Low challenge entries - why are you not entering?

Discussion in 'Fan Art' started by CSI_Kat, Oct 25, 2007.

  1. CSI_Kat

    CSI_Kat Addicted to Gutterville Moderator

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    I hope this thread is ok to start.

    I know there was a problem with this before - so a break of all challenges happened. This break in the challenges seemed to give a new life to the challenges - briefly. Now the entries in all challenges are dwindling again causing most challenges to not be able to use any categories. I am afraid this is going to cause our beginner level entrants from not entering challenges. So I am hoping that this thread will allow us to determine what is going on. I know that real life gets in the way at times and that some people have left the board for issues in other threads. What can we do to increase the entries into these challenges?
     
  2. starzsgirl

    starzsgirl Captain

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    Wow, have you been reading my mind? I was just thinking about that very same subject.

    I too thought the break was supposed to help, let people revive and be creative.

    I know a lot have left because of the sour taste that they have recieved from other threads, or they don't like the way the show is going so they are cutting this site out. Both cases are sad and it's hard to see people go, but real life is quite the factor a well.

    I love entering challenges, but to have beginners against advanced could keep the beginners from entering. No one wants to be splatted all the time when they are trying to have fun and do new things.

    Now I know that the lack of entries can keep the catagories from happening. But please be aware that there should be an air of fairness applied to everyone, catagories were created for a reason.

    Perhaps running seperate challenges for each catagory (same subject as the others) might help. I'd be willing to help run the seperates, if the idea takes off.
     
  3. Dragonfly

    Dragonfly ~Queen of Sarcasm~ Moderator

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    Kat, I think this thread is a great idea. I'd like to know if there's anything we can do to get more people to enter.
     
  4. Daquien

    Daquien Coroner

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    Maybe because there are tons of challenges at the same time and the same people entering, I think an idea could be only one challenge at the time but with shorter time to enter and voting, so if you're not able to enter one you can enter the following.
    Another thing could be the categories, it's easier to get enough entries if there's only one category, but I know most of the people prefer the categories thing. An idea could be only one category but voting also the icon with the best cropping, colouring, text, creative...
    And, finally, RL.
     
  5. mitzi962000

    mitzi962000 CSI Level Two

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    i love the challenges, and entering, i try my hardest, and very rarely miss one, though i do find it differcult to put in more effort, and sometimes find, i just chuck anything together in order to make the deadlines, especially if there is two of three running together, this is because i work a mixture of shifts, days, afternoons and nights...i work on a three week rota, and durng the one week, providing they dont want me for extra, i only get a wed afternoon off, and if the challenges fall on that week for me, i find it really hard to find the pictures and the time to do them, however it still hasnt put me off entering, and still manage to do some :)
     
  6. Adzix

    Adzix CSI Level Three

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    i do not enter that much b/c i don't have much time anymore, and i guess b/c the amount of challenges made them less special. if there was one combined super-challenge a week or two (apart from the LIMS) with a theme, 3 categories of participants and a reward more than just a banner, i'd say it would bring more attention. a good reward is for example something we practiced earlier - the winner gets to choose next theme, or can run the next challenge or whatever else we can come up with.
     
  7. Wyoming

    Wyoming Head of the Graveyard Shift

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    Cinegirl and I will talk about this and hopefully work it out. These challenges are becoming a huge pain in the rear. Keep giving suggestions and we will see what we can do about this problem.
     
  8. twiztid4togo

    twiztid4togo Coroner

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    I just started entering these challenges. I really thought it was going to be a lot of fun and chance to see if anyone likes my ideas and work. I have only entered a few now and out of them I have always been put up against advanced people so my work looks like crap. So I will not be entering anymore challenges unless I know the person will do the catagories. I was very excited about the lab geek w/p because I worked really hard on mine and thought I'd at least get some votes, but not being up against experts, I have no chance so it was a waste of my time. Why ask what catagory you are in if your not going to use it? Putting beginners up against advanced is just simply not fair. I think WOlfesgamergirl's idea of putting up challenges on catagories is a great idea, at least we know if we have any chance at all.
     
  9. AliGtr

    AliGtr CSI Level One

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    I've really enjoyed entering these challenges, even though they don't always go according to plan re. categories.

    I don't think it's fair to pit beginners against advanced, even if there aren't many entries. I would feel very overwhelmed if I was in the beginners category. I wonder if a solution would be, like wofesgamergirl said, running challenges for separate categories? Then you'd be guaranteed to only be competing against beginners.

    Maybe the three categories is a problem? Maybe we should go back to two?

    RL is always a problem. Something I find irritating is when I've made the effort to put something together in time (because I'm an obsessive deadline meeter :rolleyes: ), and then the deadline is extended and extended, so that I could have taken more time and done something better.
     
  10. cinegirl

    cinegirl Coroner

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    Good thread idea, Kat!

    Just my two cents about the category problem: I know it's not fair to put beginners in the direct competition to the advanced people, but you have to keep in mind how difficult it is for the RUNNER of the challenges.
    For example: I had 3 people for advanced in the banners challenge, 7 banners after all: where's the challenge?? Nearly the same was with the beginners level: 4 competitors...
    Of course I could have asked all intermediate to change into advanced or beginners, but I'm sure that would have caused other problems: some might have been affronted, the challenge would have started with a huge delay because it'd taken time to pm everybody and get the answers back etc.

    So yeah, I'm also in for getting back to the two categories only as a first step...

    Sorry for sounding a bit harsh, but as Jess said, this subject is becoming a*coughs*painintheass*coughs*, and we tried really hard to improve these things.
     
  11. BonaTaylor

    BonaTaylor Pathologist

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    Thanks Kat for starting the thread. Good idea to discuss the issues ongoing here. I am entering into more challenges than ever before. Never done icons, never done banners, but after the restart I was really motivated to give all of those one a try. But seeing now that it is really downtwirling in entries and votes, it gets somewhat boring. Besides I do have time issues at the moment that makes me focus on the for me important challenges which would be wallpapers.

    Some notes on what I've discovered/been thinking:

    When we did the first round with three categories in the wallpaper challenge #17, it worked out great cause there have been quite some entries. Though deadline had to extended twice. We wanted to observe if we can hold that level of entries but apparently, we can't. Now, we see that more and more challenges don't even reach two categories, which is somewhat alarming. So, is it because we have too many categories? That ppl doesn't like that? I really don't think it has sth to do with the three categories system, cause we had this huge discussion and about the main seemed to be okay with it. Also we did the "In what categroy do I belong" thread to help ppl judge their skills, which slowed down rather quickly as well. Nobody really seemed to be interested anymore after the first round.

    I also think that this round of themes were rather quite specific and challenging especially for beginners. We had "Changes" which required rather using two caps in one icon than just one, we had "Sexy back" where we had to search for caps on our own first. Vera posted some later to help ppl (*me*), but still, ppl probably thought this challenge is too time consuming cap searching wise. Kat's Miami Icon challenge with the provided caps ran rather well, we had three levels and I think everything went within the usual deadlines. No extensions. Then there was the Wallpaper challenge for the Labrats... also lots of searching for good caps. Too time consuming maybe. I had quite a hard time to find proper caps but with the lovely help of so many fellow artists, I was finally able to enter.

    As well, there were quite much challenges for icons... I had the feeling the "Changes" challenge was on such a down level, cause ppl didn't notice that there was beside the usual LV, NY, Miami icon challenge threads a new one popping up. Maybe it was just me being surprised that there was a 4th icon challenge basically at the same time, cause I am new to icon art, but maybe it was not just surprising to me but to others as well, so they didn't notice...

    My point is... though we discover evident declining interest in the challenge this/last round, we have to see what circumstances they are lined up with. Have caps been given for the challenge? How hard is the subject to manage for beginners? Are there other challenges running at the same time? Is it a good idead to put up more than one icon challenge per franchise etc.?

    Over the time, much of the obvious themes and subjects were covered by now, so it is hard to find a new theme. An idea to get out of this would be doing polls that decides over the new themes to come. So everybody has a chance to vote for their favorite and then also go and enter for it.

    Polls shouldn't always contain the same subjects, the challenge runner should maybe give 4 or 5 suggestions and then do a poll. First round is next challenge's theme, 2nd and 3rd place are going over to the next poll, cause interest in those subjects seemed to be high as well...

    For icons, I also would suggest to go back to 2 categories. To be honest... a wallpaper challenge does require 3 cat.s with all the space a wall has, but to judge on a 100x100 px space if this is beginner, intermediate or advanced is rather tricky. At least for me... I changed my mind that way seeing the last couple of challenges. I couldn't really figure a big difference between advanced and intermediate. But probably that's just me.

    So much for my two cents... looking forward to this discussion.
     
  12. Andreina

    Andreina Lab Technician

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    I donĀ“t know but I think that it was already tried the two categories and there was a problem so I just honestly think that we should try wolfesgamergirl idea but just adding another thought is why dont we just make a thread for each category and themes rotate it through the different csi shows or maybe all together something like that I think could work and will be fair for all of us. However, I dont think this apply to wallpaper because honestly there only a few times in which I have seen problems of entries since I am here so the idea I think just apply for banners and icons.
    Regards
    ETA: After reading BonaTaylor post
    Well I think you have a point on the intermediate/advanced category though before I thought it was necessary I think just complicate more things besides there are a few entries compare to the ones I have seen on advanced and beginners from which I think several from there could already move to advanced the point is that you dont always get the same results sometimes its looks amazing and you look like advanced and others dont but the point is that if you reach to have a icon like advanced then this means you can do it so.
     
  13. CSI_Kat

    CSI_Kat Addicted to Gutterville Moderator

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    I think some of these suggestions are great! I had actually planned on doing a theme poll when this Miami challenge was done!

    Ok - so if I am running separate challenges for Miami (which would be fine with me) would I do 3 challenges at 1 time? One for each category? Or would I do beginner first - then when that ended do an intermediate one - then when that ended do an advanced one? The challenges would definitely be spread out more each category doing it that way. Keeping an intermediate level if possible would be good. I think those who enter beginner for example - might want to also enter intermediate to see how they do there....same with intermediate to advanced. This would help an entrant find the place they feel they belong. I would be willing to take on more challenges if you decide to go this way.
    Hormiga said
    This is an interesting idea - they do this in some challenges over in LJ don't they?

    Time - yeah I definitely saw a problem when all 4 icon challenges ran in the same week....sigh. Do we really need 4 now that the LV challenge started up? It think it was also suggested here we only do 1 for each show.
    Adzix suggested
    This is also very interesting. I would love to hear more comments on this idea.

    Cinegirl/Wyoming - I know this has been becoming a pain. That is why I opened this thread. I was hoping we would get some open and honest dialogue from this.
    I am also one of the people that have been frustrated with the combined categories with the last few challenges.......thanks for letting us keep this thread open.

    ADDED - now that the avatar size has changed.....will we be changing the icon size for challenges? I personally would rather it stay 100x110.
     
  14. Wyoming

    Wyoming Head of the Graveyard Shift

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    I'm going to let you guys decide what you want to do. I think that each runner of the contests should decide what is best for that particular thread. Most of the runners have an idea of what the numbers are that they usually get. Honestly, there is nothing that either cinegirl or I can do to make everyone happy, we can only do our best.

    I think that if all of you can come up with an idea that you really like, you should do that, all I ask is that you keep us informed so that we know what's going on.

    Feel free to keep suggesting, now please excuse me while I go scream in the corner :p
     
  15. cainesugar

    cainesugar Coroner

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    Thank you for starting this thread Kat- I have been experiencing the same thing. I got 15 total icons for the last icon challenge.

    I've been told that screencaps may help boost the numbers and I'm thinking of trying that- however sometimes it's better to leave people to search for them because I know that I would be horrible at picking out good caps for a specific challenge for NY and Vegas because I only watch Miami.

    Thanks to Jess and Vera- I know that running a challenge is insanely hard and can't even imagine how hard being a mod must be. Thanks for always working these issues out, guys. :)

    Now, what to do with my challenge...
     

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