Posting Essays

[http://users.livejournal.com/peasant_/]

This post explains the correct format and procedures for posting your essay.

Headers

You must post the following headers here on buffyversemeta.

Author:
Summary:
Spoilers:
Word count:
Notes:

• Author - your LJ username, preferably as a link. <lj user=your_name>
• Summary - A couple of sentences summarising the subject matter of the essay. This will probably include the original 'question'.
• Spoilers - this is compulsory. Think hard about which episodes might have their plot spoilt by your essay. Then put the season name and number and episode name and number after which it will be safe to read. So, for example, if your essay discusses Buffy killing the Master put Spoilers: BTVS1/12 Prophecy Girl. Do not put something vague like 'you are safe if you know that Buffy killed the Master' since that is a) useless and b) a spoiler itself.
• Word count - just a rough count so readers know what they are getting into.
• Notes - anything else you need to say, but keep it brief. Remember to mention who thought of the original subject if it wasn't your own idea.

The Essay Itself

Beneath the headers, either post the essay itself behind an LJ cut, or a link to the essay on your own journal.

Essays can be any length.

Please try to ensure the text is readable by all - do not use unusual fonts or formatting. Try to write in plain text, avoiding special characters including Word's 'smart quotes'. (If you need advice on this, please ask in the comments)

If your essay includes images, ensure they are of moderate size for the benefit of those on dial-up, and hosted on a site where they will be permanently available. (i.e. not a site that removes the file after a limited number of downloads).

If you quote from an episode, please cite the episode name and number (people like to know).

Please list any references you have used at the end of the essay, including links to online resources.

Comments must be turned on for all posters, including anonymous ones, on both Buffyverse Meta and your own journal (if applicable).

Tags

All essay posts must be tagged with the following tags (all members can create new tags):

• Your username
• The season it spoils up to in the following format: spoilers btvs3, spoilers ats4 etc.
• A tag for each of the principle characters mentioned.
• Two or three tags for the subject matter. Be brief and generic so you are likely to share tags with similar essays in the future. For example: spuffy, feminism, souls

Link on the Subject List

After you have posted, please go back to the subject list and find the original subject suggestion. Add a reply to that comment with a link to the completed essay post (link to the one on Buffyverse Meta even if you are posting on your own journal, so people can read the headers).

If You Miss Your Posting Date

Please post on the original date explaining that there will be a delay and giving an expected date for the actual posting. (Try to set yourself a specific new deadline because it will probably help you.) Tag the post just 'delayed'.