Welcome

[kerravonsen]

Hello all. Welcome to the Icon Style community, where "Style, not Substance" is our motto.

I'd like to get some feedback from y'all as to what kind of a challenge community we want. Some challenge communities just issue challenges, and people take them up or not, and that's it. Others are into voting and giving awards, and some even make banners for the awards. Of course, each one of these makes more work, which means I'd probably need help doing anything more than just open challenges. So what do you all think? How can we get the most out of this community while making it as easy as possible to run?

Comments

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

I think the real question is whether voting will encourage participation and discussion. Which it might, and I know you'd rather have more participation. A poll once a month shouldn't be that hard to do.

What I'm more interested in is the frequency and duration of the challenges. I think you were right about once a month being more workable than weekly, but how long will each challenge be open? An entire month might encourage people to put it off, and then forget about it. I suggest a week or ten days might be better.

(P.S., here I am.)

[jinxed-wood.livejournal.com]

A challenge might be fun; maybe every fortnight? A month might be too long, especially if it's a straight up vote, and not a challenge with rounds!

[kerravonsen]

Hmmm, what about one challenge a month, but it lasts for two weeks, and then people vote?

[ammepyre.livejournal.com]

I like the one a month idea, but I could see easily forgetting about it if it were open for the entire month. Maybe have a challenge that lasts for two weeks then voting from members on the icons for a week and than maybe the fourth week could be a vote on the next month's challenge?

I think voting will give more participation. Banners might too, but they also add a lot more work so that might depend on who would be willing to help out with them.

[kerravonsen]

I like that idea, though I figure the fourth week could simply be a week off!

Also, has anybody got ideas on how to make voting as simple to manage as possible?

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I'd be happy with a challenge and taking it up or not, without the voting. I've never been keen on rating things, but most people seem to like it.

I don't think we need banners, but if people want to vote, I suppose the easiest thing is to host a poll on your own LJ with a link to the poll from here. Otherwise, post all the icons here, numbered, and have people cast a vote for the number of the icon they like best - one person, one vote. Having people vote for say three in ranked order will just get too complicated.

[kerravonsen]

Maybe it would be possible to use LJ poll "scale" questions, so that folks could rate an icon out of 5, 5 "stars" being the best, that sort of thing.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

I like that idea, yes... easier to remember, but still not too much pressure :)

How many icons would be the maximum for a challenge, too?

[kerravonsen]

Not sure. Two? Four?

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

I recall someone in earlier comments mentioning the winners giving tuts... that would be strictly optional yes? Not that I expect to win, but all you'd get is a helpless "I dunno how I did that!!!" from this rather less than knowledgeable dabbler... :)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I suppose. Can you do that now? I'm not keen on the rating system used on Hermit, but hey. It looks like others like to rank things, so that sounds as good an idea as any.

[pherber-m.livejournal.com]

Count me in. I'm okay with either schedule, as long as it's not mandatory to enter. Voting doesn't make any difference to me.

[kerravonsen]

Encouraged but optional, I think.

[kerravonsen]

Maybe it would make sense to at least start with a simpler poll, as you say, one person, one vote.

[kerravonsen]

No, no, it would be too much of a drag if it were mandatory to enter. But there would probably have to be a minimum number of entrants for the competition to be valid.

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

Works for me if it works for others.

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

Hm... start with four while the community's small, then if you need to, cut back when it gets bigger?

[ozsaur.livejournal.com]

Works for me!

[ozsaur.livejournal.com]

Can we have some kind of discussion session at the end of each challenge? Participants can talk about what they liked about the icons, how they achieved a certain look, if they liked the challenge technique, etc.

If this is too much trouble, don't sweat it.

[kerravonsen]

Well, it could be done in comments to the "announce the winner" post; that would make sense, don'cha think? Just simply say at the same time as the announcement "here y'all, what did you think about this last challenge just done?"

[tesana.livejournal.com]

I think it would be a good motivator to submit if there was a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Mod's Choice. I could see how it might be too much if we don't have banner makers though.

For voting, I prefer the three, ranked vote method I've seen on other icon contests.

[kerravonsen]

For voting, I prefer the three, ranked vote method I've seen on other icon contests.

But it's a lot more work to administer, so I'm not going to do it. One person, one vote can still give you a 1st, 2nd and 3rd, it's just not preferential voting.

If you could give me a piece of software that I could use with LiveJournal's polling system that would do all the calculations for me for preferential voting, then that would be another matter.

Thanks for reminding me of "Mod's Choice", though, I'd forgotten that that's a common award.

[kerravonsen]

I could see how it might be too much if we don't have banner makers though.

Banners are nice, but I think there needs to be a larger pool of people than we currently have, to have sufficient people to volunteer to make banners so that it isn't a strain on the banner-makers. So for now, I think we'll do without banners. Unless a whole bunch of volunteers come leaping out saying "we want banners, and we'll make them!"

[tesana.livejournal.com]

I understand.