May I thank you all for reading this and hoping that this will be a helpful informative way to help you feel at home with our ATC section
A few weeks ago we had an open discussion - in the form of a poll - as to whether or not newcomers to the forum/ATC section, should be allowed to host their own swaps.... While in general - it would be fantastic if everyone did, I think it would possibly cause a lot of issues and worries for those of us who have been here a long time and would be worried that things could get out of hand...
So we all sat around - and put our tuppenth worth in - and the basics were made in the form of a few compromises
.....that any prospective newcomers/new hosts be:
A) Having had active membership for at least 3 months
B) Having at least participated in at least 3 of the swaps
I do know a lot of our newcomers on here have migrated over from a few other ATC groups on other forums - but I have to make this known - I cannot be personally responsible for vouching for anyone - even if I personally have known you from other sites - i.e. Do Crafts
as it wouldnt really be fair - it would be biased - and it needs to be done with a general democratic concensus
Certainly if you do have wishes to host a swap, by all means - let it be known - but please try and understand most of our long term swappers may feel wary until they do get to know you (i.e the 2 compromises above)
There are several of our swappers who have enjoyed getting into ATCs in the past few months and have mentioned they will be up for hosting their own swaps as well - which is great as it will mean we can diversify into other themes - We've also got a list of a dozen long term members (\"Buddy Hosts\") who are willing to give a hand to helping any newcomers that are unfamiliar with hosting - should new hosts be needing help or advice if they are unsure - so provision is made to make sure things run smoothly for everyone....
So with this in mind - I hope this guideline has helped everyone understand where our ATC section is at - and how it evolved....
There is a list of swaps - one a month - in the stickies here at the top - If anyone wishes to join them - feel free to add your details to the thread - or send a PM to the relevant host - and I'm sure they'll get back to you as soon as they can
A few intermittent swaps have gone on and we also have plans for others as well - so plenty to keep you all busily crafting away
Plus we also have the ATC RAK chain which is going from strength to strength - that is a great way to get to know our swappers on a more 1-2-1 basis
And Minxey (Chris) is organising the ATC BRAK list too - if anyone fancies joining that, there is a sticky there already that you can reply to (or send Chris a PM)
I hope this helps - Happy ATCing everyone - Andi
