The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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The Future of SRC
I have to say, I am really frustrated with the GR staff at this point.
Thanks to both of you Sandy and PJ for all the work. You are both so helpful and I appreciate all the work this takes. Let us know what the best way is to continue and I'm sure we can go with the flow...
I cannot sufficiently express my appreciation to PJ and Sandy for the efforts to pick up the slack here. It goes above and beyond anyone's expectations. This Challenge developed over a period of time and has grown exponentially from its inception. PJ, your frustration re: GR Staff is understandable (an understatement!). Since it appears that you and Sandy will have to start from scratch, this is, perhaps, your opportunity to truly make your own challenge, to do as you will and not be constrained by whatever Cynthia has started. Design a Challenge however you wish, whether small or ambitious, and you will find support from most of us here. Feel yourself free to change the timeframe, or the themes, or anything else.
I just wanted to add my thanks to PJ and Sandy for doing all they can to keep the group going while Cynthia is away. I've been doing the challenge for a year now and even though I've never come close to finishing I love it and honestly have no idea what I would read without it!I love the depth and range of the challenge at the moment, but I'm happy to follow it in the future, whatever variations occur.
Thanks again to Cynthia for getting this group up and running and to PJ and Sandy for taking on the arduous task of keeping it going.
I love the challenge! This is my fourth, and I'm truly addicted. It's so much fun to find books to fit the task, especially from ones I own. Since I own hundreds of unread books and have tons on my TBR, the challenge helps me to decide what to read next. I like having a reading plan. If it becomes necessary to move the challenge due to Cynthia's absence, then I will follow it. Hopefully, Cynthia will be back soon, and her absence is only temporary. She has done a tremendous job!!!
In the meantime, lots of thanks to PJ and Sandy for picking up the slack! I appreciate you keeping the challenge moving forward!
Thank you Sandy and PJ. This is my first FULL Challenge--- got started late for the spring challenge. I love this group and love how it inspiresus to read. It's a blast and I'm so glad it's going
to continue. I know, because I follow every post, this is a TON of work and I truly appreciate you ladies for taking us on.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I cannot sufficiently express my appreciation to PJ and Sandy for the efforts to pick up the slack here. It goes above and beyond anyone's expectations. This Challenge developed over a period of ti...PJ, your frustration re: GR Staff is understandable (an understatement!). Since it appears that you and Sandy will have to start from scratch, this is, perhaps, your opportunity to truly make your own challenge, to do as you will and not be constrained by whatever Cynthia has started. Design a Challenge however you wish, whether small or ambitious, and you will find support from most of us here. Feel yourself free to change the timeframe, or the themes, or anything else."
I love this challenge. I want to help Cynthia continue her challenge. She has created a wonderful experience for us and done an amazing job. I wish she would come back.
Mod
Same here. I got involved helping pjreads with this because I have so much fun with this challenge, and didn't want it to fall apart. And I hope Cynthia comes back as well.
I wonder if the modifications in the rules would make them different enough to count for Goodreads? I hate to think about you having to rewrite everything.Again, pj and Sandy, thank you for all that you have done to keep this going. (of course if it ended, I think I would find myself with a lot more time and might actually finish some of the books on my TBR!)
GR staff said they cannot add moderators since they do not consider Cynthia inactive. GR staff also said: "If the group has different, original language as its description, name, etc., then it's fine to create a new group. The only thing against Goodreads policy is to copy language from one group to another. "
UUUhhhh, OK, but the truth is that if Cynthia doesn't resurface soon, the group will be done because the next challenge cannot be posted. Do you have to be a moderator to start a thread or a folder in this group?...I would assume so. Change a few words in the rules, come up with a new name and start over, otherwise the group will die anyway. Sadly, I'm afraid some people will be lost in the migration. This is somewhat shortsighted for GR.
Guys, Cynthia was on GR just 2 hours ago updating her currently reading list. Do you honestly think she doesn't know that this thread exists? In the slim chance that she is unaware of it, you would think she could at least pop over to the group for 60 seconds and post a quick update, like "I'll be back" (or not). Something. I hate to say it, but I don't think she intends to come back. It's almost as if she's put the group on ignore. Call me a pessimist, but that's what it looks like to me. It would be a shame, and I really hope I'm wrong. :o( Either way, had to get that off my chest.PJ and Sandy, thank you so much for all of the hard work you've done and continue to do to keep this challenge from collapsing.
I hate to think Cynthia would just give up without leaving a message or something.
The summer challenge was my 8th and although I will never come close to finishing any of them, I really enjoy using the various tasks to focus my reading.I would love it if future challenges either ended or started on the 15th -- essentially a two-week break between challenges. This will allow the participants that push themselves into reading-burnout time to recover. It would also allow the moderators/task creators time to sort out the tasks. And finally, for the participants that love to plan out each book for every task there would be a better chance of having the tasks in place and the time to assign books to them. (Personally, once the following season's 5-10-15 point tasks are posted, I am always torn between finishing another book or two or spending all of my reading time following the task help threads and planning on what to read for the next challenge.)
PJreads and Sandy, is there anything we, as casual participants, can do to help (other than become much better at following the completed task posting guidelines)? In the first several (smaller challenges) it felt like the whole community helped point out problematic posts in the completed tasks thread. Once Cynthia started sending PM's rather than responding in the completed tasks thread, it seems like the rest of us did, too. But I don't know if it would be helpful if more of us chimed in, or if it would mean more work for you & Sandy -- wading through more posts.
And, of course, thank you so much for stepping in and assuming the enormous responsibility/work for continuing the challenge!
(Whew! I didn't mean to write so much)
She doesn't need to know about this thread. She won't answer PJ and Sandy's e-mails. She has abandoned this group. Which is why PJ and Sandy are free to make their own in their own way.
Liz wrote: "The summer challenge was my 8th and although I will never come close to finishing any of them, I really enjoy using the various tasks to focus my reading.I would love it if future challenges eith..."
Yes, it would help if people pointed out problematic posts.
I echo all of the above sentiments -- I'm really glad that this challenge exists and I would miss it if it disappears. Thanks to pjreads and Sandy for keeping it going in Cynthia's absence!Didn't this challenge start off in a different group a couple of years ago and then migrated to this new group because the challenge posts were getting mixed up with non-challenge posts? If it migrated once, it can migrate again, or so it seems to me! I'd follow the challenge if it relocates.
Curious about Cynthia's absence ... hope she's ok
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "She doesn't need to know about this thread. She won't answer PJ and Sandy's e-mails. She has abandoned this group. Which is why PJ and Sandy are free to make their own in their own way."No, I totally agree with you. What I meant by my post is that there is no way she is unaware that we are wondering where she is. She knows and for reasons known only to her, she is choosing to ignore it. So yeah, I don't think she plans to come back to mod the group. I just wanted to offer another perspective for the eternal optimists. ;o)
Liz wrote: "I would love it if future challenges either ended or started on the 15th -- essentially a two-week break between challenges. This will allow the participants that push themselves into reading-burnout time to recover. It would also allow the moderators/task creators time to sort out the tasks...."I like that idea. It allows for a more relaxed start to a new Challenge.
Liz wrote: "The summer challenge was my 8th and although I will never come close to finishing any of them, I really enjoy using the various tasks to focus my reading.I would love it if future challenges eith..."
I think the two-week recess is a good idea. It's a great chance to "cleanse the palate," so to speak, and the start of the next challenge won't feel so harried with the extra prep time!
Just to throw another opinion into the mix ;o) -- I'm not crazy about the two-week recess idea. Personally, I have a hard enough time waiting the two weeks between the 5, 10, and 15 point tasks being announced and the start of the challenge. Yes, I know, I should be finishing books for the challenge that's currently going, but there's something about greener reading pastures that I just can't resist. For some reason, I also like the pressure of trying to finish one challenge while planning for the next. And for those who read quickly and finish the challenge early, there would be a long wait between challenges. Just another view, for what it's worth... ;o).
I personally don't feel rushed. If i don't fit all my books in, I can save them for the next one.
Wendy UKRewriting the rules would be a major task!
If Cynthia would contact Goodreads and state that she can't cope for the time being, could pj and Sandy then be stand in moderaters?
I wonder if it's just got too much for Cynthia and she can't face doing it anymore but feels a bit awkward about that. It would be great if she just let the GR people know they could add some mods.If it doesn't happen, I wonder if GR would object if the name and group description were different but the rules were similar or even the same? After all, the rules will be within threads, not in the group description, and surely GR must realise threads in different groups may be very similar. As someone said - we migrated from another group initially. Just wondering?
I was thinking along the same lines as Wendy. Could PJ message Cynthia and ask her to contact GR to request that PJ and Sandy become Moderators of this group?It is very strange that Cynthia isn't answering anyone's messages and yet is seeming to be active with updating her own books. If PJ asks her to c ontact GR she doesn't necessarily have to reply to PJ directly or at all if she doesn't want to speak with anyone in this group she can just go directly to GR to request the extra moderators.
I think at that point Cynthia could just make them moderators, it is just a matter of a couple of clicks....
Thanks to PJ and Sandy for keeping this up. I had a bad feeling when Cynthia disappeared for a while during the Spring. I hope she is ok and will come back, but if she does not, I will totally continue on wherever the SRC goes.I do wish we could hear something from her, (Cynthia) however. I am very concerned.
Thanks, again, Sandy and PJ!
*twitch*My worry would be losing folks in the transition to a new board. And how would the new board be different rule wise to please the GR Powers That Be (GRPTB sounds so weird!).
I am glad to see the Fall Challenge Task ideas thread posted - http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/3...
And I am glad people are concerned and looking for alternatives to help Cynthia out while she's down and sick. My suspicion regarding updating her books -- she only has time to update her booklist and not surf through the monsterous task of mails and board updates. OR I wonder if her family is updating her book list for her. Don't think that's uncommon if she gave 'em her P-Word.
* Hope Cynthia does hire moderators for the interim
* If moderators aren't set, then gotta consider how to make the new group different enough and what name to utilize since SRC would be too similar.
* Suggested Names (if new group route):
** The Reading Refuge - An Interim Seasonal Reading Challenge
** Book It Seasonally - Reading Challenges by Season
PJ & Sandy --
I personally don't feel rushed. If i don't fit all my books in, I can save them for the next one. Completely agree with this statement. The books I had on my list that I just won't get to this time are currently in a bag waiting until the next challenge to see if they can fit there. I don't think cutting it off 2 weeks early gains anything. If you're burnt out from reading, just stop reading for awhile.
That was my first thought -- that Cynthia had asked someone to do updates for her.More gnawing worry is that keeping up with SRC and two jobs drove her to some health crisis or collapse. It's easy to imagine a health professional advising her not to even look at SRC or SRC emails for a month or more.
Her last SRC post was 7 July, so it's not even a month yet.
We've had ample evidence for years that Cynthia cares immensely about this challenge. We don't want to jump to conclusions or say things we will regret.
I hate to wait and worry so I do things to prepare for contingencies and to try to help.
Cynthia is bound to be VERY IN LOVE with SRC if she continued doing these challenges for going on 2-3 years?Needless to say, I think what will be a big help are:
1) Tally the Readerboard - post to maybe a google doc for Cynthia to swiftly review
2a) Eliminate the 50 Point Challenge. There's one month left and the more we wait for Cynthia to approve one, the less time folks have to completing.
OR
2b) Based on the Tally above, figure out who has the most points and let that person post the 50 Point Challenge by the end of the week
3) Fall Challenge Task Ideas (already started with super awesomesauce!! Thanks PJ!)
4) Answering Questions on the Main Tasks - think PJ and Sandy have been doing that along with other elder SRC participants (elder meaning length of participation).
5) Has anyone finished? If so, get their Fall Challenge Tasks already to pass along to Cynthia. Less need for her to hunt for those!
6) Best Review, Best Logo - Those don't get voted on until the end so back burner!
7) Tally the Goodreads Author Tickets! Think there's another one for Big Books?
I'm fairly certain PJ and Sandy are well ahead on a LOT of these task suggestions ;)
BTW - Back from my own GR hiatus! My own life went wackadoodle including a car wreck! HA HA! So I can empathize with Cynthia on how catching up is like Ga-GA-GLUMP! *sweatdrop*
Tanja wrote: "Cynthia is bound to be VERY IN LOVE with SRC if she continued doing these challenges for going on 2-3 years?Needless to say, I think what will be a big help are:
1) Tally the Readerboard - pos..."
Tanja - I think most of those are being done :)
There is an updated readerboard in a separate post to Cynthia's and the 50 point task is posted in the Task help section.
Tanja wrote: "Cynthia is bound to be VERY IN LOVE with SRC if she continued doing these challenges for going on 2-3 years?Needless to say, I think what will be a big help are:
1) Tally the Readerboard - pos..."
Have you seen these?
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/369499-readerboard-post-851-forward
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/374682-50-1-beth-nc-s-task-let-the-tarot-decide
7. Sandy is contacting nominators for GR Authors
Hope you're feeling better. I had a couple of months of wackadoodle after I fell on the treadmill in February.
Tanja, the 50-point task was posted about a week ago in the Summer tasks help section.
Tnaja, the 50 point task has already been posted (and it's very cool!).While I am very concerned about Cynthia personally (I hope she ok!), I an concerned that she left with no word. If there is someone else updating her books, then that person could presumably also at least respond to one of the PMs saying "Cynthia's ok but on a break" or whatever. WHATEVER the issue is, my concern is that she left with no warning and no explanation for a month now.
I would certainly (as we all would!) welcome her back with open arms, but her absence has highlighted an inherent problem with a group of this size having only one moderator. Even if she returned full force, I would like to see a back-up plan in place. No one person can or should be expected to have all of the responsibility for something like this Challenge. Several of us started requesting this when her participation started becoming erratic several months ago and she ignored us. This absence hardly came out of the blue.
I don't mean this to sound harsh -- I do sincerely hope that Cynthia is ok and that she comes back in whatever capacity she can. But live and learn, right? It's not fair for others to have to pick up the pieces when a little planning would save a lot of work.
I agree Ashley regarding the part that Cynthia has been gone with no word and this group needs another moderator or two.
I feel so bad for this whole awkward situation. I have only been on GR for about 5 months but get the impression that the SRC is Cynthia's "baby". I for one think she has done a wonderful job with it and it seems to grow every season, which may be part of the problem. However the job of keeping track of everyone's tasks and points is WAY too big for one person to possibly do and I for one can't figure out why anyone would WANT to do it all alone.It has been terrific that pjreads and Sandy have stepped up to the plate to keep the challenge going in Cynthia's absence. I am sure their job is many times harder with trying to pick up where someone else has left off and not having mod status. I personally want to say a big thank you to them. Also it must be quite frustrating for them to have to worry about stepping on Cynthia's toes through this process.
The GR powers that be better wake up to the situation here and give pj and Sandy mod status and how ridiculous that they would have to rewrite the rules to start a new group with the 2 of them being mods. I for one really enjoy the challenges and like many others it has given some direction to my reading so I will gladly go to the new challenge group if it comes to that.
All Cynthia would need to do is post a message to all saying that the SRC has become too much for her to handle (or whatever the reason is she has disappeared) AND grant mod status to pj and Sandy. Problem solved.
I am not pleased with the GR folks and their lack of help in this matter.
Suggested name for new group: The Great Book Adventure!
Sincere thanks to pjreads and Sandy, you are doing a great job in an extremely awkward situation.
Sheila
Christine wrote: "I personally don't feel rushed. If i don't fit all my books in, I can save them for the next one. Completely agree with this statement. The books I had on my list that I just won't get to this ti..."
I agree with Christine.
DeeDee and Christine, that was my statement:) I like the title "The Great Book Adventure" and "The Reading Refuge" as well for the new group name. If it is decided that we need a new group, I suggest we all vote on the new group name like we do for the books we read.
Sheila said (and I agree):All Cynthia would need to do is post a message to all saying that the SRC has become too much for her to handle (or whatever the reason is she has disappeared) AND grant mod status to pj and Sandy. Problem solved.
And .....
Sincere thanks to pjreads and Sandy, you are doing a great job in an extremely awkward situation.
I also agree with the sentiment expressed by Ashley about the problems with a large group and only one moderator. I think that when (hopefully it is when, not if), when Cynthia comes back, pjreads and Sandy are made co-moderators. That way, no one moderator is overwhelmed by the workload for moderating; and, when personal business requires an extended absence by any one moderator, the co-moderators can maintain the group.
I also agree. In fact, I think that it should be a goodreads rule that a group has to have back-up mods. This is actually the third group that I am in that has had a problem with life getting in the way and the mod/mods disappearing.
Wendy UKYes I agree with all that. Looking at past seasonal challenges,it appears that the tasks have become much more complex than when Cynthia first set it up, and of course numbers have increased. This all makes it more difficult for the mod - with two or three sharing the work time off wouldn't be a problem.
So - if we do have to start a new group, we could call it The Library Read-a-thon or something like that since originally it was a library sponsored summer reading program that Cynthia brought here. Another idea - Could we resurrect the old challenge in TNBBC group? Probably not, but just mentioning it.
I think the SRC is large enough that it would be very difficult to merge that with an already present and very active group like TNBBC. I do think SRC needs to be on its own, and any spin off would need to be on its own as well. I know Sam's Reading with Style portion will be moving to its own space soon which makes it much easier as far as spreading out and tallying points and whatnot.
Yep, Reading with Style will be it's own quarterly challenge group starting on September 1st. We're just about ready to take the group 'public'. We're still tweaking some of the concepts about the next quarter's challenge. If you're interested in learning more about this challenge you can check out the Reading with Style thread on the SRC site.I completely understand if Cynthia has become overwhelmed by the point tracking job for the SRC. I'm amazed that she's done this all by herself for as long as she has. I'm keeping up the Readerboard for Reading with Style, and as much as I want to update it more frequently, I usually only have time to get it caught up on the weekend.
It would be great if Cynthia could add PJ and Sandy as new co-moderators for the group. That seems like the easiest solution at the moment. I too hope that Cynthia is okay! She's nurtured this challenge so well that she may have become a victim of her own success, and may not be in the space where she's able to ask for help.
Hi PJ and Sandy. - first of all a big "Thank you" for keeping things going. This is my first challenge and I'd hate to think it will be my last. Whether things stay here or end up being moved to a new group, I will stick with it.It seems to me that this challenge is way too big a task for any one person to handle. While it would be great if Cynthia could take up the reins again, I think that co-moderators are necessary. I do hope she's OK.
Is there a way that you could make it easier for people to find their own posts? For instance, organize the Completed Tasks by alphabet or something so that it is easier to find posts.
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Daughter of the Forest (other topics)The Girl Who Played with Fire (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Neil Gaiman (other topics)Stieg Larsson (other topics)
Juliet Marillier (other topics)
Sorry to enter this conversation so late, but I've been traveling again. I would be more than happy to migrate to another group, and really want to thank you both for keeping this challenge active in Cynthia's absence. Cynthia certainly has built a loyal and motivated group, no matter what her current motivations for being absent are, so she is to be congratulated.
Maybe the GR staff can articulate how significant an edit of the rules needs to be before they are not considered a copy. After all, it seems to be in everyone's interests for this group to continue.
Many thanks for your willingness to step in, and for your proposed streamlining of some of the requirements!