Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange

Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange is an annual podfic gift exchange run on Twitter. The exchange has grown from 21 participants in 2011 to 79 in 2019. Number of files posted peaked in 2017 at just under 1000.
== Rules ==
Participants tweet the mods with the fandoms they wish to receive and fandoms they are willing to give, with a link to a "Dear Podficcer" letter posted somewhere describing their preferences in detail. Gift podfics can be any length.
Assignments and gift distribution all take place via Twitter DM from early-mid October to December 25. Participants submit each podfic individually via a google form.
The complete list of all gifts is later revealed on the Amplificathon community. All podfics need to be uploaded by the mods before the masterlist is posted, so the reveal can be delayed if participants make a lot of extra podfics or large files (which they usually do).Hear Bessyboo's description of her ITPE process in the podcast Auralphonic 002: Showcase of #ITPE 2014, posted January 14, 2015. "I am so impressed with the sheer volume of podfics that people have submitted."
== Origins ==
#ITPE came about in 2011 after the announcement that podbang would not run that year. The Twitter podfic community, just starting to galvanize at the time, was discussing their disappointement and initially looked to paraka to run something in its place.
After both cantarina and bessyboo approached her about co-modding it, paraka put them in touch. The exchange was initially run from bessyboo and cantarina's personal Twitter accounts using the #InformalTwitterPodficExchange, then later, #ITPE hashtag.Modding Podcast 16 November 2014. (Accessed 28 December 2014.)
The exchange was conceived of around four main concepts: a holiday exchange, an exchange run entirely on Twitter, an exchange with no minimums (in response of podbang's sometimes prohibitively-long requirements), and an exchange that would be easy to moderate.
==Challenge History==
The challenge has grown every year except for 2018. Number of participants each year:
*2011: 21
*2012: 44
*2013: 53
*2014: 57
*2015: 67
*2016: 69
*2017: 84
*2018: 72
*2019: 79
*2020: ?
*2021: 84
*2022: 71
Total runtime of all podfics produced was 168 hours (seven days) in 2016bessyboo. #ITPE: Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange 2016 (Main Gifts), posted to amplificathon 1 January 2017., 260:05:16 (ten days) in 2017bessyboo. #ITPE: Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange 2017 (Main Gifts), posted to amplificathon 3 January 2018., 203:52:59 (8 days) in 2018bessyboo. #ITPE: Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange 2018 (Main Gifts), posted to amplificathon, 31 December 2018., 217:53:03 (nine days) in 2019bessyboo. posted to amplificathon 21 January 2020, and 176:52:07 (seven days) in 2021, posted by blackglass in amplificathon, 27 December 2021.. (No stats available for 2020.)
Starting in 2012, "Dear Podficcer" letters were recommended, and participants could also submit treats for someone other than their recipient.bessyboo. #ITPE: Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange 2012, posted to amplificathon 23 December 2012.
A separate ITPE_mod twitter account was created in 2013. alexwlchan created a python script to generate the masterlist.bessboo. #ITPE: Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange 2013, posted to amplificathon 27 December 2013. The script is available on github.
Originally, all submissions were made via twitter DMs. A new submission form was added for 2015., 16 November 2015. In 2015, more than 450 files were archived to the Audiofic Archive as a result of the exchange.I just want y'all to appreciate the amount of work that you actually produce. It's kind of breathtaking + graph, by @ITPE_mod, 28 Dec 2015.
In 2016, a specific form was added for participants who had a mod as their recipient., 5 November 2016. Previously, the recommendation was to submit directly to the other mod., 3 December 2015.
In 2017, a rule was added requiring participants to list at least three fandoms, due to a participant signing up with a hard-to-match fandom multiple years in a row.Personal communication with user:aethel, the participant in question. "Dear Podficcer" letters, previously optional, were also made mandatory. The mods also added a rule that treats could not be submitted before main gifts and that if anyone submitted a treat first, their assignment would be sent out for a pinch hit if they couldn't submit the main gift within 48 hours.
Audiofic Archive was the original home of all ITPE submissions and mod-created podbooks. However, due to the site's ongoing issues, exmanhater provided a new host for all ITPE files starting with the 2017 challenge.#ITPE: Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange 2017 (Main Gifts), posted to amplificathon, 3 January 2018.
In 2018, knight_tracer was added as a mod. 2018 was also the first year that the challenge shrank in participant numbers and output.
In 2019, the submission deadline was changed from December 18 to December 17. The deadline for submitting treats was extended at the last minute to December 24. The masterlist wasn't posted until late January, leading to anonymous grumbling., 2020-01-01., 2020-01-12.
In 2020, cantarina stepped down, and verity and blackglass joined the mod team., ITPE_mod (accessed 5 May 2021)
In 2021, bessyboo was removed as a mod and cantarina returned., ITPE_mod (accessed 5 May 2021) AO3's challenge matching functionality was used for the first time, gifts were distributed on December 24 instead of December 25, and the masterlist was posted in record time as a google spreadsheet.
==Impact==
In a Tumblr discussion about how certain fandoms became popular podfic fandoms, Bessyboo commented that the ITPE mods' practice of matching people on at least one main fandom and one secondary fandom resulted in more podfic for secondary fandoms like Leverage. And also,
== Masterlists ==
* #InformalTwitterPodficExchange 2011 Masterlist
* #ITPE: Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange 2012
* #ITPE: Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange 2013
* #ITPE: Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange 2014
* #ITPE: Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange 2015
* #ITPE: Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange 2016 (and treats)
* #ITPE: Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange 2017 (and treats part 1, treats part 2)
* #ITPE: Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange 2018 (and treats)
* #ITPE: Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange 2019 (and treats)
* #ITPE: Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange 2020 (and treats)
* #ITPE 2021 Masterlist
On the AO3 (AO3 posting is optional and these lists should not be considered complete):
* ITPE collection
* Works tagged Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange
==Example Works==
2011:
* Indoor Fireworks
2012:
* The Sporting Life
== References ==
Category:Podfic Challenges
Category:Twitter
Category:2011 Gift Exchanges
Category:2012 Gift Exchanges
Category:2013 Gift Exchanges
Category:2014 Gift Exchanges
Category:2015 Gift Exchanges
Category:2016 Gift Exchanges
Category:2017 Gift Exchanges
Category:2018 Gift Exchanges
Category:2019 Gift Exchanges
Category:2020 Gift Exchanges
Category:2021 Gift Exchanges