Signature of the Month Contest Generic Discussion Thread

[Terrestrial Dream]

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

You imagine the amount of work Solace would have to do for that?

Not a possible solution imo especially with all the hassle, what if the creator wants to talk about his/her creations as well?

It can work but the amount of work it would need is not worth it imo.

If the creator wants to talk about it then he/she could always pm what he/she wants to talk about it as well and Solace could quote it. I know it's a lot of work but a solution to that is having another person helping Solace out.

[kayos]

Originally Posted by Terrestrial Dream

If the creator wants to talk about it then he/she could always pm what he/she wants to talk about it as well and Solace could quote it. I know it's a lot of work but a solution to that is having another person helping Solace out.

That's still not going to stop people from using the sig they created before the voting thread is even up.

[Terrestrial Dream]

Originally Posted by kayos

That's still not going to stop people from using the sig they created before the voting thread is even up.

What if we ask them not to?

[kayos]

^ miracles do happen, but Solace still has the final say.

[Ledgem]

I'm really curious, why would you want to post your work anonymously? I can think of some ways to do it, but some go against the forum rules and would ruin the community feel that we have going. I can't think of any reasons for wanting to show works anonymously that are good enough to warrant creating potential distrust or a loosening among community members.

[Deathkillz]

Well, I think the plus side to have the entries anon would be because it eliminates and bias so the work would be judged on purely for its artistic qualities. I think that normally the name of the maker who makes the siggies also comes into account when casting votes so danger here is that it may end up being less "a judge of art" and more a popularity contest. So having the siggies anon would ensure a fair vote.

But the styles of the makers are a big give away to the identity of the maker (not so much for me as my style varies pretty much all the time ), but for someone like Riker, its a pretty easy guess.

[Marina]

Seems a lot of people accidentally turn in their votes on the sotm voting thread in the wrong format, example:
1. Bob
2. Larry
3. Joe

Instead of doing both name and the number of the sig, as in:
1. Bob
13. Larry
26. Joe

Perhaps because of the way the instructions are written where it shows 1, 2, 3 and people don't properly read instructions and go off the template they see...

[Terrestrial Dream]

Originally Posted by Ledgem

I'm really curious, why would you want to post your work anonymously? I can think of some ways to do it, but some go against the forum rules and would ruin the community feel that we have going. I can't think of any reasons for wanting to show works anonymously that are good enough to warrant creating potential distrust or a loosening among community members.

It is just as Deathkillz said, though the style could give it away. I know that this idea takes too much work so I only suggest once and if the result doesn't really have any dramatic effect then there would be no point making anonymous.

[KiNA]

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

But the styles of the makers are a big give away to the identity of the maker (not so much for me as my style varies pretty much all the time ), but for someone like Riker, its a pretty easy guess.

I can tell your works from miles away.. even when you get your nephew to play with your ps


/runs

[Solace]

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

Well, I think the plus side to have the entries anon would be because it eliminates and bias so the work would be judged on purely for its artistic qualities. I think that normally the name of the maker who makes the siggies also comes into account when casting votes so danger here is that it may end up being less "a judge of art" and more a popularity contest. So having the siggies anon would ensure a fair vote.

But the styles of the makers are a big give away to the identity of the maker (not so much for me as my style varies pretty much all the time ), but for someone like Riker, its a pretty easy guess.

That's a plus, I won't argue that. I'll be honest that there are some votes every month that seem tilted more toward the sig maker than the signature itself. Then again, last month a relative new comer to the forums lost by one vote to an established regular. So it can go both ways.

I think that this is pointed at voting more than entries, and an argument similar to this came up last month with the cropped signatures argument. Perhaps instead of focusing on signatures being anonymous, we should focus more on making voting more targeted on certain criteria? Right now voting is pretty simple and people just kinda vote however they want, so maybe it's time to start looking at voting procedures and how things are graded?

[KiNA]

I dont know how others are vote, but for me.. I tend to use the process of eliminations.. the first I take into account of the theme in question, skill or technique didnt matter (last theme for example, I eliminated nearly half on this process alone). Each of this start with +1 points, then the 2nd phase takes into account on the technique and end result and lastly the last stage is +1 to any fancy stuff (biased point + animation + anything ..its +1 to each.. enought o break any ties).

[nammerboi]

Perhaps they (voters) should give reasons WHY they voted for their selection. Not things like "Oh i love that anime/character so i'll vote for that" or "Oh that's a new style u have there *insert name of popular person*". Well you get where im going with this right?

[KiNA]

While its good suggestion, one must not press the voters to comply.. They just end up scared to vote.

A good compromised would just remove the name from the vote list.. so for example .. voters just post like this

1. Entry #34
2. Entry #26
3. Entry #09

Most of us here will still recognized each other's work but there should be an air of anonymous a bit for other voters.

[nammerboi]

Originally Posted by KiNA

A good compromised would just remove the name from the vote list.. so for example .. voters just post like this

1. Entry #34
2. Entry #26
3. Entry #09

Most will still recognized each other's work but there should be an air of anonymous a bit.

Agreed. This would be the best suggestion.. although some artists put their names on their work xP

[KiNA]

Yes.. some would put their names on, some would openly post their creation for C&C, and some will still use it in their signature slots.. but you can hide all trace of ur and pm your entry straight to solace as well.

[Ice Climbers]

Well, I always put my username on my works to prevent possible theft (which did happen to me with the very first detext I did ><)

Its unlikely that I will change this habit of mine soon (or never) because of such experiences.

[Solace]

Originally Posted by KiNA

I dont know how others are vote, but for me.. I tend to use the process of eliminations.. the first I take into account of the theme in question, skill or technique didnt matter (last theme for example, I eliminated nearly half on this process alone). Each of this start with +1 points, then the 2nd phase takes into account on the technique and end result and lastly the last stage is +1 to any fancy stuff (biased point + animation + anything ..its +1 to each.. enought o break any ties).

That's pretty much how I decide on my votes. Theme first, then I figure in how creative the person tried to be with the theme, then I figure in the difficulty level. It actually helps me to know who made what signature, because sometimes a good signature maker will feel they need to be less competitive and turn in something "average" (it's above average, but not their true effort), but a lesser skilled maker might try very hard and turn in something much better than they normally do.

So when I look at an entry, one of my thoughts is to look at the name of the person and think "did this contestant really put some time into this?". Admittedly, it's personal opinion, but I try to be fair and give credit where it's due. It's the last thing on my list though, because following the theme and being creative with it are a little more important than just making a good signature.

Originally Posted by nammerboi

Perhaps they (voters) should give reasons WHY they voted for their selection. Not things like "Oh i love that anime/character so i'll vote for that" or "Oh that's a new style u have there *insert name of popular person*". Well you get where im going with this right?

See the text after the quote below.

Originally Posted by KiNA

While its good suggestion, one must not press the voters to comply.. They just end up scared to vote.

A good compromised would just remove the name from the vote list.. so for example .. voters just post like this

1. Entry #34
2. Entry #26
3. Entry #09

Most of us here will still recognized each other's work but there should be an air of anonymous a bit for other voters.

This is a fair compromise between those who want anonymous voting and those who don't. However, it does require keeping track of who's entry is who's....which also means that a list would need to be made off site to keep track of that. It's a little more work if that route is chosen since it means more things to watch over.

And like KiNa notes, it's not true anonymity. Some works are easy to tell who did them, and it doesn't really discourage people from having biased votes, at best it will just be a little less obvious that there is bias since instead of names, there would be numbers.

It also won't prevent people from voting strictly on other things like "I loved that show/character" or "I only vote for crops/renders/c4d/animation/etc". Which is why I feel anonymous voting is ultimately pointless if you can't narrow down criteria for voters to base their judgments on or at least make them give reasons as to why they voted the way they did.

Also, more numbers makes me go cross eyed. I hate math.

Originally Posted by Ice Climbers

Well, I always put my username on my works to prevent possible theft (which did happen to me with the very first detext I did ><)

Its unlikely that I will change this habit of mine soon (or never) because of such experiences.

I suspect there's a fair number of people on the forums who would sympathize and agree with you.

[Solace]

OK, this might get long, so if it does I apologize in advance.

As some might be aware, my posting on this forum has dropped quite a bit in the last month. This isn't intentional, but unfortunately real life circumstances are not as good as I would like.

I won't go into detail, but essentially the mortgage crisis has hit my mother very hard and she is losing her home. Because of this, I have been fighting very hard to help her keep home but it's a losing (and very stressful) battle. As I have learned, when companies claim they are willing to help it's only halfway - at the end if things don't agree with their bottom line they are willing to take any loss.

What this means for me is that I haven't been around much to handle the SOTM. In a way it was inevitable, I couldn't keep running the contest by myself forever, and eventually I would have to make a public appeal for help. Thankfully last month KiNA helped with putting the entry list together and Marina helped with vote counting. However next month is the beginning of a very shaky period where I can't guarantee that I will be around to manage things very often.

To that end, for the month of July at least, I will need regular Fan Creation posters who would be willing to assist with gathering the Entry List and counting votes. If you are interested post here or private message me and we'll work out the details.

I am very very proud of the SOTM and it has grown from a small idea to a regular contest that continues to bring out some of the best (and sometimes the worst ) in everyone who participates. This is something that I fully expected to fail after a few months and it's not only still going, it's thriving. This wouldn't be possible without the regular support of the Animesuki members and staff who continue to help make this a fun event that anyone can participate in.

Thank you, everyone, for helping to make these forums not just a great place to visit, but a home away from home.

[Marina]

I'll do whatever I can to help ^_^ If that means counting votes again, I'm all up for it!
*hugs Solace tight* You've been doing a great job, but everyone needs a bit of a break now and then and you certainly deserve it.

[Ice Climbers]

Same here, I'll try to help in whatever way I can. Real life problems do get to you and there are times for breaks. Solace you really deserve one.