14 replies to this topic

[Ilmatar]

I've been thinking about the time constraints and deadlines of the Fanart Challenges. Since the system is new, it must have some flaws. Are the deadlines one of them? I'm throwing the ball at you, people, and give you the power to decide if we'll change the system or not. Here's some brainstormage from me.

At the moment the system works so that each challenge is open for one week, from Friday to Friday. After the challenge is closed, you can't submit any more drawings to that challenge, and that can cause problems. We all have our personal lives that naturally come first, so everybody might not have the time to participate even if they want to. Also even time differences can be a problem. When I close the challenge usually around Friday afternoon, the day has barely begun in the States, and the folks there are still snoring happily in bed. Also if you ever doodle a random drawing of for example Jaheira, it's easy to submit it to her own challenge topic any time you want to. It's also easy for people who want to see drawings of Jaheira - they just go and browse her topic, and there they all are, and not scattered around Layers of Reality.

What I personally found an interesting aspect of the challenges was keeping the statistics, and seeing who are active and have drawn a lot. Even though the challenges are not contests, they still might work as a motivation. "Omg vilkacis has drawn THAT MUCH! I have to catch up with him!" But then again, my personal life got in the way and I haven't had the time or the energy to update the statistics... My point here is that if you open the challenges again and remove the deadlines, keeping stats is really hard because every once in a while (or atleast so I hope) people will be adding drawings to the challenges.

Making the challenges deadlines open would of course make participating and even browsing easier. Then again the challenges would loose their contest-like nature and there wouldn't be any "pressure" to draw something. People would think, "Oh, Jaheira, I like her, I might draw something of her one day..." and so the challenges won't get any submissions.

What do you think?

Edited by Ilmatar, 22 May 2007 - 11:33 PM.

[Kaeloree]

Keep the deadlines, but maybe extend it to 2 weeks?

[Kulyok]

I wonder what the point of second option is. Presumably, if someone is not interested, she wouldn't vote, no?

Since to me predicate "deadlines" means "no submissions in the future", and "no deadlines" means "possible submissions in the future", I tick the first option: I like more pictures.

[berelinde]

Lose the deadline, but make a post marking the official end of the challenge period. Easy enough to count entries above that post.

I had wanted to participate in a previous challenge, Irenicus and Bodhi, but I didn't, because life exploded on me that week. I didn't want to start another thread just to announce that I'm a terrible procrastinator and can't meet deadlines, even if it's true, so I just let it drop.

Even if you started another thread for late entries, it'd still be kind of discouraging to be on it. A lot more subtle just to tack your submission onto the original thread and walk away whistling.

Edited by berelinde, 19 April 2007 - 02:52 AM.

[SConrad]

I agree with Liam - although I'll probably never participate anyway...

[Kellen]

As I pretty much will never submit anything my vote is a minor one. That said.

(I rather like a deadline, simply because as said it provides an end to the challenge and gives motivation to actually do something.

That said B has a good point, and real life can explode on you for a week, or sometimes even more.

Personally I agree with Kae that extending to two weeks might be a good idea.)

[Menelanna]

i also agree. Keep the deadlines but just extend it a week. I wanted to partcipate last week but life would not let me. So yeah, an extra week would allow people to work around RL to be involved in this.

[berelinde]

Got enough deadlines IRL. Don't want any more.

[Galsic]

Gotta admit, the deadline is a good motivator, so I'll throw in my support for a 2-week span if it'll help get more submissions. Beyond that, it'll stop being a "challenge"...if that's what you still want it to be.

[EvaineDian]

One week is too short for me. I started to draw something for every single challenge so far, but never got around to finish something. Two weeks might be better.

[vilkacis]

"Omg vilkacis has drawn THAT MUCH! I have to catch up with him!"

Y HALO THAR.



Eh, I dunno. If it's a challenge, it should probably have a deadline. (It's not very challenging otherwise.) However, it might be a good idea to make it easier to post previous-challenge-related art without creating a whole new topic of your own, too. (...I certainly wouldn't create a new topic to show off my MS Paint stick figures.) Keeping the topics open but not counting late entries as "completed challenges" sounds good to me, as does extending the deadline. (I'd still like to see a new challenge every week, but there's no reason they can't overlap.)

Another idea could be to create a topic for "late challenges" where people can just post anything related to earlier challenges ("this is my late entry for challenge #666, 'Irenicus pin-up poster OMG NO MY EYES ARGH ARGH ARGH'...")




...either way, my participation in the Jaheira topic is uncertain.

[Ilmatar]

Keeping the topics open but not counting late entries as "completed challenges" sounds good to me, as does extending the deadline. (I'd still like to see a new challenge every week, but there's no reason they can't overlap.)

Yeah, that feels the wisest solution. Everybody here has had some really good points, thanks for voting and commenting. I didn't exactly expect this much attention to this poll, but it's a good thing you guys stormed this place. Now that there are already that many votes for keeping the deadlines, and that most of those who have commented have liked the idea of extending the time to two weeks, I actually could do that in tomorrows new challenge - or maybe even add one extra week for Jaheira, since we MUST have an entry from vilkacis. What is a challenge without an entry from you, hmm?

Another idea could be to create a topic for "late challenges" where people can just post anything related to earlier challenges ("this is my late entry for challenge #666, 'Irenicus pin-up poster OMG NO MY EYES ARGH ARGH ARGH'...")

Now THERE's an idea for a challenge..

But anyway, I have some 12 hours to decide wheter to continue Jaheira's challenge for one week more, or make a new challenge with a 2-week deadline.

[berelinde]

I agree with Vilkacis. I don't really care about the "challenge" anyway. I'm not even remotely competitive. I just don't want to have to start a new thread. I'd as soon have only one topic, tho.

Edited by berelinde, 19 April 2007 - 02:31 PM.

[vilkacis]

What is a challenge without an entry from you, hmm?

...less silly?

O well, guess I can't escape. Posting entry RIGHT NOW~

Now THERE's an idea for a challenge..

And I warn you, I'll bleeding well do it, too!

and i suppose i should be very happy that i didn't type "hot anomen/keldorn yaoi" which would otherwise have been my first option for #666

[Ilmatar]

Okies, then, I'm about to start the seventh challenge (because vilkacis actually did participate in the sixth one )and I've drawn to this conclusion.

1) Keep the deadlines, but extend them to two weeks.
2) When the deadline has come, I'll make a post stating that the entries coming after this aren't counted in the stats.
3) Late entries can be and will be posted in the topics themselves to make browsing easier. If you want to see Jaheira, you go to her topic and there they all are! Late entries will not be counted to the stats, so that gives motivation to participate during the challenge itself.
4) New system starts today, with the seventh challenge. Gasp!

Thank you, everyone, for voting and telling what you think. I'm sure the system will be a lot better now, thanks to your help in brainstorming it.