Don't panic! Livejournal isn't in any imminent danger, despite today's news (many of us here at OTW are archivists, and we know how long it takes for sites, even unattended ones, to degrade.) We'll all still be here tomorrow!

That being said, we do want to remind LJ-based fandom that:

* You can create a User: page for yourself on Fanlore. (All those "If LJ goes away" posts on LJ are kind of useless if LJ actually goes away!) You can put all your pseuds, journals, websites, and other contact info on your User: page, and the wiki is searchable and obviously updatable, so folks will always know where to find you. (See examples here, and there's an easy "create account" link in the left side toolbar of every page.) (Please note that the User: page is different from a regular wiki page. You control the content of your User: page: it's more like a LJ profile page, whereas regular wiki pages about individual fans are collaborative and editable; generally, others will make and edit these pages.)

We've heard from a number of people that YouTube has recently blocked a number of fanvids due to alleged music rights violations. But YouTube also provides a mechanism for vidders to assert their right to fair use: a quick and easy dispute process.

YouTube recognizes that there are legitimate artistic and critical reasons to use copyrighted material, and the online form gives, as a potential reason for dispute: "This video uses copyrighted material in a manner that does not require approval of the copyright holder. It is a fair use under copyright law." The form also asks you to explain further.

Welcome to the last issue of the OTW Newsletter for this year! As of December 19, the OTW committees will be taking a brief break over the holidays, then reconvening after the New Year to start back to work, so we thought we'd take a chance to do an end-of-term roundup for the various committees, focusing on what we've done over the past year and a half.

Committee Updates!

Welcome to the first December issue of the OTW Newsletter! We're constantly on the lookout for ways to keep fandom up-to-date and informed about what's going on behind the scenes here at OTW, so twice a month, Community Relations compiles updates about what the various committees are working on and we share them here.

All issues of the newsletter will be tagged accordingly, so you can follow our progress chronologically.

Committee Updates!

Welcome to the second November issue of the OTW Newsletter! We're constantly on the lookout for ways to keep fandom up-to-date and informed about what's going on behind the scenes here at OTW, so twice a month, Community Relations compiles updates about what the various committees are working on and we share them here.

All issues of the newsletter will be tagged accordingly, so you can follow our progress chronologically.

Academic Journal Update from mafaldastasi

The TWC academic journal has added Rebecca Lucy Busker to the Symposium team. Welcome, Lucy!

Welcome to the first November issue of the OTW Newsletter! We're constantly on the lookout for ways to keep fandom up-to-date and informed about what's going on behind the scenes here at OTW, so twice a month, Community Relations compiles updates about what the various committees are working on and we share them here.

All issues of the newsletter will be tagged accordingly, so you can follow our progress chronologically.

News: Vidding History Project

The OTW is pleased to announce the release of a series of six short documentaries on vidding made by Francesca Coppa and Laura Shapiro and produced by OTW for MIT's New Media Literacy project. These are part of a larger group of documentaries on remix culture, and the whole series is aimed at middle and high schoolers (so are very introductory to the art of vidding.) You can see these documentaries online here, and the OTW will also be hosting them as part of our new Vidding History project (you'll be hearing more about this in OTW's second year: if anyone wants to work on one of the OTW's vidding projects, please contact the Volunteers committee.)

Committee Updates

Welcome to the second October issue of the OTW Newsletter! We're constantly on the lookout for ways to keep fandom up-to-date and informed about what's going on behind the scenes here at OTW, so twice a month, Community Relations compiles updates about what the various committees are working on and we share them here.

All issues of the newsletter will be tagged accordingly, so you can follow our progress chronologically.

Academic Journal Update from Mafalda Stasi

The academic journal team is writing a FAQ for the OTW Web site.

Submissions are arriving for the academic journal's second issue and are going through blind peer review. The editorial team is actively soliciting content.

Welcome to the first October issue of the OTW Newsletter! We're constantly on the lookout for ways to keep fandom up-to-date and informed about what's going on behind the scenes here at OTW, so twice a month, Community Relations compiles updates about what the various committees are working on and we share them here.

All issues of the newsletter will be tagged accordingly, so you can follow our progress chronologically.

The Wiki team is pleased to announce the launch of the beta version of Fanlore!

Fanlore - [http://fanlore.org]

Fanlore is a wiki in which fans can share knowledge and interpretations of fan communities and their histories.

All fans are welcome to add both facts and experiences of fandom to the wiki. Together we hope to build a valuable resource that will serve many different purposes within fandom over the coming years.

To register as a contributor, visit the account creation page.

Welcome to the first September issue of the OTW Newsletter! We're constantly on the lookout for ways to keep fandom up-to-date and informed about what's going on behind the scenes here at OTW, so twice a month, Community Relations compiles updates about what the various committees are working on and we share them here.

All issues of the newsletter will be tagged accordingly, so you can follow our progress chronologically.

Welcome to the August issue of the OTW Newsletter! We're constantly on the lookout for ways to keep fandom up-to-date and informed about what's going on behind the scenes here at OTW, so twice a month, Community Relations compiles updates about what the various committees are working on and we share them here.

All issues of the newsletter will be tagged accordingly, so you can follow our progress chronologically.

Academic Journal Update from Mafalda Stasi

The Academic Journal has been preparing documentation for copyedit and layout. The copyediting team members have received editing assignments. The journal is on track for its first issue in September 2008.

The editorial teams are thinking about content for No. 2, which will come out in March 2009.

Want to let people know about the OTW? Download our flyers:

• Full Sheet (PDF)
• Half Sheet (PDF)

Just a quick note to anybody who's going to be attending Comic Con (July 24 -27) or any other upcoming fandom conventions and gatherings:

If any of you want to print and distribute materials about the OTW, .pdf files of full-sheet and half-sheet flyers can be found here.

Welcome to the third July issue of the OTW Newsletter! We're constantly on the lookout for ways to keep fandom up-to-date and informed about what's going on behind the scenes here at OTW, so twice a month (three times this month), Community Relations compiles updates about what the various committees are working on and we share them here.

All issues of the newsletter will be tagged accordingly, so you can follow our progress chronologically.

Committee Updates!

Academic Journal Update from Mafalda Stasi

Who We Are
Find out more about who runs the OTW.

What We Believe
Read about our vision, values, and mission.

Reports
View our annual reports.

Glossary
Find definitions of terms used on this site.

Website Terms of Service
Terms of Service for this site.

Volunteers: To sign up to work on an OTW project.
Contact form

Donations: To support OTW's work financially.
Contact form

Community relations: To learn more about OTW's outreach to the fannish community, or to offer advice.
Contact form

Media inquiries: For general media inquiries about OTW and its projects, or to contact a board member for an interview. Allow at least two days' response time.
Contact form

Webmasters: For inquiries relating to the website.

Please contact us with your question and we'll be happy to answer it.

Please remember that the OTW is an entirely volunteer-run organization—that includes the board members, the committee chairs, and all our staff. Our time is limited and our tasks are many. We do strive to answer questions as quickly as possible, but drafting new answers is time-consuming and they often raise issues that have to be discussed at committee or board meetings.

We don't see ourselves as being in competition with anyone. Much as the ACLU, the EFF, and other organizations have all been involved in the battle for online civil liberties, we think there is a lot of room for a wide range of organizations representing fandom and fannish fair use. We're happy to make common cause with other organizations that share our commitment to serving the fannish community in a not-for-profit, community-based spirit, and we look forward to doing so.