There have been a lot of questions lately regarding “Hidden Stories” on the archive. So, let me try to explain what these are.

Prior to the site upgrade, our only option for non-compliant stories was to delete them. Unfortunately, many users failed to keep copies of their stories (always keep a copy!) and lost everything that they had worked so hard for. Staff members are authors too and we understand the heartache and frustration when something you’ve worked so hard for is suddenly gone without a trace.

After much debate and technical jargon that I personally could never explain, the “Hidden Story” option was created. A Hidden Story is one that a staff member has hidden because it violates the ToS. Rather than immediately delete the story the staff member is giving you a chance to fix the problems with your story rather than have it just go “poof!” and disappear.

What this means to you as an author- If you suddenly find your story is hidden, this means your story is found to be against site rules. Remember to re-read them…they have changed and you need to know why you are now breaking the rules. We have no grandfather clause here. It doesn’t matter if something was acceptable two years ago when you posted it, if it breaks the ToS now you are subject to deletion.

What you need to do – Read the ToS! See if you can determine where you’ve violated the current site rules. Check the validator notes attached to your first chapter as wall as your e-mail, odds are, a staff member has left you some indication of why the story was hidden. If you can't seem to find anything or don't understand, feel free to contact us - though, it's usually best to use the trouble tickets as your issue will be handled in a private area and the staff can be more candid about the issue. We are more than willing to work with you one on one to help you fix the problem.

What you need to know – Violating stories are found in various ways. Staff patrol the archive on a regular basis and other users report offensive stories. If you have a story in violation and it hasn’t been found yet don’t consider yourself lucky. It’s truly only a matter of time before it’s found. Take the time you have to edit it now or contact a staffer and tell them the situation. It’s always better to let a staffer know you are trying to comply rather than to come to us after the fact and say, “oh, I didn’t know that!”

In addition, hidden stories will not remain that way forever. Eventually, if you fail to edit them, they will be removed from the archive. Usually we give you a 7 day warning if you are an active user. If it’s going to take longer to re-write your work…contact us! We can extend the time frame at any time. The seven days is more of a time for you to contact us and let us know you are working on the issue. Non-active users and defunct accounts are a different story that I won’t bore anyone with here (because if you aren’t active at the archive you most likely aren’t bothering to read this).

Hope that helps explain a bit and, as always, feel free to ask a staffer if you need further explanation or have a specific issue you need to discuss privately.

# posted by timeturner @ 3:58 PM