AnimeSuki Forums

Suomi · 2011-04-27, 17:30

Personally, I've just lost my photoshop touch. That's partly because of the crappy software though.
I have noticed, however, that many of the older sigmakers have, like ganbaru said, "gone into hibernation", and it's the time of year that a lot of people are just very busy. I think it is struggling a little because of those things, and because interest in GFX/SOTM has kind of gone down in general. It wouldn't be a bad idea to let it rest for a while, however long that is, and have something new and exciting after that.

ganbaru · 2011-04-27, 18:38

Don't think than you are going a bit too far felix ? There's many reasons why some do go to ''hibernation'' but I don't belive than the SOTM is one of them.

**Solace** · 2011-04-27, 18:49

Is that your attempt at motivation felix?

I'm flattered if so.

To be clear, I'm not calling it quits. I thought you knew me better than that...I'm quite stubborn.

But I'm also not interested in seeing the contest end with a whimper either. If it were to go on break, I'd rather it be given a good note to break on. Note that "quitting" isn't mentioned? Yeah.

Personally I'm in favor of retooling the format entirely. Like yourself, I've noticed that many of the signatures made don't actually get used. And like others have mentioned, the old crowd has mostly moved on or just been otherwise preoccupied with other stuff beyond the hobby, and new interest has been low. Really there has been a lot of factors that have influenced the contest over the years, but we should be honest with ourselves....even on many sites that are actually dedicated to this kind of stuff, three years of solid participation is no small feat. It was inevitable that at some point, interest would drop and something would have to be done.

It's interesting you mention a "Banner of the Month" though. I've had a concept along those lines in my head for a few months now, but haven't really pushed it past the conceptual stages.

Marcus H. · 2011-04-27, 19:13

We need change, and it is inevitable.

Ever since my first few days as a lurker, there has been no changes to the banner design. I might have accustomed to ignoring that detail, but there will come a time that I realize that the overall look of AnimeSuki is getting stagnant.

The idea of Banner of the Month is actually a great idea. Unlike the SOTM where signatures are left to gather dust after being submitted, Banners of the Month will be seen by people throughout the community.

You should consider the SOTM reboot into the Banner of the Month Contest, Solace.

Suomi · 2011-04-27, 20:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

We need change, and it is inevitable.

Ever since my first few days as a lurker, there has been no changes to the banner design. I might have accustomed to ignoring that detail, but there will come a time that I realize that the overall look of AnimeSuki is getting stagnant.

The idea of Banner of the Month is actually a great idea. Unlike the SOTM where signatures are left to gather dust after being submitted, Banners of the Month will be seen by people throughout the community.

You should consider the SOTM reboot into the Banner of the Month Contest, Solace.

That's not a bad idea.

Marina · 2011-04-27, 20:10

I'm all for a banner competition, though with a monthly version, does that mean only 1 would be featured for each month? Or a certain small number, with the winner having a higher reload chance?

I'd also be curious to see what type of decision would be made for theme choice. I feel like maybe having the mods choose the theme would be better since they should have a good feel for an overall mood for the forums, as opposed to having the winner choose and perhaps picking a more eclectic theme that may put off many visitors.

Marcus H. · 2011-04-27, 20:37

Should we go for either a bi-monthly or a quarterly contest? Although quarterly seems too long for a contest.

KiNA · 2011-04-27, 23:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

You should consider the SOTM reboot into the Banner of the Month Contest, Solace.

Animated banner -OR- GTFO!

j/k of course

On serious note however.. Rather then monthly, 3 month or per season would be much preferable. We can have a pool of theme, compiled from forum opinion in the beginning, seasonal, festive, general anime themes, then we can rotate by mods decision preferably..

Having it monthly -and- forum wide participation will quickly degenerated into the current SOTM feel imho. hectic in the beginning, chaos in the middle, whimper off a the end. Puts quite a strain on whoever actively involves too in the long run, no?

Having a couple of winners on rotation at top, changed every 3 months or so, are quite reasonable motivation imo.

Daniel E. · 2011-04-28, 02:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by KiNA

On serious note however.. Rather then monthly, 3 month or per season would be much preferable. We can have a pool of theme, compiled from forum opinion in the beginning, seasonal, festive, general anime themes, then we can rotate by mods decision preferably..

I was thinking something more like every six months, but every four months could also work.

KiNA · 2011-04-28, 03:50

My reasoning for picking 3 month is due to we have 4 anime seasons per year which coincides with the seasonal season. Thus having our banner contest filled with most latest series.. There will be representative submissions from older series no doubt, but most contestants will definitely ride on the latest fad titles. Thus keeping the banner fresh and up to date (or so to say)

Kana Futayo · 2011-04-28, 04:24

I second on what KiNA said.

I believe a break is necessary before making changes.

**Solace** · 2011-04-28, 07:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by KiNA

Animated banner -OR- GTFO!

I'm not sure that's possible under the current system. =\ This would be a question for the admins.

Anyway, I see the banner idea has quite a bit of interest. Bear in mind that it would likely be run differently than the SOTM, with a different name and format. Banners are a bit different than signatures, in that banners would be carrying the AnimeSuki name and thus the criteria for what we would want and how it would be chosen would require more staff involvement than just myself.

It's also for this reason that if it became a regular thing during the year, it would have to be spaced apart enough to give the staff and community some breathing room so that we wouldn't be overwhelmed and burned out.

Larthak · 2011-04-28, 10:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solace

It's interesting you mention a "Banner of the Month" though. I've had a concept along those lines in my head for a few months now, but haven't really pushed it past the conceptual stages.

Banner of the month? I almost choked, Solace...please, anything but that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solace

It's also for this reason that if it became a regular thing during the year, it would have to be spaced apart enough to give the staff and community some breathing room so that we wouldn't be overwhelmed and burned out.

Something along the lines of a bi-annual contest might be the most reasonable option. With an entry period being 2 months long, so that the entrants don't feel rushed (I never had enough time to polish my entries in the SOTM contest...and we WANT the official banners to look good, don't we?) and then a month of voting. That way, the next contest would only be 3 months away, while it still takes the mods' attention once every 5-6 months (excluding the time to create a thread). Well, at least, that's how I'd have done it.

LKK · 2011-04-28, 10:59

I couldn't decide whether I should comment or not. I've effectively stopped participating in the contest. But I still lurk in the entry threads, offer comments if I think they could help, and always vote. Since I don't participate, I should be okay with the contest going on hiatus. But emotionally, I'm not. Deep down, I feel as if the board would lose something special if the contest were put on hiatus. On the other hand, how much of a right do I have to say so when I'm not making entries any more?

Maybe I would feel better if at the time of the hiatus, a promise about SOTM's resurrection was also made. If there isn't some semi-definitive indication that SOTM will return, I suspect the contest's hiatus will turn into a death knell. And then the board will truly have lost something special for good.

PreSage · 2011-04-28, 14:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by LKK

Deep down, I feel as if the board would lose something special if the contest were put on hiatus.

That is also my instant reaction to hearing this. I feel the SOTM has been a pretty good focal point for those who (still) make sigs for fun, want a challenge, gain positive critiques and learn new tips. Although I, too, have become a victim of "busy real-life distractions" lately.

I think a major problem with SOTM on AniSuki is the shear size of this forum and the lack of advertisement of the contest. I'm sure some newcomers aren't even aware that SOTM exists. So as the "older" participants begin to move on with their lives outside the forum or taken up new interest, the lack of awareness may impede newcomers from repopulating in their place. There should be "contests" link set in bold somewhere on the forum fully visible to everyone, listing all contests that are onging in the forum.

I, personally, can't decide whether a little down time is good or not but I certainly agree that SOTM should get a facelift such that it may attract a fresh audience - and spacing each contest out a few months may also be wise. I also agree that the winning sig should get publicized somehow - gives more of an incentive to enter the contest to some (although I don't need it but for others, maybe yes).

...and...there are so few sig animators around now...*cries*...is this not a popular area anymore?

I remember getting completely blown away by KiNA's dancing sig (that was the one that inspired me into doing animations in the first place...

to KiNA) and Riker's "too many slices"-but-also-awesome-sig.

Dist · 2011-05-03, 06:20

PreSage posted pretty much what I was thinking about '' the point '' of why SOTM should be continued. So I'm going to ask this instead : What are exactly the disadvantages of continuing with the SOTM as it is ? Because when I think about it .. I can't find any. I find it hard to believe that posting a thread once per month, gathering entries and then tallying votes takes too much effort to keep it running with 10-15 entries per month.

And it was mentioned that some people may not even be aware of SOTM .. Would it be too much to ask to put lets see ... a remainder each month ( or at least once for all current users and new users to register in the future ) that will be shown on when you login next time like it was done with the Scavenger Hunt II to gather more attention ?

Moresca · 2011-05-04, 06:35

Let me add my 2 cents too. I second what LKK and PreSage wrote before me. I too think that mothballing the contest for too long will rather result in its doom than miraculously sparking new interest when resurrected. And that sure would be a pity. Even if there are just a handful of active sig makers left at the moment, the contest still is a good platform for dicussion, inspiration and a welcome chance to have a look beyond one's own nose as well as an opportunity to showcase the own works. And I think that many of the "oldtimers" (even if they do not actively participate anymore) still enjoy peeking in and giving their votes.

I doubt that dangling a carrot (in form of the chance to being featured with a banner e.g.) in front of the sigmakers noses will be really effective. I trust that many participants have fun in participating in the SOTM because they just like to make tags and do not especially care for an extra reward or need a special incentive. I at least do not. It is nice to get some applause and feedback sure, but I'd be making sigs anyway even if that wasn't the case. Actually what I especially like about SOTM is that I am given a theme to tinker with and that is that. It is basically a welcome break from having to come up with a new and shiny topic by myself every time I plan to do a tag

A banner contest in itself is an intriguing idea but is there a reason why it should have to be tied to the SOTM? It could just be an unaffiliated and independent contest with its own time frame. Personally I think that the one month rotation for SOTM is just fine. It is a period my brain can manage and remember while I'd be liable to just ignore a span of 3 or more months and promptly forget about such dates that are lurking way in the hazy future.

I also do not quite understand how 15 to 20 participants each month are few? This actually looks like a reasonable crowd to me. There are sites doing such contests that have far less participants, in the worst case having a winner by default if hit by Murphy's law. If I think about it: having to decide on three signatures out of 50 submitted sounds a bit nightmarish. How am I supposed to compare 50 apple and pears and whatnot all at once and then decide which one looks best? How many people do you expect to have (anime/manga-) sigmaking as a hobby?

The SOTM does lack a bit in the department of advertising and lucidity, though. Dist is right, something like the "Scavenger Hunt" setup might help. It would also be nice if there was some kind of a gallery for the winner sigs over the months, just the signature and theme would suffice. All nicely put together at one place (in a thread). That would be a clear arrangement and visitors would have a chance to take a look at the end results at once - who knows, such a gallery thread might even generate "newcomers". At least people would be able to make an informed decision what lies in wait if they ponder the possibility of a participation. At the moment it is a pain to even find out which themes have been already in use over the time...

In order to attract a broader audience and more participants I wonder if a change in the theme deciding process would be helpful. It is nice that the winners can pick the next month's theme, but it is also understandable that the happy winner will probably choose a theme that looks especially enticing to her-/himself at this point in time. Which means that it might be quite specific and not necessarily as thrilling to others who do not share this special interest. Although many people might like the challenge that comes with that fact, there are on the other hand probably quite a lot of people who do not bother with creating a signature for something they cannot really relate to. Why not broaden the choices a bit? Maybe it would be worth a try to let the contest winner select from a pool/list of (let's say 20, that should be plenty to not get repetitive, 10 might actually be enough) - more general themes that are available from the start. Make the themes less restrictive. Maybe that would be helpful in overcoming the inhibition threshold someone new might face, who is pondering whether or not to submit something. The outcomes themselves might even be more surprising and original because in the end they are less predictable.

Just toying around with ideas how to possibly lure more people into SOTM...

Haladflire65 · 2011-05-09, 21:47

Well, um... I'm guessing that it's not running? I'd appreciate a heads-up about what your thoughts and plans are, Solace. If SOTM's taking a break it would be nice for it to be officially announced instead of fading away into this... silence.

**Solace** · 2011-05-09, 22:53

Apologies, I meant to update the status a few days ago, but it's been a hectic weekend. The SOTM is going on haitus for the rest of the month. The theme was already PM'd to me, so when it resumes we won't have to wait around.

In the meantime we're working behind the scenes to get another banner contest going, hopefully this month. It's a busy time and everyone is kind of stretched thin atm, so I humbly request some patience.

Mr. Wang · 2011-05-09, 23:06

Ah... well then, I'm sure most of us understand. I know that I've been a rather... infrequent contestant here in the SOTM contests, but I think that this impending banner contest sounds quite... interesting. I'll see what I can do about that.

Well then, we all know you're busy Solace, and while I might not be the most active person around here, I think that I, and many others can say we appreciate you and Animesuki staff's efforts in all these events here.

2011-04-27, 17:30	Link #341
Suomi Kaiba Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: David Tennant's bedroom in the TARDIS	Personally, I've just lost my photoshop touch. That's partly because of the crappy software though. I have noticed, however, that many of the older sigmakers have, like ganbaru said, "gone into hibernation", and it's the time of year that a lot of people are just very busy. I think it is struggling a little because of those things, and because interest in GFX/SOTM has kind of gone down in general. It wouldn't be a bad idea to let it rest for a while, however long that is, and have something new and exciting after that. __________________

2011-04-27, 18:38	Link #342
ganbaru books-eater youkai Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity	Don't think than you are going a bit too far felix ? There's many reasons why some do go to ''hibernation'' but I don't belive than the SOTM is one of them. __________________

2011-04-27, 18:49	Link #343
Solace (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻ Moderator Join Date: Mar 2006	Is that your attempt at motivation felix? I'm flattered if so. To be clear, I'm not calling it quits. I thought you knew me better than that...I'm quite stubborn. But I'm also not interested in seeing the contest end with a whimper either. If it were to go on break, I'd rather it be given a good note to break on. Note that "quitting" isn't mentioned? Yeah. Personally I'm in favor of retooling the format entirely. Like yourself, I've noticed that many of the signatures made don't actually get used. And like others have mentioned, the old crowd has mostly moved on or just been otherwise preoccupied with other stuff beyond the hobby, and new interest has been low. Really there has been a lot of factors that have influenced the contest over the years, but we should be honest with ourselves....even on many sites that are actually dedicated to this kind of stuff, three years of solid participation is no small feat. It was inevitable that at some point, interest would drop and something would have to be done. It's interesting you mention a "Banner of the Month" though. I've had a concept along those lines in my head for a few months now, but haven't really pushed it past the conceptual stages. __________________

2011-04-27, 19:13	Link #344
Marcus H. Princess or Plunderer? Join Date: May 2009 Location: the Philippines	We need change, and it is inevitable. Ever since my first few days as a lurker, there has been no changes to the banner design. I might have accustomed to ignoring that detail, but there will come a time that I realize that the overall look of AnimeSuki is getting stagnant. The idea of Banner of the Month is actually a great idea. Unlike the SOTM where signatures are left to gather dust after being submitted, Banners of the Month will be seen by people throughout the community. You should consider the SOTM reboot into the Banner of the Month Contest, Solace. __________________ Continuing: White Sand Aquatope (6/24) and Vanitas S2 (0/12), The Vampire Dies in No Time S2 and Bofuri S2 (3/12). 2021: Restaurant to Another World S2 (3/12), takt Op. Destiny (1/12) and Taisho Maiden Fairy Tale (1/12). 2022: Yuusha Yamemasu (1/12), Kaguya-sama S3, Mob Psycho 100 III (Oct06), Bleach: 1000 Year Blood War (2/13) and Chainsaw Man (6/12). Spring 2023: Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Punch! (4/12), Skip to Loafer, Tonikaku Kawaii S2 (1/12), Otonari ni Ginga (5/12) and Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia (3/13). Contact me on Wikia and MyAnimeList. Anime List Status ~ Watching: 33. Completed: 468. Plan to watch: 39.

2011-04-27, 20:37	Link #347
Marcus H. Princess or Plunderer? Join Date: May 2009 Location: the Philippines	Should we go for either a bi-monthly or a quarterly contest? Although quarterly seems too long for a contest. __________________ Continuing: White Sand Aquatope (6/24) and Vanitas S2 (0/12), The Vampire Dies in No Time S2 and Bofuri S2 (3/12). 2021: Restaurant to Another World S2 (3/12), takt Op. Destiny (1/12) and Taisho Maiden Fairy Tale (1/12). 2022: Yuusha Yamemasu (1/12), Kaguya-sama S3, Mob Psycho 100 III (Oct06), Bleach: 1000 Year Blood War (2/13) and Chainsaw Man (6/12). Spring 2023: Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Punch! (4/12), Skip to Loafer, Tonikaku Kawaii S2 (1/12), Otonari ni Ginga (5/12) and Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia (3/13). Contact me on Wikia and MyAnimeList. Anime List Status ~ Watching: 33. Completed: 468. Plan to watch: 39.

2011-04-28, 04:24	Link #351
Kana Futayo is not amused Graphic Designer Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Naval Base	I second on what KiNA said. I believe a break is necessary before making changes. __________________

2011-04-28, 10:59	Link #354
LKK Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia, USA Age: 62	I couldn't decide whether I should comment or not. I've effectively stopped participating in the contest. But I still lurk in the entry threads, offer comments if I think they could help, and always vote. Since I don't participate, I should be okay with the contest going on hiatus. But emotionally, I'm not. Deep down, I feel as if the board would lose something special if the contest were put on hiatus. On the other hand, how much of a right do I have to say so when I'm not making entries any more? Maybe I would feel better if at the time of the hiatus, a promise about SOTM's resurrection was also made. If there isn't some semi-definitive indication that SOTM will return, I suspect the contest's hiatus will turn into a death knell. And then the board will truly have lost something special for good. __________________ Avatar: Hazuki of Natsuyuki Rendezvous / Signature: flowers from Natsuyuki Rendezvous

2011-05-03, 06:20	Link #356
Dist Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Finland Age: 33	PreSage posted pretty much what I was thinking about '' the point '' of why SOTM should be continued. So I'm going to ask this instead : What are exactly the disadvantages of continuing with the SOTM as it is ? Because when I think about it .. I can't find any. I find it hard to believe that posting a thread once per month, gathering entries and then tallying votes takes too much effort to keep it running with 10-15 entries per month. And it was mentioned that some people may not even be aware of SOTM .. Would it be too much to ask to put lets see ... a remainder each month ( or at least once for all current users and new users to register in the future ) that will be shown on when you login next time like it was done with the Scavenger Hunt II to gather more attention ? __________________

2011-05-04, 06:35	Link #357
Moresca Doing the time-warp Join Date: Jul 2009	Let me add my 2 cents too. I second what LKK and PreSage wrote before me. I too think that mothballing the contest for too long will rather result in its doom than miraculously sparking new interest when resurrected. And that sure would be a pity. Even if there are just a handful of active sig makers left at the moment, the contest still is a good platform for dicussion, inspiration and a welcome chance to have a look beyond one's own nose as well as an opportunity to showcase the own works. And I think that many of the "oldtimers" (even if they do not actively participate anymore) still enjoy peeking in and giving their votes. I doubt that dangling a carrot (in form of the chance to being featured with a banner e.g.) in front of the sigmakers noses will be really effective. I trust that many participants have fun in participating in the SOTM because they just like to make tags and do not especially care for an extra reward or need a special incentive. I at least do not. It is nice to get some applause and feedback sure, but I'd be making sigs anyway even if that wasn't the case. Actually what I especially like about SOTM is that I am given a theme to tinker with and that is that. It is basically a welcome break from having to come up with a new and shiny topic by myself every time I plan to do a tag A banner contest in itself is an intriguing idea but is there a reason why it should have to be tied to the SOTM? It could just be an unaffiliated and independent contest with its own time frame. Personally I think that the one month rotation for SOTM is just fine. It is a period my brain can manage and remember while I'd be liable to just ignore a span of 3 or more months and promptly forget about such dates that are lurking way in the hazy future. I also do not quite understand how 15 to 20 participants each month are few? This actually looks like a reasonable crowd to me. There are sites doing such contests that have far less participants, in the worst case having a winner by default if hit by Murphy's law. If I think about it: having to decide on three signatures out of 50 submitted sounds a bit nightmarish. How am I supposed to compare 50 apple and pears and whatnot all at once and then decide which one looks best? How many people do you expect to have (anime/manga-) sigmaking as a hobby? The SOTM does lack a bit in the department of advertising and lucidity, though. Dist is right, something like the "Scavenger Hunt" setup might help. It would also be nice if there was some kind of a gallery for the winner sigs over the months, just the signature and theme would suffice. All nicely put together at one place (in a thread). That would be a clear arrangement and visitors would have a chance to take a look at the end results at once - who knows, such a gallery thread might even generate "newcomers". At least people would be able to make an informed decision what lies in wait if they ponder the possibility of a participation. At the moment it is a pain to even find out which themes have been already in use over the time... In order to attract a broader audience and more participants I wonder if a change in the theme deciding process would be helpful. It is nice that the winners can pick the next month's theme, but it is also understandable that the happy winner will probably choose a theme that looks especially enticing to her-/himself at this point in time. Which means that it might be quite specific and not necessarily as thrilling to others who do not share this special interest. Although many people might like the challenge that comes with that fact, there are on the other hand probably quite a lot of people who do not bother with creating a signature for something they cannot really relate to. Why not broaden the choices a bit? Maybe it would be worth a try to let the contest winner select from a pool/list of (let's say 20, that should be plenty to not get repetitive, 10 might actually be enough) - more general themes that are available from the start. Make the themes less restrictive. Maybe that would be helpful in overcoming the inhibition threshold someone new might face, who is pondering whether or not to submit something. The outcomes themselves might even be more surprising and original because in the end they are less predictable. Just toying around with ideas how to possibly lure more people into SOTM... __________________

2011-05-09, 21:47	Link #358
Haladflire65 Senior Member Artist Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Normandy SR-2 Age: 29	Well, um... I'm guessing that it's not running? I'd appreciate a heads-up about what your thoughts and plans are, Solace. If SOTM's taking a break it would be nice for it to be officially announced instead of fading away into this... silence. __________________

2011-05-09, 22:53	Link #359
Solace (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻ Moderator Join Date: Mar 2006	Apologies, I meant to update the status a few days ago, but it's been a hectic weekend. The SOTM is going on haitus for the rest of the month. The theme was already PM'd to me, so when it resumes we won't have to wait around. In the meantime we're working behind the scenes to get another banner contest going, hopefully this month. It's a busy time and everyone is kind of stretched thin atm, so I humbly request some patience. __________________

2011-05-09, 23:06	Link #360
Mr. Wang Scholar of Yanderes Author Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Haramihama	Ah... well then, I'm sure most of us understand. I know that I've been a rather... infrequent contestant here in the SOTM contests, but I think that this impending banner contest sounds quite... interesting. I'll see what I can do about that. Well then, we all know you're busy Solace, and while I might not be the most active person around here, I think that I, and many others can say we appreciate you and Animesuki staff's efforts in all these events here. __________________