SPN Commentathon FAQ

## General Guidelines

**What timezone does the fest start in?**

> *In order to keep this fest low pressure and fun, it will run on the dates listed in YOUR timezone. We will give a little leeway on the time frames for this reason.*
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**Will you check the entries?**

> *Yes. We have a mod team that will ensure people stay honest. And the winners of the raffle will be thoroughly checked. If we find that anyone has not adhered to the rules, they will be immediately disqualified and will not have a chance to win anything.*
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**Do I have to read all these fics in challenge period?**

> *No. But for your comment to be counted as an entry, it must be posted within the fest period. Anything submitted before or after will be ineligible.*
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**I've never done a commentathon before. Is it typical not to be required to actually read the fic you're commenting on?**

> *No, you should have read the fic, but not necessarily during the fest. So it's a great opportunity to go back and comment on things you've bookmarked, kudos'd, or loved in general but never commented on.*
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**What do you mean by "you can double up on categories, but you can not double up on creations"? I can do categories more than once but I can't do more than 67 comments to count for the fest?**

> *You can do more than 67 comments if you want. For each entry, you must include ten unique fics across ten unique categories. For each subsequent entry you submit, you CAN submit to the same categories (i.e. Comment on a fic with less than 100 kudos), but it must be for a new fic. Each fic can only be used once by you as an entry. So, if you wanna enter more times, you need to track down more fics.*
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**Can I leave a new comment on a fic I’ve previously commented on outside the commentathon?**

> *For the purposes of this challenge, the comment must be a new comment on a fic you have not previously commented on before.*
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## Comment specific questions

**What qualifies as a comment?**

> *A comment qualifies when it uses words to display gratitude for producing the fic, and some form of thanking the creator for sharing it. The minimum word count and comment type to be accepted is, "That was great, thanks."*
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**Do I have to use the same comment every time?**

> *No! In fact, please refrain from doing so. If we notice that you were doing a lot of copy and pasting, we might disqualify you from winning any of the prizes. We are just trying to encourage authentic commenting.*
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**But what if I don't know what to say, or how to comment?**

> *This is a common problem, and part of the reason icarusinflight wanted to bring commentathon to the SPN community. We are currently in search of some helpful links to guide you in your commenting endeavors.*
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**Is the banner obligatory?**

> *It is not. You can decide whether or not you'd like to use it.*
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**Can I just leave the banner?**

> *No. You must comment on a fic using your big person words. The banner is merely an optional add in.*
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**How should I go about commenting on art through tumblr for this fest?**

> *For tumblr art, just a reblog with comment will be fine. You will then need to submit the permalink for that reblog as your link when submitting your hunts.*
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## Submission specific questions

**How will we submit our entries?**

> *Once the fest has started, we will release a form link. You just have to fill out the form and submit one for each entry.*
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**So, if I do 10 hunts, do I take a screenshot of one of them and submit that to get an entry into the draw?**

> *No. You'll basically need to submit to us the url to the page you commented on (or you may use the url to the comment thread) and the hunt category for each comment. The excel spreadsheet is designed to help you keep track of it. The url is necessary so we can ensure that you've complied with all the fest rules.*
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**How do I find my 'comment thread url?'**

> *At the bottom right of your comment on Ao3, there will be three buttons: reply, thread, and delete. You will click the 'thread' button and copy the url of the page you're sent to. Paste that url in the spreadsheet we have available for you, or somewhere you can keep track of for when it's time for you to submit. That will be a requirement for all 10 entries in a submission.*
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