My dears,
This is a difficult post to write, but the time has come for me to give up the Month of Letters. It began as a way for me to disconnect from the internet and slow down. I have loved all of the people that I got to meet through it.
But over the years, the effort involved in maintaining and running the site has grown to the point that I can’t sustain it. In full and painful honesty, we’re at the point that February triggers my depression symptoms as I realize that I’m letting people down.
We’re slammed with spammers and I don’t have the ability to stop them. There are things that the site needs that I can’t provide.
So what I’d like to do, rather than just shutting it down, is to hand the Month of Letters over to another caretaker. I issued the initial challenge, yes, but it is bigger than me.
Do you want to run Month of Letters?
If you do, I’ll still pay for hosting. I can cheer from backstage. But I’m at a point where I need to let go of trying to manage the site. In 2018, I’m trying to be better about understanding my limits. Please understand and accept my apologies.
Sincerely yours,
Mary Robinette Kowal
Edited to add: There’s a new team! LetterMo is alive!
I would be more than willing to help you Mod, looks like you need some immediate clean up in those forums, just a quick look. Happy to help, by way of time! – Email/Gchat cooksterz66 at gmail
Thanks for diving in!
I know this had to be hard, but I’m glad you’re doing the thing that will be best for you. Thanks so much for doing this every year!
Thank you!
Would live to help however I can…perhaps a group of us could work together to manage and moderate site?
May your heart lift and depression ease soon.
Ann Marie
I would love that. I know, from experience, that there still needs to be someone to coordinate things.
Mary,
As Terri Beth said, I am sure this decision is a wrench and I hope you’ll do more than cheer than from the back when you feel up to it. Depression is debilitating; I offer my support as anther traveller on that spiraling road.
I too will be glad to help, but I don’t have the technological savvy to coordinate. Would you tell us all what’s involved in moderating the site?
Ruth
I’d very much like to help if I can. Could you give us more information about what an organizer would need to know and/or do?
There are three main areas:
1. The blog
2. The forums
3. The challenges
1. The Blog – I found a solution for that in K. Tempest Bradford, who I hired to run that the last two years.
2. The forums – The problems here are:
a. OMG the spam
b. Problems with accounts/passwords.
c. Other random trouble-shooting
d. OMG the spam — Nathan has been helping with some of that, but we have yet to find a plug-in that keeps spammers out. Cooksterz has just dived in to clear out stuff in the forums.
e. Trouble with friend requests.
3. The challenges
a. account/password registration issues (Nathan has been great)
b. Achievements that get improperly awarded
c. Clearing the achievements at the beginning of the New Year.
d. Making sure they aren’t broken.
e. Responding to people who are angry that things don’t work.
There’s miscellaneous email, too, from people who want a penpal (we don’t do that) or who are having trouble registering.
Still achieving and familiarizing myself with the WP dashboard and plug ins. Sorry if yall see Wonky posts and such. IM having a bit of trouble getting the spam folks out of here first. Then will help to work on updating. Happy to hear from any other mods for collaboration!
Hi, Mary. So sorry you’re struggling with this (my kickboxing demo offer is still open!). I’d be happy to assist as part of the group that seems to be forming. Just let me know what you need.
I would be happy to or help!
I have spoons?
Omigosh…I have spoons! I can help with this as needed.