[S] 'Spotlights' are back. Nominate now! -help us!-

[LunaRei_SilverBlood]

I don't mind either way on if this gets brought back or not, but I did have some ideas.

Like it was said earlier have people PM nominations. People who to have like 5 ( or another bottom line amount ) votes,for them to make the list, and then maybe make a thread in the guild. and ask people to vote in the poll. And then have people post that they voted. but NOT who they voted for, so they can make sure that it's not getting rigged.

But pet incentives I don't think would be a good idea. To messy. As it is the staff has to much to deal with it. They don't need extra work.  

[Syaoran-Puu]

Another issue is that a poll can be used to abuse other users... like if there is a person who isn't friends with A, Y and Z and then they get T, R and S to all vote against them simply because they dislike them rather than their vote being based on what the person had actually done that awarded them opportunity to be in the poll to start with. I can just see it become a bit of a popularity contest.

I think the issue Sisi was having was not enough people constantly nominating people, so we need to either find a way to resolve this issue (like set dates) or an alternative? =D  

[Syaoran-Puu]

Nerpin

Pertaining to the "Spotlight soqs" on teh front page;

I'm in command for that one since I have the PSDS, and I'd love a couple of ideas for that - I was considering like . . . a thread where people can put up two or three of their soqs and a blurb as to why they should be the soq of the month so we can enjoy little stories and whatnot @_@.

Any ideas? C|

The new banners are beautiful... XD just thought I would say that.

But as it has been said in this thread I can see a thread where you either post your own soquili or someone else will only die or end up with the same people because a lot of people either don't like to enter themselves or don't like to enter where somewhere everyone can freely see what they have put.

Would it be possible to simply try and open up the nomination system with a set date (so say, from the start of the month until a week before the end) so that people know to PM the mule (Tasunke) and then those that are picked as the spotlight winner for the month be placed in the banner?
Even if it is just temp opened up to see if the system works? Maybe if it is reopened any new kinks can be identified and perhaps solutions presented to solve them?

I dunno XD  

[Syaoran-Puu]

Nerpin

Could work, but I don't have mule access sweatdrop

Maybe I'll take it up with Sirenz and see what we can do <3.

Ha! XD I didn't think about that (sorry). But it does seem Sisi wants to see a solution to this so she would probably be game to trying to find a way to see it happen? I dunno =D always worth asking.
*nodnod*

On which note I would like to thank staff for seriously considering this, and even if it is decided that spotlights should be cancelled forever it is appreciated that you guys are willing to try something and find a possible solution! So thanks. =D  

[Teh_Sil]

I think PMs are the better deal as well, if only to help anonymize things and thus minimize drama.  

[malhith]

Hrm...make an announcement at a set date each month, change the thread title to "send in spotlight nominations" or something. That way they're constantly reminded of "oh hey! I can go nominate someone now...".

Example: Have the spotlighted few be announced on the 30th of each month (or 28th if it's February), and a week before hand, make an announcement in thread saying "hey guys, it's time to send in your nominations" (obviously, say something more than that, but meh). Then the thread title could reflect it, and then change it back to whatever.  

[That Artemis]

A thought on bias - maybe make a list of criteria a nominee must meet to make it to a list of spotlight 'maybes'.

Out of curiosity, aside from the 'nominate yourself' month, how many nominations would you get on average? Was there a lot in the beginning and it sort of lost steam/appeal as it went on? Or, were there some months with more/less nominations than others?

I think also that the amount of RP in the shop has risen since then? (Correct me if I'm wrong?) edit: what I mean to say is there are more active regulars and a bigger pool of people to be nominated/nominate people.  

[Celeanor]

Oh I didn't mean linking to the actual stats a soquili has. xDDD! I meant linking to the system the shop already has in place for tracking RPs, which in turn is used to generate stats. I was operating under the assumption soquili spotlights (male and female) generally were awarded for those characters who showed char development etcccc for that particular month, as opposed to a popularity contest (i.e. someone nominating a new soquili because they thought it was pretty, had a pretty looking plot that nevertheless never got off the ground, or whatever.) Figured it'd be easy enough to formulate a 'maybe' list people could nominate from just via a copy-paste from whichever pets got RPed a lot that month. Would leave it up to the shop-goers to investigate those soquili and see what kind of RPs they've been in based on that list, and decide from there (PMing seems to be the popular idea?) who should go in the spotlight.

Again, am not familiar with the system Mouse uses, and far be it from me to recommend her working any harder for free, but if all it is would be sorting within the program she uses for which soquili have RPed the most that month and copying it... that's not that bad? Unless its a running total that doesn't break down into months... in which case, ignore me. xD!

But I thought I would poke a small hole in the 100% issue. Most soquili like that are probably on their way to elderhood, and likewise are prolly being plotted rather extensively by their owners. Including them (as well as those limited RPed soq who have awesome plotlines with traceable progress) would be solved via a write-in option for nominations if their RP stats are no longer being tracked by the existing system. Either the soquili's owner or someone else who noticed them being awesome in RP could do it. Make a thread (with a set start/end time as also seems to be the popular notion so far) where the list is posted, and people can write-in right in there if they want so other people can see and maybe vote for them as well... or PM it to the mule. Voting would just be PMed.

Also, to highlight an earlier point on criteria touched on by The Spoof... what ARE the spotlights rewarded for exactly? For teepees, I always thought it was a mix of design and functionality that appealed to others. For soquili, I thought it was which individual male and female had stood out as characters? That latter assumption is the basis for my suggestion to sort for likely nominees via the existing monthly system for RP tracking. Honestly, am not terribly attached to that particular idea, so feel free to cut it up. But I'd (personally) hate to see the Spotlight for soquili going to characters that are not RPed. ='( !!!

Soooo, in all... any idea that genuinely takes into account RPs as criteria for nomination will get my vote. <33333! It just looked like relying on players completely to notice who has or hasn't been RPing a lot would open the door for bias... and no one wants to see that. ='( !  

[Syaoran-Puu]

I can see that system getting very messy Cel.... and certain months it would likely end up falling through because staff are too busy to put the original list together for people to nominate from... and again the issue arises that a thread where players post a soquili who is 100% and still being RPed will likely not get the attention it needs because some people don't like to draw attention to themselves by actually posting themselves. Not all 100% stated soquili that still RP are on the way to elderhood (I know you didn't mean it like that) but a few are... I have several 100% soquili and only one of them is on an elder quest. Now while I can understand that those who are on an 'elder quest' may have more recorded and trackable RP as they are trying to get an evidence based system for their characters development through RP I don't think this should be a consideration (again, I know you didn't mean it like that)....

In truth one fantastic RP in that month should be enough to get someone noticed... and the only way to know about them is to read the RPs being done that month yourself.... so in a way what is the point of getting someone to go through them first and then post them up... doesn't that just open it up for bias from the start? Since different people enjoy different kinds of RPs, different styles etc?

So maybe using the current way of nominating and PMing the mule but like suggested using a critera...
Something simple (too many rules or critera will deter people from wanting to enter others in fear of getting it wrong) such as:

• A soquili who has been in at least one RP that in your opinion was fantastic or you enjoyed for that month.
  
• A pet who you believe deserves being noticed for their character development or RP (not just because they are 'pretty').

Then maybe if you have to post the link to the RP you enjoyed with your nomination it can be used to help staff decide... or so they can at least check a pet is eligible.
The RP however wouldn't have to be finished, and shouldn't have to have been started within that month... just have some new RP done within that month. Only suggesting that since some larger RPs and plots can take months to get fully plotted out and RPed, and some are more complicated than others with the inclusion of several different owners all working together on a great story.
Also, you wouldn't have to nominate two people from the same RP if you didn't want to.

This system however does neglect those soquili who have showed brilliant RP and development in the past but maybe missed out in the month or two they were nominated in... but I can't see a way around that.  

[SylverStar]

I really like the spotlights. I love checking out the TeePees of those winning and being introduced to Soq I have not seen before.

That being said I have never nominated.

I am short on time and I feel like there is a lot of time involved in making a decent nomination.

I actually thought nominations used to be held in a consistent monthly fashion...but that it slowed down due to lack of nominations...so I'm not sure how well that would work. I do agree that the window for nomination needs to be longer.

I was thinking what about having an open nomination system...where people can nominate at anytime. What is included in the staff decision making is the nominations put in after the previous round till the next round. Make a certain limit...no new spotlight until at least 20 or whatever number of nominations received. That may put a little more responsibility on the shop goers on how often nominations happen but still give them time to look through the Teepees and RPs at their own pace.

I also think a thread explaining what spotlights are and how they work may help. It would even be cool to have a little hall of fame put here to show past winners. Also have the mule and PM for nominations linked here. Oh and definitely a banner or link to the spotlight thread.

It also might be nice to have some sort of streamlined form made to send to the mule to make it a little easier to manage.

Ok just the ideas rolling around in my head.

I also thought of the raffle idea not for winners but those nominating for incentive...but I do think that puts on more work for the colorists and I don't think it's necessary.  

[Celeanor]

That sounds like a plan Sya. =)

For what its worth, as someone who used to be quite active with several 100% soqs, an elder, as well as three large-scale, multi-player plots a few years back... I do not support rummaging back into the past to find nominees. It'd be a slap in the face of current RPers. Maybe someone like me worked hard THEN, but I'm not now and the past shouldn't hold any precedence over the present. Perhaps a year end uber spotlight would make that more acceptable, but monthlies should be for the folks working hard that month and the few months previous.

And I dunno, it has always been my thought that the spotlights should highlight the efforts of current players who have been knocking their socks off working on their characters. It is a stretch in my mind to make a soquili eligible for the month based on just one (unless it is a 1379476 page masterpiece) RP, but it works as base criteria.

Personal opinion here, but I wouldn't vote for a soq who only has had one RP done (implying here one rp ever, period) ... but I am a bit old fashioned and like to see some serious effort being put in to characters. It's hard to do that with just one RP imo, you can set an amazing scene in one RP that shows a lot of insight and perhaps an entire stage of character development, but it is seldom indicative of the whole character. I mean, I'll admit to being a bit of a stalker. Someone will post up an interesting plot... I'll go lurk their teepee, click some RP links, read, if I like it I'll hunt around for newer stuff that maybe hasn't been added yet, and if I like that as well I'll post hesitant interest in their plot thread .. or if I won't have time... just keep reading. There are several interesting character arcs that I am following at the moment, and THOSE are the kind of people I'd like to see get their hard work highlighted for the month. They work hard, put a lot of thought in, and do it consistently amid a sea of people like myself who perhaps put some considerable thought in.... but fail to execute.

(Ironically, all of my suggestions and opinions so far keep making my efforts with my own soquili preettyyyy much moot. Lmao. @_@!)

But yeah, the long and the short is... technically I like the suggestion Sya because it'll make life easy, but personally I don't cause I'm a fuddy duddy old stickler. xD!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whatever comes to be, I do look forward to nominating people again. <3  

[Malis Vitterfolk]

Nerpin

Pertaining to the "Spotlight soqs" on teh front page;

I'm in command for that one since I have the PSDS, and I'd love a couple of ideas for that - I was considering like . . . a thread where people can put up two or three of their soqs and a blurb as to why they should be the soq of the month so we can enjoy little stories and whatnot @_@.

Any ideas? C|

I kinda like this idea, maybe not for every month but once in a while as I know sometimes I get busy and don't get to peek in at other people's story plots and the like. Its one of the things I enjoyed about Mind's recent plot-breeding thread. To read some of the plots that have gone into the couples was really interesting (that and it was fun writing my own out!)