are patient in the face of strange questions, can self-motivate, and are interested in helping your fellow fans, we would love to hear from you! The Support team is responsible for handling the feedback and requests for assistance we receive from users of the Archive. We answer users’ questions, help to resolve problems they’re experiencing, and pass on information to and from coders, testers, tag wranglers and other teams involved with the Archive.

Applications are due Wednesday 13 June 2018 23:59 UTC


Tag Wrangling Volunteer

The Tag Wranglers are responsible for helping to keep the millions of tags on AO3 in some kind of order! Wranglers follow internal guidelines to choose the tags that appear in the filters and auto-complete, which link related works together. (This makes it easier to browse and search on the archive, whether that’s Steve/Tony with tentacles or g-rated Rose/Kanaya fluff.)

If you’re an experienced AO3 user who likes organizing, working in teams, or excuses to fact-check your favorite fandoms, you might enjoy tag wrangling! To join us, click through to the job description and application form.

Please note: You must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. Additionally, we’re currently looking for wranglers for specific fandoms only, which will change each recruitment round. Please see the application for which fandoms are in need.

Applications will be accepted until Wednesday 13 June 2018 23:59 UTC or until 80 submissions have been received.


Apply at the volunteering page!

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Published:
2018-05-09 12:06:22 -0400
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OTW recruitment

Would you like to assist AO3 users by resolving complaints? Are you fluent in a language other than English? Are you good at working on a deadline? Do you have experience copyediting or proofreading academic journals? Do you have graphic design skills and enjoy creating social media content? The Organization for Transformative Works is recruiting!

We're excited to announce the opening of applications for:

  • Policy & Abuse Staffers - closing 16 May 2018 23:59 UTC
  • Translation News Volunteers - closing 16 May 2018 23:59 UTC
  • TWC Committee Volunteer: Copyeditor - closing 16 May 2018 23:59 UTC
  • TWC Committee Volunteer: Proofreader - closing 16 May 2018 23:59 UTC
  • Fanlore Graphic Designer Volunteers - closing 16 May 2018 23:59 UTC

We have included more information on each role below. Open roles and applications will always be available at the volunteering page. If you don't see a role that fits with your skills and interests now, keep an eye on the listings. We plan to put up new applications every few weeks, and we will also publicize new roles as they become available.

All applications generate a confirmation page and an auto-reply to your e-mail address. We encourage you to read the confirmation page and to whitelist our email address in your e-mail client. If you do not receive the auto-reply within 24 hours, please check your spam filters and then contact us.

If you have questions regarding volunteering for the OTW, check out our Volunteering FAQ.


Policy & Abuse Staffers

The Policy & Abuse Committee is dedicated to helping users deal with the various situations that may arise. We also handle any complaints that come in about content uploaded to the Archive of Our Own. The team determines if complaints are about legitimate violations of the Terms of Service, and what to do about them if they are; our major goals are to adhere to the TOS, to make our reasoning and processes as clear and transparent as possible, and to keep every individual case completely confidential. We work closely with other AO3 related committees such as Support and Content.

We are seeking people who can keep in close contact, be patient in rephrasing explanations, make and document decisions, cooperate within and outside of their team, and ask for help when it's needed. Staffers need to be able to handle complex and sometimes-disturbing content, and must be able to commit a sufficient amount of time to the team on a regular basis.

Policy & Abuse staffers are required to spend at least five hours a week handling committee work, though it often tends to be more. Please be sure you can handle the workload before applying.

Applications are due 16 May 2018 23:59 UTC


Translation News Volunteers

Would you like to help translate OTW/AO3 news posts? We are looking for volunteers who can translate or beta news posts within five-day deadlines. If you enjoy working collaboratively, if you're fluent in a language other than English, if you’re passionate about the OTW and its projects, and want to help us reach more fans all around the world, working with Translation might be for you!

We particularly need people for Arabic, Bengali, Catalan, Croatian, Filipino, Hebrew, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Malay, Marathi, Serbian, Turkish, Vietnamese, and Welsh—but help with other languages would be much appreciated.

(Please note that our Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, and Spanish teams are not accepting new members at this time.)

Applicants may be asked to translate and correct short text samples and will be invited to a chatroom interview as part of the selection process. More information about us can be found on the Translation committee page.

Applications are due 16 May 2018 23:59 UTC


TWC Committee Volunteer: Copyeditor

Transformative Works and Cultures is an international peer-reviewed Gold Open Access online publication about fan-related topics, promoting dialogue between the academic community and fan communities.

Copyeditors professionally copyedit submissions for Transformative Works and Cultures according to Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) 17, Merriam-Webster online, and the TWC style guide. Applicants may be given a brief test.

Applications are due 16 May 2018 23:59 UTC


TWC Committee Volunteer: Proofreader

Do you have a high attention to detail and a knowledge of American English spelling and typographic conventions? TWC is looking for Proofreaders!

Transformative Works and Cultures is an international peer-reviewed Gold Open Access online publication about fan-related topics, promoting dialogue between the academic community and fan communities.

Proofreader carefully proofreads final online HTML-tagged manuscripts for online publication, using Chicago Manual of Style 17 (CMOS), Merriam-Webster online, and TWC's style sheet. Applicants may be given a brief test.

Applications are due 16 May 2018 23:59 UTC


Fanlore Graphics Designer Volunteers

Would you like to help Fanlore reach more fans and get new editors? Do you have graphic design skills and enjoy creating social media content? If so, we need your help! The Fanlore team needs designers to create graphics and banners for Tumblr posts, tweets, and other Fanlore announcements, to help us reach more fans and potential editors. We have a lot of amazing fan history content, but we need your help to help others find out about it. If you think you might enjoy that, come and join us!

Applications are due 16 May 2018 23:59 UTC


Apply at the volunteering page!

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Published:
2018-04-28 11:17:20 -0400
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Five Things an OTW Volunteer Said

Every month or so the OTW will be doing a Q&A with one of its volunteers about their experiences in the organization. The posts express each volunteer's personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of the OTW or constitute OTW policy. Today's post is with Rachel Bussert, who volunteers as a staffer in our Volunteers & Recruitment Committee.

How does what you do as a volunteer fit into what the OTW does?

The mission of any organization is driven by the people who dedicate their time and resources to it. Volunteers & Recruiting (VolCom) is very central to that for OTW. Throughout the year, we handle recruitment for all the positions needed, which readers may see regularly in our announcement posts. Below is a chart of OTW’s volunteer numbers over time. As you can see, the number of folks involved in the organization have increased over time to accommodate the work of each committee, and Volunteers & Recruiting is the first step in making sure those staffing needs are being met.

Our work doesn’t stop with recruitment. Volunteers & Recruiting keeps track of the service of each volunteer in the organization, such as the number of years they've been with us and which roles they've held. We coordinate all of the account permissions and tool access that people need to do their work and interact with other volunteers. We also process the turnover as people depart the OTW or as they move into different positions. We report all these changes each month in the OTW newsletter.

What is a typical week like for you as a volunteer?

There tends to be an ebb and flow of work throughout the year, so there’s not necessarily a single answer to that. A given week might include any or all of the following:

  • Discussing committee needs for personnel with their chairs and reviewing role requirements
  • Processing applications for various recruitment campaigns
  • Induction or retirement of volunteers
  • Updating information on volunteers going on or coming off of hiatus
  • Editing tools and resources when a volunteer’s name or email changes
  • Updating organization wide tools and training
  • Work on various internal projects

Did anything take you by surprise when you began volunteering for the OTW or your committee?

Two things, though I think both of them speak more to OTW as an organization rather than just VolCom. The first thing was how well organized everything is overall. Most of the non-profits I’ve had experience partnering with tend to be a little bit haphazard for a variety of reasons, so I was pleasantly surprised by how clear onboarding and training was, and how much effort various committees put into working together for a common goal.

The other thing was just the sheer enthusiasm there is all the way around. Every time we recruit for a role, I’m floored by how many people apply because they want to get involved. That’s not to mention within the organization. There are a lot of really amazing people who put their heart and soul into this.

What's the most rewarding thing to you about volunteering for the OTW?

Fandom has given me so much. I was kind of a lonely kid, and getting into writing fanfiction was the first time I really found people who felt like my people. A couple of my closest friends are folks I met because they commented on my writing, or because we happened to be in the same fandom chat, and so fandom in general is really special to me. I also gravitate pretty strongly towards non-profits in general, so OTW is just this really natural fit.

I think what is most rewarding for me is that with VolCom, I’ve had the opportunity to take some of the skills I’ve developed in my day job, and turn them towards supporting a cause I have so much love for.

What fannish things do you like to do?

All of them? In all seriousness though, I have a lot of fannish interests. In terms of content creation, I write a lot. I’ve been teaching myself art via photomanipulation as well and having a great time with it. I’m mostly in the Captain America fandom these days, but I dip back into Doctor Who and Fullmetal Alchemist now and again. I also cosplay competitively sometimes and get really absurdly excited about documentation and screen accuracy.

I’m pretty serious about giving back to the community that’s given so much to me, so I also tend to get really involved behind the scenes. In addition to OTW, I am on the team that runs two of the writing/art events in my current fandom, I run one of my city’s cosplay meetup groups, and I’m the co-chair for the cosplay masquerade at a local convention.


Now that our volunteer’s said five things about what they do, it’s your turn to ask one more thing! Feel free to ask about their work in comments. Or if you'd like, you can check out earlier Five Things posts.

The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, Transformative Works and Cultures, and OTW Legal Advocacy. We are a fan run, entirely donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.

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Published:
2018-03-07 12:24:37 -0500
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OTW Recruitment Banner

Would you like to help wrangle tags or assist AO3 users by resolving complaints? The Organization for Transformative Works is recruiting!

We're excited to announce the opening of applications for:

  • Tag Wrangling volunteers - closing Wednesday 14 March 23:59 UTC or after 75 applications
  • Policy & Abuse Staff - closing Wednesday 14 March 23:59 UTC

We have included more information on each role below. Open roles and applications will always be available at the volunteering page. If you don't see a role that fits with your skills and interests now, keep an eye on the listings. We plan to put up new applications every few weeks, and we will also publicize new roles as they become available.

All applications generate a confirmation page and an auto-reply to your e-mail address. We encourage you to read the confirmation page and to whitelist our email address in your e-mail client. If you do not receive the auto-reply within 24 hours, please check your spam filters and then contact us.

If you have questions regarding volunteering for the OTW, check out our Volunteering FAQ.


Tag Wrangling Volunteers

The Tag Wranglers are responsible for helping to keep the millions of tags on AO3 in some kind of order! Wranglers follow internal guidelines to choose the tags that appear in the filters and auto-complete, which link related works together. (This makes it easier to browse and search on the archive, whether that’s Steve/Tony with tentacles or g-rated Rose/Kanaya fluff.)

If you’re an experienced AO3 user who likes organizing, working in teams, or excuses to fact-check your favorite fandoms, you might enjoy tag wrangling! To join us, click through to the job description and application form.

Please note: You must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. Additionally, we’re currently looking for wranglers for specific fandoms only, which will change each recruitment round. Please see the application for which fandoms are in need.

Applications are due Wednesday 14 March 23:59 UTC


Policy & Abuse Staff

The Policy & Abuse Committee is dedicated to helping users deal with the various situations that may arise. We also handle any complaints that come in about content uploaded to the Archive of Our Own. The team determines if complaints are about legitimate violations of the Terms of Service, and what to do about them if they are; our major goals are to adhere to the TOS, to make our reasoning and processes as clear and transparent as possible, and to keep every individual case completely confidential. We work closely with other AO3 related committees such as Support and Content.

We are seeking people who can keep in close contact, be patient in rephrasing explanations, make and document decisions, cooperate within and outside of their team, and ask for help when it's needed. Staffers need to be able to handle complex and sometimes-disturbing content, and must be able to commit a sufficient amount of time to the team on a regular basis.

Policy & Abuse staffers are required to spend at least five hours a week handling committee work, though it often tends to be more. Please be sure you can handle the workload before applying.

Applications are due Wednesday 14 March 23:59 UTC


Apply at the volunteering page!

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Published:
2018-02-23 11:49:40 -0500
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Five Things an OTW Volunteer Said

Every month or so the OTW will be doing a Q&A with one of its volunteers about their experiences in the organization. The posts express each volunteer's personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of the OTW or constitute OTW policy. Today's post is with Cosette, who volunteers as a coder for the Accessibility, Design, and Technology (AD&T) Committee.

How does what you do as a volunteer fit into what the OTW does?

As an AD&T coding volunteer, I work with the open-source code that powers AO3. Coders are recruited to fix bugs, write tests, and develop features. We also work side by side with testing volunteers, to ensure the changes we've made to the code won't cause anything to catch fire.

What is a typical week like for you as a volunteer?

AD&T uses a project management tool to track issues (bugs, improvements, new features, tests, etc). So it typically goes like this:

  • Check the planning board for issues I think I can solve
  • Try to solve them
  • Sometimes: cry and dramatically shut my laptop
  • Most times: submit the solution

Other responsibilities include:

  • Creating issues for newly discovered bugs (things that aren't working as intended), improvements (things that could work better), new features (things that don't exist yet but will in the future), tests (automated tests that ensure the website behaves as intended), and so on.

  • Communicating with other members of the AD&T committee about my progress, and keeping up to date with their progress and plans as well.
  • Whenever questions come up, AD&T staff is always helpful in answering them! Also, there's usually some off-topic conversation in the chat room, which is fun.

    Do you have other roles in the OTW besides being a coder?

    Yeah, I also volunteer for Webs, which is the committee that maintains the OTW's website as well as the Elections and Open Doors websites. This mainly consists of fighting WordPress. Since I’m a liaison to Communications, I must also keep them up to date with any problems or changes to the website, and provide answers when they have questions or need a bit of help. Additionally, Webs offers technical assistance to other committees wherever they may need it.

    What's the most fun thing to you about volunteering for the OTW?

    The community. There's a lot of socialising that goes on in the OTW and you can always find someone with a common interest. I've never been a part of a working community that was entirely comprised of fans. In theory, you'd think that would be awesome, and in practice, it is.

    What fannish things do you like to do?

    Writing fanfiction!! Translating manga. And browsing fan art. Encouragement is everything so, when I see something I like, I tell the creator how much I love it. Also, brainstorming headcanons and AUs with friends. The existence of fandom is a pillar in my life and I want to do my part in protecting it and contributing to it; that's why I volunteer for the OTW.


    Now that our volunteer’s said five things about what they do, it’s your turn to ask one more thing! Feel free to ask about their work in comments. Or if you'd like, you can check out earlier Five Things posts.


    The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, Transformative Works and Cultures, and OTW Legal Advocacy. We are a fan run, entirely donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.

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    Published:
    2018-02-07 12:52:42 -0500
    Tags:

    OTW Recruitment

    Do you have graphic design experience? Or do you have an interest in fannish history? Or are you fluent in a language other than English? The Organization for Transformative Works is recruiting for Development & Membership Graphic Designers, Fanlore Staff, and Translators!

    We're excited to announce the opening of applications for:

    • Fanlore Staff - closing Wednesday 14 February 23:59 UTC
    • Translation Volunteers - closing Wednesday 14 February 23:59 UTC
    • Development & Membership Graphic Design Volunteers - closing Wednesday 14 February 23:59 UTC

    We have included more information on each role below. Open roles and applications will always be available at the volunteering page. If you don't see a role that fits with your skills and interests now, keep an eye on the listings. We plan to put up new applications every few weeks, and we will also publicize new roles as they become available.

    All applications generate a confirmation page and an auto-reply to your e-mail address. We encourage you to read the confirmation page and to whitelist our email address in your e-mail client. If you do not receive the auto-reply within 24 hours, please check your spam filters and then contact us.

    If you have questions regarding volunteering for the OTW, check out our Volunteering FAQ.


    Development & Membership Graphic Design Volunteers

    Do you have graphic design skills and experience? Development & Membership is looking for Graphic Designers!

    The Development & Membership committee (DevMem) coordinates the OTW's fundraising and membership-building activities. Our primary responsibility is coordinating our biannual fund drives. Our other responsibilities include designing a new convention outreach process, communicating with donors, and exploring new fundraising opportunities.

    If you have skills or interest in creating promotional OTW graphics for our fundraisers, convention outreach, and donor communications, consider applying to join our team.

    Applications are due Wednesday 14 February 23:59 UTC


    Fanlore Staff

    Do you have an interest in fannish history? The Fanlore committee is recruiting for new staff members!

    Fanlore staff members are responsible for dealing with all the behind the scenes stuff to ensure that Fanlore runs smoothly. We respond to questions and complaints; shape Fanlore policies, categories, and tutorials; assist Fanlore gardeners and other editors; promote Fanlore; and do our best to improve it and plan ahead. No extensive experience is required—only reliability, teamwork, and an interest in fannish history and Fanlore in particular. Join us!

    Applications are due Wednesday 14 February 23:59 UTC


    Translation Committee Volunteers

    If you enjoy working collaboratively, if you're fluent in a language other than English, if you’re passionate about the OTW and its projects, and want to help us reach more fans all around the world, working with Translation might be for you!

    Translation volunteers help make the OTW and its projects accessible to a wider global audience. We work on translating content by the OTW and its projects from English to other languages, such as site pages, news posts, AO3 FAQs and AO3 Support emails. (However, we do not translate fanworks.)

    We really need volunteers who speak Arabic, Bengali, Croatian, Japanese, Kiswahili, Korean, Latvian, Marathi, Serbian, Turkish, Vietnamese, and Welsh — but help with other languages would be much appreciated. If you're interested in starting a team for a language we don't have yet, you're very welcome to!

    (Please note that our Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Swedish teams are not accepting new members at this time.)

    Applicants may be asked to translate and correct short text samples and will be invited to a chatroom interview as part of the selection process.

    More information about us can be found on the Translation committee page.

    Applications are due Wednesday 14 February 23:59 UTC


    Apply at the volunteering page!

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    Published:
    2018-01-19 11:36:40 -0500
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    Five Things an OTW Volunteer Said

    Every month or so the OTW will be doing a Q&A with one of its volunteers about their experiences in the organization. The posts express each volunteer's personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of the OTW or constitute OTW policy. As part of our participation in Copyright Week, today's post is with Betsy Rosenblatt, who volunteers as Chair of our Legal Committee.

    How does what you do as a volunteer fit into what the OTW does?

    As chair of the Legal Committee, I have a dual role. Part of my work focuses on legal advocacy, education, and other interactions with the outside world. I help guide the advocacy and education missions of the organization by setting advocacy priorities, writing governmental submissions and informational posts, answering fan questions about law & fanworks, coordinating with allies, responding when the OTW’s projects face legal challenge, and being a representative of the organization in advocacy settings, academic settings, and fandom settings.

    The other part focuses on internal work within the OTW -— helping other committees with legal questions and advising the organization on internal legal matters, much the way a legal department of a company would advise the company.

    I don’t do any of these things alone, of course -— the legal team is full of wonderful, smart, hard-working experts and we work closely together on each of these tasks.

    What is a typical week like for you as a volunteer?

    I’m not sure there is such a thing as a typical week! Most weeks involve answering fan queries, responding to questions from other OTW committees, and monitoring legal developments. I also participate in frequent phone conferences with allied organizations to talk about current legal issues and projects.

    Beyond that, there’s a lot of variation! Sometimes we’re researching and drafting submissions to governmental organizations or preparing for hearings; sometimes we’re helping review contracts and terms of service; sometimes we’re writing about developments in the law; sometimes we’re doing legal research to help the OTW make legal decisions. We’re always dealing with new things along with our steady maintenance work.

    What would the world look like if there was no longer any need for the OTW's Legal Advocacy project?

    Utopia? Actually, I’m not sure that such a world could exist. Although there are lots of specific challenges that we face now around the world, the OTW’s legal advocacy project isn’t only about fixing particular problems—it’s about building and maintaining a delicate balance in a dynamic world. As technologies for creation and distribution of media and fanworks continue to grow and change, there will always be new challenges for fans.

    I would love to see a world in which noncommercial fanwork creation and distribution were protected from legal challenge and exploitation, and fanworks were readily available to all -— that’s the sort of world we’re working toward —- but law and society are constantly changing each other, so legal advocacy for important causes will always be necessary.

    What's the most rewarding thing to you about volunteering for the OTW?

    Feeling like I -— and more importantly, fans -— have a voice in law and policy.

    What fannish things do you like to do?

    I’m an old-school Sherlockian, which means I am involved with (pre-Internet, oh my!) organizations like the Baker Street Irregulars and the Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes. I attend Sherlockian events and write about the Sherlock Holmes canon in the style of the "Great Game."

    I also blog about TV. And I go to cons -— I love speaking on panels, working at booths, and walking the floor at San Diego Comic Con. And really, I’ve so integrated fandom into my life as a professor and scholar that it seems like most of what I do is just a little bit fannish!


    Now that our volunteer’s said five things about what they do, it’s your turn to ask one more thing! Feel free to ask about their work in comments. Or if you'd like, you can check out earlier Five Things posts.

    The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, Transformative Works and Cultures, and OTW Legal Advocacy. We are a fan run, entirely donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.

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