First of all, to all my donators:
♥ THANK YOU ♥I mean that so sincerely. Thank you SO MUCH. I have been truly overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone who has sent in donations, and the goodwill of those who can't but wish they could. Thank you. SO much love.
Another touch of good news: my wrist is getting better nicely and I'll be starting on the second HBP update soon. ♥
Next thing on the agenda: FAQs in the literal sense. I've been getting a lot of emails and comments lately which have all been asking the same questions, and I just want to get them all dealt with in one fell swoop to avoid me going completely insane. I'm truly sorry if the rest of this post seems in any way unpleasant or snarky because that's not my intention - I just need to get a few things straightened out so we can go on without driving Naomi into dribbling mania.
Mmm, questions.Why haven't you answered my email/comment?I read all my emails and all my comments. Religiously. If I haven't replied to you, it's because the question has already been answered in the FAQ (see below for enquiries about affiliation). I put the FAQ in the 'Puffs userinfo and assumed that, because the userinfo seems like a good place to find, y'know, information, everyone would look there before emailing me. They didn't. So for future reference: the FAQ is in the userinfo. I'll be updating it soon so it's as exhaustive as possible.
I sent you a message on AIM/MSN but you never replied. Do you hate me?No, I love you. If I'm at my computer and I'm not too busy, I will reply to every instant message I receive. Honestly. But sometimes I'm off doing something else, and sometimes I'm deeply occupied in something I'm working on, and I admit that quite frequently I forget to exit AIM or put up an Away message. I don't hate you, I'm just not available. If you want to be sure that I'll read what you have to say, email me - naomiathena@gmail.com.
Your LJ has inspired me - do you mind if I make my own 'Puffs?I'm being asked this increasingly often and I just find it to be bizarre. I know you're just trying to be polite, but really - the characters aren't mine, the style isn't mine, and I am not the boss of you. My default answer is 'yes, but minor credit for the inspiration would be nice, and I'd prefer if you didn't create another PotterPuffs journal'.
I am ____ and I run ____, an icon LJ/HP comic/etc. Will you affiliate with me?At present, I am getting anything between five and ten of these emails per week, and I'm afraid my default answer is going to have to start being no. Apologies, but I simply don't like plugging people's journals when I have no idea whatsoever what they, as people, are like. I'm not going to remove any of my current affiliates and there are a couple I still have to add to the list, but unless it's a journal or site I visit anyway, I will probably not be taking up any more affiliates. I'm sorry. However, if you have a new LJ along the above lines, do feel free to drop me a line just because I like seeing them. ♥
Also, I seriously don't like being left LJ comments with the above question. You are probably not aware of it, but doing this puts out two messages: a) 'I am too lazy and don't care enough to email you' and b) 'I am trying to shame you into saying yes, because saying no on this public forum will make you look like a bitch'.
Can I use an icon?No, I've just put them there to tease you. *cough* Yes. Help yourself, just please upload to your own webspace first and give credit. Stealing bandwidth = bad. (see below)
Can I use an icon on GreatestJournal/xyz forum/somewhere else that isn't LJ?Yes. The rules are the same: upload to your own webspace and give credit if at all practical.
Can I friend you/will you friend me back?First: of course you may; I'm most flattered that you would want to. Second: Managing an f-list of almost 5000 people would be impossible, so no, I can't. Again, sorry.
What's your bra size?Yes, I received an email this morning asking this. It's none of your business. :p
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And finally, a message to people who think it's okay to direct-link to icons or images:
GO AWAY.Seriously. I just don't have the time of day. I refuse to believe that there are people who still don't realise that using other people's (e.g. my) bandwidth is theft. This month, traffic to PotterPuffs has caused very nearly 70GB of bandwidth use and, although it's possible, I am reluctant to believe that's from regular traffic to this journal alone. All you need to register a Photobucket account is an email address and an IQ only slightly higher than that of a goldfish, which I'm hoping everyone here has, so DO IT ALREADY and stop leeching.
(A word of explanation: direct-linking is when you post a picture or icon onto a website without saving it to your own webspace first. You can get some webspace for hosting pictures for free on PhotoBucket, among others. If you are direct-linking, please be aware it is theft. If you are doing it with any of my pictures, please stop. Now.)
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Okay, that's everything I can think of covered. If anyone has any questions which aren't in this post or in the FAQ, let me know and I'll answer them here. Again, apologies for anyone who was annoyed by this post - I'm not looking to piss anyone off.
Love,
Naomi