For a long time I’ve been struggling with ill-health while my staff members valiantly struggled on to keep FashCon afloat, and managed it. The work of the content moderator and kiosk maintainer is considerable and I’ve been paying them a salary for their work from funds raised from kiosk sales; this hasn’t balanced for a long time, leaving me at a loss for the running of this group. Not wanting to push up kiosk cost, something had to give.

I wish to thank hugely Sun and Ivy for such long dedication in acting as content moderators and advisors for this group. As of last week, they’ve vacated these posts, and as such the group notices are currently not moderated. This coupled with the lack of balance in finances means I don’t feel justified in asking designers to pay for kiosks at the moment so have closed sales for now.

PK is currently my kiosk maintainer, but I’ve informed her I need to stop selling kiosks and processing new designers for now. Please don’t pester her about this – it’s my decision as I don’t wish to keep taking money for something I can’t maintain as well as before. Also note that I am rarely in world right now, and largely unavailable. Please don’t feel it’s personal if you contact me and I don’t reply.

For those who have purchased kiosks in the last 2 weeks (5th-18th August 2011) I feel it’s only fair to offer a refund if you feel your purchase is not worthwhile bearing in mind the current lack of moderation and admin. Please send a notecard inworld with a copy of your transaction for your kiosk purchase.

For everyone else: FashCon has been a very significant part of my life, and a great joy since I started it in 2006 as a small idea that shocked me in getting so big. Second Life has moved on hugely since then, and it’s been a thrill to watch. I thank profusely everyone who’s supported FashCon and myself for so long, and can only apologise that my circumstances don’t currently allow for more. The group will remain open for now, and existing designers may post, and I hope for the sake of the community self-regulate enough during this period to maintain the group’s usefulness and sanity.

Wishing you all very good health and remember: love the ones you’re with.

Honey

As your new content moderator, I honestly hope I have no reason to send out a bunch of friendly reminders of the FashCon posting rules, nor do I wish to be suspending a lot of people.  I would love it if you simply IM’d to say hello and introduced yourselves!  I am friendly and don’t bite.  Not hard anyway *grin*.   I am open to answering questions about notice content, and would much rather answer questions than send out the no no notices.  :-)

I do absolutely love seeing all of your notices with the fabulous new releases that all of our designers put out, but I do not enjoy seeing the same notices over and over again each week.  A busy girl can’t keep running to the same stores repeatedly lol.  I also greatly appreciate the beautiful pictures of the new goodies.  I will be keeping a close eye on things, so no trying to sneak things past the new kid.  I do have 20/20 vision in both worlds.  On that note……………. I think it’s time to grab the latest notice and head out shopping!

Sun Michalski, FashCon's new Content Moderator

Designers will (hopefully!) be aware what the content moderator does, but buyers may not be. Briefly, Sun’s role is to ensure that FashCon’s standard’s are met in terms of the content that you see when you receive a notice of a new fashion release.

These are summarised on the rules page on this website: rules such as ensuring that no one designer sends too many notices, that content is what you expect when you join, i.e. of new fashion releases (not tables or penguins, unless you can wear them), that you get a nice picture of the new release in the notice, etc. With so many notices, this can be quite a task, and Sun (and Dove and Ivy before her) has to do this retroactively at the moment, by examining the archive of notices and apply our standard procedure of notifications if designers depart from the standard.

We hope to do this in a friendly way – but if designers consistently break these rules, it’s important for group cohesion that we act to maintain quality of notices, and occasionally we will suspend or ban people who refuse to play ball. This hopefully keeps the group relevant and useful for you all!

So please welcome Sun if you see her in the Cafe and buy her a latte, and be nice to her if you’re a designer who she needs to speak to about notices. She’s only doing her job! Blame me.

While I’m on the line, if anyone is interested in a little FashCon history, there’s an article on FashCon in this month’s Maniera magazine along with a very lovely cover shot wearing Kimmera Madison creations. Photographer AtomicSparkle Skytower did some lovely work inside too, making me look nearly presentable. You can read the article on their blog too, but go on, take a look at the pics!

Also, I’ve just updated the FashCon HUD. Wanting inspiration? Wear the HUD and tp at random between stores when you’re bored of going to the same old stores. Or click on “Tour Bus” to join in with others FashCon members and visit the same shops as them, once every few minutes – make friends!  You can grab a Tour HUD at any kiosk inworld, at the FashCon HQ or at XStreetSL! Updated weekly.

Toodlepip,
Honey <3

Dove Perlmann has been appointed as the new Content Moderator for FashCon, taking over from Ivy Norsk, and over the next few weeks, Ivy will be working with Dove to ensure a smooth transition for you all. I’m excited to appoint Dove, who will be a great addition to the team.  Please send her cakes and flowers as she’s taking on an occasionally troublesome role :)

As a reminder of what the Content Moderator does – she is responsible for ensuring that the notices you see, as far as is humanly possible, conform to the standards set out for the group.  This means that the notices members see centre on new original pieces of creative fashion, with pictures and information. Dove is therefore the first point of contact if:

• you’re a designer and don’t know what you can post about
• you’re thinking of joining as a designer but you don’t understand something in the FAQ or are unsure if what you sell is suitable for FashCon notices
• you’re a FashCon member and you see notices that don’t conform to notice content policy
• you’re a content creator and believe another designer on FashCon has stolen from you, and have sent a DMCA to Linden Lab, in accordance with content theft policy

A quick word about Dove’s role: it can be a difficult one, especially since LL limited the number of notices archived, which in effect means we only have 2 days or so to review all notices.  This means that naturally we sometimes miss the few persistent designers who play loose with the rules, but if this concerns you, please help by sending notecards to Dove of notices that don’t conform, including date, time, notice sender and store, and if relevant the notecard attached.  This isn’t a witch-hunt, but it’s my role as group owner to ensure that the 11,000 members get what they signed up for: notices about new releases.  All designers signed up for these before joining, and we have a formal policy of suspension and occasionally ejection for designers who persistently flaunt these rules to promote content unfairly.  This doesn’t make Dove, Ivy or me bad people (although we might be, raaawr!), it just means we’re trying to keep the group sane. If you care about this too, take the time to send notecards to Dove!

A reminder also that PK Emmons is the Fashion Consolidated Kiosk Maintainer, which means that you should contact PK if you are a designer who has lost their kiosk, bought one but can’t post, or has difficulty configuring it. PK knows how to lick those kiosks into shape.

I wanted to reserve the last paragraph for a very special thanks to Ivy Norsk, who has carried the role of Content Moderator so wonderfully for a long time – she was the first appointment to the role, and has done a frankly magnificient job, and has the ring-binders on her shelves to prove it. The other day I called Ivy my “extra gigabyte” – that she is, as well as a very good friend.  Ivy is not leaving FashCon – her and I are going to be working closely together on extremely secret and exciting plans about which if I were to tell you, I’d have to kill you.

Look out for those pumpkins,

Honey <3

Yes, dear FashCon shoppers, This is to confirm that Yes, yesterday’s notice about a FashCon notice template was indeed an April Fool’s joke.  Please disregard all the stuff about ratings etc.   Having said that, we don’t think it’s a bad idea for designers to design their Own notice templates (with the new releases on top please).  I hope you got a giggle out of it.

Yours,

Ivy

__________________

Dear FashConners and Connies,

We all know that the voluminous notices from our darling designers can be a bit overwhelming and confusing. In our continuing efforts to revamp our beloved group, we have developed a template for notices which we feel will streamline your group experience.

Please note that this is a mandatory update and Ivy will make little red ticks in her records if the template is not followed for all notices. This is will be subject to our 3 strike rule, the details of which can be found at http://fashcon.com/apply/rules.

On to the fun:

The title of your notecard should clearly list the designer name, store name, and the date of the notice.
The description field of the notice should list the name of the new release in the notice.
The body of the notice should include the following:

1. We are very cognizant of Linden Labs’ upcoming policy changes concerning the segregation of the grid. We at Fashion Consolidated are commited to bringing you All the fashion, whether you are an honest underager, a teen in disguise, a regular adult, or one of our dear deviants who requires nasty latex and bondage gear. Though the Labs have not finalized their plans, we are moving pro-actively to require a rating by each designer at the top of each notice (G, PG, PG-13, R, X, and XXX). We would like you to rate yourselves. The rating should be at the very top of the notecard so that tender souls can turn away if the rating is too high (or extreme rpers can avoid notices for tiny avatars that might send them into a rage). If the content moderator does not agree with your assessment, she will contact you and give you a two week suspension while we work it out. (People not familiar with the rating system should check our website for details.)

2. Your new release and a picture of your new release. Our research has shown that people do not respond well to notices if they do not know what they are coming to your store to buy.

3. Your freebie of the week (we know you have one) and a picture of your freebie. Our research has shown that people will go to any store offering a freebie regardless of whether you post a picture or not, but we believe that this is Wrong and should stop right now. Freebies deserve just as much consideration as a full-priced release. After all, look at the traffic they bring in.

4. Some of our designers are terribly ambitious and have new releases, freebies, And Sales – all in the same notice! If you have a sale, please indicate it next. Please specify if the sale is store-wide, only on older items which will be discontinued, only on the new release(s), or on the freebie itself. Also include the duration of the sale: a month, a week, a weekend, 24 hours, 5 hours, 4, 3, 2, 1, or if the sale will only be operative until a customer arrives.

5. List the hunt or fashion show that you are participating in now or in the next month. This section covers all events, contests, solicitations for models, mentions of magazines that you are in or will be in, your djs, your old and new locations and remodeling plans. Feel free to include a texture advertising your hunt or other event. You can never have too many textures.

6. Because of previous problems with landmarks and landmark only notices we are now going to require that you include three landmarks: your main store, a satellite store, and the mall for which you are trying to bring in traffic. We figure if you aim for three, you’ll at least get one in there. If you do Not have a satellite or branch store, do Not fill that slot with a store of your friend’s; they need to get their own kiosk, thank you very much.

That is all and I’m sure you’ll all agree that it will clarify matters a great deal.

Please remember, no full perms, sofas, sex animations, or real estate. Those are all covered by Different Industries. They are not in the Retail Fashion Industry. Really. In the future, we may open a Consolidated group for each of these different areas which will welcome such notices. Until that happy time, please squelch them.

Oh, I almost forgot, we advise posting in all CAPITAL LETTERS BECAUSE SHOPPERS WILL PAY MORE ATTENTION TO YOUR NOTICE.

If you have any questions about this notice or this policy and how it may apply to your business please check the date at the top of the notice.

As always, Happy Shopping,

Yours,
Ivy Norsk
Content Moderator, Fashion Consolidated

Didn’t we look bad one month after our SL birth? If you’re an avid archivist like me (aka “hoarder” aka “procrastinator”), your house will be full of boxes of birthday cards from people whose names you can’t remember, and your inventories or hard drives full of photos of yourself from 2006 (or 2002, if you’re quicker at picking up on a good thing than me). And those photos probably make you laugh (if you’re good-natured), wail (if you tend to be self-critical) or shed a little tear if you’re sentimental – I tend to do all three at once, which can cause unexpected tea spillage.

So I’ve been simultaneously giggling, hair-pulling and blubbing everytime I see my plasticky looking face on FashCon kiosks all over SL since 2006. In those days, knocking up a quick poster from two prims made into a sign (“hey I can build!”), and forgetting to remove (one of?) my neko ears didn’t seem like a big deal for my soon-to-be-announced little idea of FashCon, which I didn’t think would make much of a splash. Quite why I’m standing in a red lace slip and leather jacket, I can’t remember. Thus was born the FashCon “poster”, which now shamefully still graces a few thousand kiosks all over SL to this day.

Of course, now SL is much more sophisticated, we understand about skins and don’t drop ears without noticing, and so it’s time to update that poster… in my time-honoured fashion of knocking up another one without significant photoshop skills that I will also live to regret. Luckily the masterful system under which the FashCon kiosks run (courtesy of script goddess Sasun Steinbeck) allows me to change and cycle the textures that are pushed out to all kiosks centrally. So this is to say to all designers that the texture on you kiosk will change sometime soon to the new pictures in this post (click to see). This affects people with posters most – the texture covers the entire surface; on stalls and boxes, it’s the small texture on the “phone directory”. In due course it’ll probably change again when I cringe at this one too, or may even revert. In general, be prepared for those textures to change off and on sometimes.

Maybe sometime in 2036 the old poster will be claimed a classic of kitsch and sold on the martian equivalent of Ebay for 25,000 interplanetary credits, but I feel that unlikely. If you suspect I’m wrong, feel free to snatch a copy now.

Much love and embarrassment!
Honey

P.S. I added another pic!

The purpose of this post is to indicate that FashCon policy will now be enforced in a clearly defined manner, and designers need to be made very aware of these changes, as failure to follow policy will result in suspension followed by removal from the group if not followed.

FashCon’s posting rules (which haven’t changed) are described in the FAQ and summarised in various languages here.  More detail explanation of each rule, why and how can be found on the new rules page. The rules are:

Rule No.1: no more than 1 notice/week
Rule No 2: only new releases
Rule No.3: only fashion and av-related items
Rule No.4: always send pictures

Under the new policy which has come into effect today, any post that a designer sends that does not follow these rules will result in one cautionary notecard, explaining this policy again, and explaining why the warning has been sent.  A second offence will result in suspension for 2 weeks – and the designer concerned should contact Ivy Norsk, the FashCon content moderator, to indicate that they acknowledge this, so that staff know that they have taken notice.  These rare suspensions should be taken as an extreme warning, as a third offence will result in removal from the group.  Refunds for kiosks purchased will not be made, as this would encourage people to spam without cost (repeatedly with alts), which would hurt the group.  Application of these three stages are at the discretion of Honey Fairweather as owner of the group.  Declined notecards will not be resent.

To summarise:
Rule break 1: warning and explanatory notecard to designer
Rule break 2: two week suspension
Rule break 3: removal of the designer from the group

See below the cut for whys and hows.

I am aware that enforcing these new standards is likely to result in some negative reaction, as we already have some from sending out warnings to try to control content.  But the fact is that ad-hoc measures to deal with each infringement is very time-consuming and visibly has small effect on the frequent over-posting, landmark-only and off-content notices that members of FashCon often see and are unhappy about, and the only other means I have is this.  So, in spite of the likely negative reaction I may receive from some about this, I’m determined to pursue it as it’s for the good of the group, and therefore for all designers, who join the group to display and offer quality designs to a happy and eager public – a public for whom FashCon must provide as they expect.  If FashCon is a readable, content-rich environment, members will keep reading notices, and designers will sell more.  Please remember also that every designer is instructed clearly before purchase time, in-world, on XStreetSL, on the website and in the instructions they receive to read the group rules, and not join unless they are happy to play ball.  In this context, this new policy is not harsh but merely necessary.

I’m also aware that myself and my team will occasionally make mistakes – once in a blue moon, we’ll send out a notecard in error, or misidentify.  Please understand that we are dealing with 100 notices a day, most of which are only visible in the archive for 2-3 days, and require constant vigilance.  If you think you have received a warning in error, or genuinely don’t understand, please do not get mad – just send a courteous notecard to Ivy Norsk you’ll receive a courteous reply, and an apology where it’s clear we slipped up.  Pointing out our errors is fine, and not being mad at FashCon because of it is appreciated.  What I don’t have time to do is to enter into protracted debate about the rules – 2 years experience has taught me what’s required, and of course others are very welcome to start other groups if they feel a different approach would work better – diversity is what SL is about.

For the majority of designers, who are very aware of the rules, and stick to them, I hope that the new enforcement of this policy will be seen as a good thing – to ensure that their own well-crafted and interesting notices are not swamped by ill-thought-out hasty notices from people who care less to follow rules and produce content-rich notices.  My thanks as ever to all those designers who are careful about this, and keep FashCon the vibrant community that 11,000 and growing wish to belong to. If you are in this category, you should in no way feel inhibited to keep posting just as you are – only that your notices may be noticed a little bit more easily now.

For those designers who may have sent notices in the past that have contravened policy, such as not including pictures of your releases, I do have some sympathy that you may have just been following suit – but please go back now and check the FAQ, where you are reminded that the rules for FashCon haven’t changed, and you should follow the rules, not what others post. The above policy will be applied, and your membership is at risk if you don’t persistently don’t follow rules.

To those few designers who chose not to read the rules upon joining, think they’re stupid, or who don’t wish to take the time to follow them, note that you will be removed from FashCon via the process above if you continue at stage 3, which is not open to appeal.  It’s my responsibility to preserve FashCon as a vibrant, rich fashion community in Second Life that brings new, talented, hard-working designers to the notice of people, and I’ll do that even if you think I’m a meanie.

If application of this policy results in fewer notices being sent, that’s ok – we have plenty(!) and fewer, higher-quality notices might be interpreted as good news for members and sellers.  My belief has always been that any designer who cares enough to remember the very simple four rules above when posting will also take care to design, make and present their creations well, and if that’s the case, FashCon and SL in general needs you.

Final reminder about FashCon contacts.  I (Honey Fairweather) am the group owner (and meanie), but your first contact in almost all circumstances are my two members of staff:

Ivy Norsk: content moderator, for questions on notice content, spam reporting, correspondence following the process above
PK Emmons: kiosk manager, for questions on joining FashCon as a designer, how to configure and use kiosks etc.

Please note that if you really do need to contact me directly, only do so via notecards – I don’t respond to IMs concerning FashCon as I am swamped, and I work on notecards during my office hours 7am-3pm SLT only.  Expect a response within 2-4 days if you send a notecard.  Sheer weight of numbers won’t allow me to respond at length on this new policy, but my thanks to those who welcome it. And thanks to all of you for taking the time to read this, and thank you on behalf of FashCon for continuing to magic up sparkling magical creations for us all too drool over.

Honey Fairweather
Fashion Consolidated Owner