Signature of the Month Contest Generic Discussion Thread

[Solace]

Originally Posted by Sephi

Overall, my biggest disappointment about this SOTM was the amount of complaints i did received and the very little amount of help people wanted to offer. I tried my best with the theme, and i really thought i had a nice theme going(looks at images). But there are limits to mine and Solace views on things. If only more people helped i'm sure we could of had a smoother SOTM with less unhappy people.

I think some people are going to complain no matter what. And some people will look for loopholes anywhere they can too. Last month's Female Combatants had some grumbling too. This month we had a bit of drama over theme, gender, size limits.....makes my head hurt a bit thinking back on it.

But there are limits on how things are viewed. I think your theme was a nice idea that ended on a bittersweet note, but on the bright side there are more months to look forward to. I'm not planning on stopping this just because of some forum drama. And I'm not going to let that drama bother me anymore. Setsilya was effective at one thing - from now on, I'm taking a more moderator approach to the contest. While I may not have the direct authority of a moderator, I'm done with the drama. I'm not going to let it interfere with the contest anymore.

If people have a comment, suggestion, or complaint about how the SOTM is run, they can direct it here or speak with me via PM. Any future attempts to derail the entry or voting threads will be handled by me asking them to do the former, and if they persist, the person will be reported to the moderators for them to handle as they see fit.

Stirring up trouble in the wrong places is just making people unhappy. I want this contest to be a fun, positive experience. So enough is enough.

Links to the generic discussion thread are going to be thrown around more often as a result of the April Contest. As the thread grows, I'll be compiling an FAQ so that answers to common questions can be found more easily.

May is a fresh month for all of us. I'm looking forward to putting April behind and chalking it up as a learning experience.

Originally Posted by SeedFreedom

Just an idea, but i think it would be a good idea to have a thread dedicated to showcasing past winners and their sigs. That was people can check all the winners without having to search out 2 or 3 month old threads. Not sure how the admins would like so many threads for this contest but i think it would be great.

When we have more winning entries, the idea would be easier to implement. For now, I recommend checking the sticky topic "Fan Creation Forum Rules and Index" which contains links to all SOTM related topics.

Originally Posted by KholdStare

Is it too late to withdraw from the contest?

Never! <<<< Intentionally vague answer.

Originally Posted by mimi_girl

LMAO the drama in the april entry phase thread was hillarious.

I was just as much at fault as others. But it was humorous. I had a good laugh about it after my emotions settled.

Originally Posted by mimi_girl

Anyways like SeedFreedom, we should have a thread from all of the winners of the SOTM contest and at the end of January, a contest for SOTY (Signature of the year) of 2008. That will be really cool, and would represent the thinking that the Artists did in 2008 ^^, and maybe someone is willing to give special prizes as well.

Not a bad idea, but would require further discussion. How would this fit in between months? What kind of prizes? Would it be fair to put different theme winners against each other? Just examples of questions that this idea brings up.

[xxmimixx]

^ Hmm, maybe anime videos or collectables could be good prizes. Or maybe tickets to a fan club if you're part of one or something for free. Don't really know. but yeah, further discussion as the year goes by =D. If only people are comfortable with the idea, then fine.

[Solace]

Originally Posted by mimi_girl

^ Hmm, maybe anime videos or collectables could be good prizes. Or maybe tickets to a fan club if you're part of one or something for free. Don't really know. but yeah, further discussion as the year goes by =D. If only people are comfortable with the idea, then fine.

The other question would be who pays for that stuff. I don't mind the idea actually, but it would need some ironing out. And of course, it all depends on if people are even interested in it.

Also, a new project. I was looking at the theme banners Sephi created and decided to try my hand at a logo/render. This style (perhaps a different image depending on the month?) would replace the generic welcome text used currently.



Unfortunately I was an idiot and clicked "no" instead of "cancel" and lost the PSD for this. But not too big of a deal. Here's the base image:



I'm curious to know if anyone likes it, or thinks it could be improved somehow. I provided the base image to give anyone interested a chance to work with it, if they wished.

[Ice Climbers]

Good idea to start using the banner for SOTM, now we can even have a competition for THAT too

Just kidding

The banner looks nice Solace, the "SOTM" font is great but change the other one imho

[Simple1]

^^ maybe making from a pure render and make it with flashy effect could interest more people ^^

[Marina]

I prefer the cleaner style you used instead of using a "flashy style," but to each their own

I like the image a lot. Does this mean that (if Sephi decides to still do it) there will be both a contest banner and the theme banner?

[Ayame_]

I like the idea of a nice banner like that. Makes the intro look very sharp.

Maybe we change it every month to fit the theme, so that it does two things: Welcome you to the thread and displays the parameters of the next comp?

[Solace]

Originally Posted by Ice Climbers

Good idea to start using the banner for SOTM, now we can even have a competition for THAT too

Just kidding

The banner looks nice Solace, the "SOTM" font is great but change the other one imho

Oh god no, not another competition.

I'm glad you like the SOTM text, I was worried people would think it looked kinda generic. What kind of font would you recommend for the other part? Or was it the effect choices that don't make it look as good?

Originally Posted by Simple1

^^ maybe making from a pure render and make it with flashy effect could interest more people ^^

This is just a test run. Something flashier could be done, but I felt simple might work better for this one.

Originally Posted by Marina

I prefer the cleaner style you used instead of using a "flashy style," but to each their own

I like the image a lot. Does this mean that (if Sephi decides to still do it) there will be both a contest banner and the theme banner?

I'm not really sure if Sephi is interested in continuing the theme banners he made for the last two contests. But if he is, it's possible to run both banners or combine our efforts into one monthly banner.

Originally Posted by Ayame_

I like the idea of a nice banner like that. Makes the intro look very sharp.

Maybe we change it every month to fit the theme, so that it does two things: Welcome you to the thread and displays the parameters of the next comp?

Like I mentioned to Marina, it's possible to do something like that. The idea I was going for was a monthly generic banner, possibly even creating a few and using a rotating script. But combining the theme and banner into one is also an option.

[Sephi]

Originally Posted by Marina

I prefer the cleaner style you used instead of using a "flashy style," but to each their own

I like the image a lot. Does this mean that (if Sephi decides to still do it) there will be both a contest banner and the theme banner?

I would like to give the honor of doing that to the next SOTM winner to make the banners if they want to.

As for the banner. It comes over as big, everything feels very big... The size and render choice probably just amplifies that. Not necessary a bad thing though. But just my impression.

Best of luck with the future SOTM Solace. Unless i feel really called to it. I'll be honing my gfx skills for awhile somewhere.

[Shana]

*coughs* Ahem, well here goes me and my weird wonders, again XD

Let's say Member A and Member B make a sig-collab, and it wtf-ly fits the theme of Month A. So, what I want to ask is, are collabs allowed?

God, why do I think of things like this?

[Sephi]

Originally Posted by Shana

*coughs* Ahem, well here goes me and my weird wonders, again XD

Let's say Member A and Member B make a sig-collab, and it wtf-ly fits the theme of Month A. So, what I want to ask is, are collabs allowed?

God, why do I think of things like this?

Iirc it has been discussed. I think in case of a collab sig winning the two who did the collab can decide on the theme. Or i must have mistaken it for some other place. Or my imagination is a bit to lively.

In any case Solace should have the last word on it

[Marina]

A little late on the discussion about a new thread for showcasing winners, but instead of opening up an entirely new thread, why don't we just utilize the voting thread/submission thread? Solace seems to have a habit of saving up 2 reserved spots every time he organizes the thread, and usually the 2nd saved spot is left empty. Why not post the name of the winners and their sigs in that spot?

[Solace]

Originally Posted by Sephi

I would like to give the honor of doing that to the next SOTM winner to make the banners if they want to.

As for the banner. It comes over as big, everything feels very big... The size and render choice probably just amplifies that. Not necessary a bad thing though. But just my impression.

Best of luck with the future SOTM Solace. Unless i feel really called to it. I'll be honing my gfx skills for awhile somewhere.

Not a problem. If the winner isn't interested in creating a banner I'll just whip one up.

I was waiting for someone to mention the size. It didn't really seem so big when working on it, then it was posted and I was like hmmm.....future versions will be shrunk a bit. Don't really need a banner that takes up half the post.

I understand your feelings Sephi, and I might have done the same if only I wasn't also running the contest. Is this "somewhere" shareable? If so, pm me. I'm always looking for new places to learn gfx skills.

Originally Posted by Sephi

Iirc it has been discussed. I think in case of a collab sig winning the two who did the collab can decide on the theme. Or i must have mistaken it for some other place. Or my imagination is a bit to lively.

In any case Solace should have the last word on it

I don't recall it coming up before now, actually. But your suggestion is how I would have handled such an entry. I don't mind collab sigs. As long as all parties get equal credit for it.

[Solace]

Originally Posted by Marina

A little late on the discussion about a new thread for showcasing winners, but instead of opening up an entirely new thread, why don't we just utilize the voting thread/submission thread? Solace seems to have a habit of saving up 2 reserved spots every time he organizes the thread, and usually the 2nd saved spot is left empty. Why not post the name of the winners and their sigs in that spot?

It's pretty easy to spot the winner of each contest by checking out the last few posts of the voting thread. The tons of congrats posts are a pretty good sign of who the winner is. Also I make it a point of saying who the previous winner is right at the beginning of the next months entry thread.

For now, no matter what, people are going to have a do a light search.

[Solace]

**Contest Rules Revision: Version 1.0**
Formatting is minimal and used for basic outlining
Revised Voting Rules will be outlined after Entry Rules have been worked on
Theme Creation/Explanation under Review

---

~(Welcome Banner/Theme Banner(s) here)~
Congratulations to Winner of Previous Month here
Explanation of this month's Theme here


About the SOTM:

The Signature Of The Month contest is open to all members of the Animesuki Forums. The goal of the contest is to provide a fun and competitive way of showing off and improving the signatures and personal skills of contestants. The winner of each months contest is given the privilege of choosing the theme for the next month.

The contest begins on the first of each month and consists of roughly two weeks of entry creation/submission, one week of voting, and one week off. The entry and voting periods may be extended or shortened slightly as needed.

About the SOTM Theme:

Each month prospective contestants are given a theme to base their entries on. This theme is decided by the winner of the previous contest. The theme can be anything, as long as it does not break forum rules regarding inappropriate material. At the end of the month, voters choose which entries they liked best out of all submitted entries and a new winner is decided. Themes cannot be used twice in a row.

The Rules of the SOTM:

1. Contestants are allowed to create, work on, and submit their entry from the start of the contest until two weeks from the start date. This period of time is specified by the organizer every month. Once the entry period expires, all submitted entries are gathered up and sent to the Voting Thread.

2. Contestants must submit original works. This means you cannot simply cut a picture out, slap your name on it, and call it your own. Claiming someone else's work as your own is also not allowed, nor is reusing one of your older contest signatures. Anyone caught doing this will have their entries removed from the contest.

3. Contestants are allowed to create as many entries as they wish, but are only allowed to enter one. To submit an entry officially, the contestant must mark the post in the Offical Entry Thread containing that entry with the words "Final Entry", or they can submit the signature to the contest organizer using the private message function.

4. Contestants who wish to keep their entries private until after the submission period can private message the contest organizer with their entry. The entry will not be displayed until submissions are closed, unless the contestant displays that entry publicly.

5. Entries must comply with Animesuki rules regarding signature size. This means each entry can be no larger than 500 x 160, and must be less than 50,000 bytes.

About the SOTM Entry Process:

Every month, a new entry thread is created. Each month's entry thread is a central spot meant to give contestants a chance to create and improve their entries as well as their skills, in addition to providing them a place to post their official submissions.

The thread is solely about helping contestants with entries, and as such these things will not be tolerated:

1. Nonconstructive and negative criticism (if you truly dislike something about an entry, be polite and helpful)

2. Comments, questions, or complaints about General SOTM affairs

3. Flaming, trolling, and other uncivil behavior that breaks Forum Rules

Anyone disrupting the thread will be asked to take it privately, to the SOTM generic discussion thread, or if the offense is severe enough - reported to the moderators.

This Month's Entry Period:

This months entry period officially starts Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 and lasts until Friday, April 18th, 2008. Entries will be gathered and put up for voting on Sunday, April 20th, 2008. Voting will end on the following Sunday.

The due date ends at 11:59 (midnight basically) UTC/GMT. The polling will be up one day later after 11:59 (again, midnight). I will try to be as lenient as I can with last minute submissions but only slightly.

It is up to you as a contestant to know what your time zone is in relation to UTC/GMT. I cannot do this for you. Here is a site that can help you figure that out: http://www.worldtimeserver.com/convert_time_in_UTC.aspx

---

Please let me know what you think.

[kayos]

Maybe you should highlight/bold some of the key phrases, like size of entry, writing "Final Entry", etc... just for the lazy people that prefer to take a glimse at it. They would be able to catch the main points to SOTM without having to read every word in between.

Overall it looks good, very professional but...

Originally Posted by Solace

3. Flaming, trolling, and other uncivil behavior that breaks Forum Rules

What's wrong with trolling?

[Solace]

Originally Posted by kayos

Maybe you should highlight/bold some of the key phrases, like size of entry, writing "Final Entry", etc... just for the lazy people that prefer to take a glimse at it. They would be able to catch the main points to SOTM without having to read every word in between.

Overall it looks good, very professional but...

It's a draft. I didn't want to spend lots of time formatting stuff until the basic draft was given outside consideration. Later versions will have better formatting, the stuff you see now is just to give some form to the mass of text.

What's wrong with trolling?

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial and usually irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, with the intention of baiting other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.

That's what's wrong.

[BearShare]

We need a rule on no using fan-art from deviantart.

[Ice Climbers]

Originally Posted by BearShare

We need a rule on no using fan-art from deviantart.

Hmm, I thought if notified such fan art usage is okay

[Solace]

Originally Posted by BearShare

We need a rule on no using fan-art from deviantart.

Any reason why deviantart is the exception to rule in regards to using images for stuff like this?