Explaining furry to the public.
Hiya,
I went to this very informative panel at this year's AC. I learned a lot on just what to say, how to say it, and especially what not to say.
I'm looking for a website that has the same basic information that was in that panel. I'm admin of a furry forum for Delaware (www.thefurststate.com) and was looking for a website to show my members. We're becoming more and more active and I'd just like a website to show them, so that we can represent the fandom in the best light.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
- Kitt3ns
Is there a video recording of the event? If there is, I might be willing to transcribe it.
a portion of one of the discussions appeared on Youtube...but not the entire discussion
Darn.
Is there a way I could get the whole thing?
Because id love to help out.
I believe I recorded the entire panel on audio cassette and I sat right up front so it was good quality. PM me and maybe I can digitize it and send it to you (or even just dub it onto another audio cassette and send thru mail)--or take advantage of the others versions mentioned in this thread of course.
btw, unrelated but here's "Billy Mays" introducing Kage (audio/stereo/good quality)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNjVv2xdvGs
Have attended every single Anthrocon
I recorded the whole thing, with only a slight pause when I had to stop and restart the recording due to camera limitations. I have yet to recompress the video to provide online, but I can make it available when I do if people would like.
Skyfox
I do.
I'm looking around for the video K.P. was talking about, but no success yet. I bet it's also going to help alot of people who are new to the fandom and have to deal with telling people about it.
If it isn't more than 10 or 15 GB then I would be happy to download it uncompressed.
I never got to attend the original event so I can't wait to watch your video of it. : )
Uncompressed as-is the two files total about 6.2 GB. I plan on combining them into a single file, though.
I would like to say thanks to Kage for letting me record that panel. I did not only for my own reference, but so I'd be able to provide the video and its information to others in the furry community.
Skyfox
"Furries are everywhere, furries are everybody."--Me
Too late! I combined and recompressed the video today to an MP4 codec, around 600 MB so it easily fits on a single CD, with no noticeable loss of video quality. I also converted the audio track to MP3 compression and am in the process of amplifying quiet parts where audience members are asking questions. Since it doesn't matter much whether or not the audio is in stereo, I might convert to mono to save some more space. I'm darn near a professional video editor guy! 
It does come with a free bowl of popcorn when I download it, right? Sounds good to so far. Can't wait to check it out.
All I have to offer is chocolate Crunch 'N' Munch or some discount store oyster crackers.
I have the video uploaded but I wasn't able to figure out how to put a proper title label into it so as-is will have to do. If I can eventually figure it out I'll upload the new version and nobody will be the wiser *looks around all shifty-eyed*. I downgraded the sound to mono since stereo really isn't necessary and it saved about 26 MB of file size. I'll put a posting announcing it in a new thread, too.
Presenting Furry Fandom To The Public
Skyfox
"Furries are everywhere, furries are everybody."--Me
I'm about half done with my first draft. This will all take probably another day and a half TOTAL.
So you won't have to wait much longer for a written version of Presenting Furry Fandom to the Public. : )
*Charles da Hyooman is stupid again* Sooooo... I guess part of explaining furry to the public is to make sure not to mention the 'taking over the world' part? Cuz, the first rule of Fur Club is you don't talk about Fur Club. :B
This might take slightly longer than I last said. I woke up at noon today, and the release of Snow leopard has me kind of distracted. Rest assured it will be done soon.
Great work on the video edit, Skyfox!
So, while we wait for a transcipt (@ Tim: Thank you for your work!)...
What about that pamphlet UncleKage was talking about?
I'm probably not the best when it comes to explaining stuff, so I'd appreciate something that'd help me. This sounds quite nice.
Is there a .pdf of it out there somewhere?
Or could we at least get a plain text version of the whole thing?
Maybe even a new and improved 2.0 version?
Thanks for the compliments. 
Before leaving the con I picked up a copy of their initial brochure, so in case it doesn't get posted on the AC website I could scan a copy of it. However, as you suggested, they're probably working on a v2.0 brochure.
Skyfox
Wow that was really informative, I could say right now, if that would have gotten interviewed during 2010, I would have no idea what to do. Next years AC will be the first one I'll be attending and this helped a lot.
if you ever get interviewed at a furcon, decline to speak.
that is the only thing to do.
seriously, seriously, seriously. the media are fucking vultures.
Even in declining, you can give them lots of ammunition. It sets off the "what are they hiding?" senses.
Best answer is, "I really don't know about any of this, but I can take you to someone who would be happy to talk to you."
Then bring them to the guy in the lab coat with the jack-booted thugs behind him.
They look more like bowling shoes than jack boots.
An alternative response that wouldn't likely be questioned or doubted is, "Sorry, you've caught me at a bad time. I'm on my way to the bathroom." Of course, that wouldn't work if they stop you when you're coming out of the hotel or happened to just be leaving a bathroom.
Alternately, you can use your handy pocket schedule to run off to some pressing engagement set up by the Programming staff! Needs to be read preemptively, though...
They're not all bad. They did point out we bring $3 million to the Pittsburgh economy.
The bottom line is we get good press when we have responsible people talking to responsible media.
Karl Xydexx Jorgensen
Publications Director
Responsible Media
When did this happen? Last I heard, responsible media went extinct during the last ice age.
The local news stations and newspapers seem to be the most responsible, giving good interviews and having good articles and news segments that show furries and Anthrocon in a very positive light. The regular news media that has to travel some distance (say, the Miami Herald does an article about Anthrocon in Pittsburgh) are probably questionable in their motives, and the entertainment news media are the most irresponsible. However, the G4 network's "Attack of the Show" recently did a segment about furries that was surprisingly well done and not slanderous (other than being relegated to their "WTF?" segment).
I haven't given up on transcribing the video.
It's taking a long time because I'm a bit of a procrastinator, and because it is super slow work.
But I am going to finish it I swear. I put myself on a quota recently and it should be done in a couple weeks.
I just finished typing it up, and after a short break I will check it for accuracy, and neaten up the formatting.
It will be done today.
Probably at midnight. 
It's finished. 
I'm not sure who I should send this too, so please give me an email address or something and I will send it right away.
I used two columns to show Kage and the audience talking. And labeled anything that wasn't obvious. Such as physical actions, or meanings not conveyed with words, or times when it would be difficult or especially important to know who was speaking. (Interruptions, KP talking,etc.)
When I made the document I made my own columns for a long time.
And by the time I realized I could make the computer do it, it was too late and it would be to much work to fix.
(think hours of tedious labor 
)
I think it looks great so the columns will stay the way they are unless they turn out to be unworkable.
Once you guys look it over you can request any changes (within reason).
Wow, thanks for taking so much time to work on that, Tim! I really appreciate you transcribing the dialogue so people can read along with the video or read it separate from it.
Since the video began by cutting in to the middle of Kage's sentence and then I edited it to fade in from silence, the opening line is, "[People have asked if it's alright to give] presents of alcohol and the answer is, 'Yes, it's very OK.'" The part in brackets was said before the video began so that's just a paraphrase to approximate what was being said at the start of the sentence.
Skyfox
I suppose I ought to make a written version of that talk...