I think that we should change the rules so that biased sigs aren't a problem. Here's what I'm thinking:

The host will start the topic normally and set the theme. However, instead of posting it in the topic, they PM him the sigs. Then the host will post the sigs on the topic to show how many people have entered.

- If a person submitted a sig they can't post on the topic that they did so.
- The sig CANNOT have the user's name on it. Username or real name.

Then the host starts the voting topic normally without posting the names. Instead he puts sig 1, 2, 3, 4...etc.

If you agree with me, vote for it! If you don't, then vote against it.

I don't think that it's submitting entries that is making this worse, but rather everyone's different views on tags. I realize now that this could possibly be a joke, but even then, there are other SOTW where people choose for sigs that don't match up against the other entries.
Two rules:

1) Voters shouldn't vote on which sig was made best according to the voting THEME, the theme is just there to give the contestants an idea of what to make.

2) Votes should be awarded for how well the tags were made, according to the guidelines of sigs.

Here are all the guidelines if you don't know them: Basic Sig Making Elements

There needs to be some form of anti ripping. Maybe it has to include the world Sal's (atleast)?

Seriously, I'm agree with you. But honestly, stop crying, it's a damn forum.

But anyway, I think redmonke's idea works well. Just put the word sals on it somewhere visible, that way if someone rips. We know it's from our forum.

In what way was the forum ruined by one topic?
This idea is completely ridiculous, if you guys are all completely insecure about your competitions, why don't you do them in a blog? That way you have control over what people say. I personally think its absurd that people can't vote for the person they want to. Because in one persons eyes it isn't good? People have different views, respect other peoples opinions.

Calm down guys, it's just one competition.
Just move on.

Man won fairly. I'm against this idea, It's not going to work.

i actually do support this it bugs me when certain members take their scape lounge jokes to every forum they visit making it unpleasant for people who want their topics taken seriously.

You really have no right to say anything of the sort. You've obviously have never put the amount of time and work into a sig that some of the people do.


OT:

Yeah, it's a good idea, most SoTW are hosted like that, so that there is no favoritism in the voting.

Okay guys, it was one SoTW. Sure it was biased in a way, but honestly, why fret so much about it?

A Hero in Orbit, you don't know that. I can remember D making some amount of sigs. It was just an inside joke between a couple people, you don't need to go all out on them and say "OMG YOU DONT HAVE A RIGHT TO DO THAT!!!"

I don't understand why all this came up because of one sig man entered. Yeah, it was annoying him being voted for because others worked on there sigs too. But, in all fairness, man worked on his too. Sure it might not be as much as the others, but he still worked on it, and you can't deny it, any of you.

I support this idea, but not because of one sig that man made that stirred up this whole thing, but because it helps to be anonymous. It helps that theres fairness in the votes. The only flaw is that, some people stick to one style (including myself). So it'd be somewhat east to decipher who's sig is who's.

But anyway, that's my P.O.V. Now will all of you just shut up and move on with your life? It's a forum, not your whole life. Stop exaggerating this whole thing.

You know nothing about me, or what sigs I might have made. Don't make a judgment before you know facts.

Nice job making yourself look stupid. You're the one with the "I <3 porn" signature.

And just a problem with the idea:

If man or another one of the people "in on" the "joke" submitted a signature, having the name not there wouldn't stop them from voting for it. They could still tell all their friends to vote for them through IRC, some chat message, or however else they want. You can usually tell when that happens (which is what happened) because the post times were really close (3:59, 4:00, 4:03 etc.).

It isn't going to happen again; please do not waste your time.

That brings up a good point that, sadly, cannot be avoided.


It happened during another previous SOTW on this forum (SOTW 49 I think). It happened during this SOTW. I'm sure it'll happen during another SOTW.

And as to everyone else, who are complaining that it was just one SOTW, it's that kind of thinking that destroys rules. It only takes one snowflake to start an avalanche.

And as for the rule, it would be a waste of time because there are too many loopholes. I guess we can continue with the normal rules of posting tags, but maybe change the rules of voting...

How about this: if it's clear the a bunch of votes are jokes then don't count them.

Sadly, joke detectors tend to fail while on the internet.


There isn't much way around it - if people are gonna mess with the competition, there's not too much we can do, except just not have the SotW on Sal's anymore. There are certainly other sites/forums (eg planetrenders) that run a SotW that any of us could move to.

Too bad *judged*


But did I submit this into signature competition???? Nope, good job at making yourself look stupid

Don't they do it for fun, rather than to win a silly competition hosted by their peers? Or are most graphical artists really so insecure that they must win an internet competition in a small community to get through the day?

Everyone has their hobbies. + This gives me a reason to argue on the net

I honestly feel people like you are worse than trolls.

Their hobby is making the sig, not geting voted for in the contest.

Of course we do it for fun. It's what we like to do. However, the competitions are a different story. If we take something like that for fun, we will never get better as graphic artists. And I think that is everyone's goal as a graphic artists, to become the best of the best. Even in a small graphic community like Sal's.

I don't know if you were around, but around when I first joined Sal's, the digital gallery boomed with professionals. And I always wanted to be like them, I was crap when I first started. Now, I can match up to almost anyone on Sal's. Why? Practice, rough criticism, and SOTW. If I had taken it like a joke or for fun, I wouldn't have gotten as good as I am now.

I came back to Sal's to bring this place back. This is a place, in my opinion, for beginners to sharpen their skills, until they can move on to the more advanced graphic forums, and eventually, NSL.

You my friend need to understand that a Sotw is for fun, not for extreme competition.

Of course it's not extreme competition, hell, it's just graphics. But competition nonetheless. And if I join a competition, I join to win. Even if it is just for fun.

But you also need to understand that I have a very competitive type of attitude. I have lived in a competitive atmosphere all my life, where everyone is striving to be the best. And I was always taught, that no matter at what it is that I do, I always strive to be the best.

These things are always going to have a degree of a 'popularity' contest in them, if you were stuck between two entries but one was your friend, it's going to be tempting to vote for your friend, no? Where would you draw the line with what is a 'rubbish' vote

Damn, dude. It's only one SoTW, stop complaining. This isn't going to happen week after week, and when this does happen, just null the votes if you think that there was an inside joke in the competition.

No, all the old artists quit or got banned.



Easy with the self-love, this isn't the fakes forum.

It has happened, In the sotw I did.

What the hell are you talking about? Voting hasn't even started yet. You can't make assumptions like that right off the bat.

Most of the entries are bad, on purpose. And the main amount of people who entered are in team wiener.

So people aren't even allowed to enter now? The only people that can enter without it being a joke are normal graphics people?

All of them look pretty much the same, with the exception of Reap's. :3

And you have no right to suggest them not to enter any SoTWs. If things get out of hand, a moderator will be there to intervene.

No, it's clear that most of the entrys have no effort put into them.

Thanks for proving my point..?

To be honest I'd say most sigs were made after examining how much effort was put into the first one entered. That would be yours.

Since when have people called it hijacking when people submit "bad" pieces? Do these "bad" pieces have any impact on the competition? If they are so "bad", then no one will vote for them and you'll win.

wat is team wiener?

I put at least 13 hours into the lighting effects alone in my piece. Perhaps it's the theme (which states that one must lower the quality of the image (old films were bad quality)) that, when I strived to meet it, caused the hiding of my efforts.

Team Wiener is Fishee, Xrvn, Gillis and I. Get your facts straight.

I highly doubt that, sir. The awful copy+paste job in the bottom left corner is the pretty clear sign that you didn't put too much into it. (And if so, why the heck would you do that?)

Really, it should be at the SotW Host's discretion as to which entries have a valid amount of effort put into them. For example, in this particular SotW, I would accept the entries from Insane, Vera, Kingy, Dwarrior, Adam?, Man, Reap, Shepherd, and Runez, and I would decline the entries of Dad and Carter.

No need to complicate things

If the host doesn't reserve the right to reject entries, then they may not reject entries. If they do reserve that right, what stops them from abusing it? I think everyone should be given the opportunity to compete in a competition such as this, regardless of their experience.

It's funny that everyone's making a big deal about effort and talent in signature making.

All you really have to do is pick an image or two, put them in Photoshop, and add effects. To make a nice looking sig, you'll need to have an idea of what to do and know what everything does in Photoshop, but you aren't going to need a lot of artistic talent. Keep in mind that I'm talking about a sig, which is never larger that 500x200 pixels. There's a few professionals who use Photoshop to do things like making models look unrealistically good-looking, but the lot of you are just slabbing something together for fun.

If you want to start talking about effort and talent, draw your own picture. It's real boastful for everyone to judge who has made a good signature and who hasn't when no one has proven to be much of an artist.

To be honest all the entries in every SoTW aren't very good, I mean it may sound harsh but I can only really vote if someone like sanji or celtic or runez or anyone with some sort of skill goes in, cause like vera said... everyone does the same thing... take two pictures add some effects and call it a day... just cause you put more effort into making a bad looking sig then someone else put doesnt make your sig any better. (that might not make sense).

anyways... at least if someone makes a joke sig and I laugh at it, I have an honest reason to vote for it, rather then making up a bs reason cause I wanna try and fill all three spots...

this post is probably incoherent... im doing like 5 things at once and cant be bothered to look over what i just wrote lol.

Experience makes no difference, effort does. If people are going to make five second entries and submit them, they don't deserve to have their entry accepted. If the host abuses their right, then people get mad, and it's likely that they don't host again for a while, or their decisions are changed for them.

We have a professional here!

The fudge are you talking about?

And let's not get Vera started on pixels! Oh my no, those canvases so small. No art or talent in that. Keep in mind we're talking about a pixel, which is never larger than 500x200 pixels for a professional.

What may seem effortless to some, may take a world of effort for another.

I disagree on digital signatures not involving talent, but I have to say that even if you make an awesome graphic, but can't draw/paint, you probably have no talent whatsoever, but you're just repeating some effects and filters and remembering some tutorials.

A professional is a professional is when he makes a new method instead of just copying one or altering another.

edit: that might not go with the topic, but I just wanted to say that.

what is all this silliness lol?

I think the last sotw just shows how the level of competition isnt as high now as previously, however, imo the theme is an essential part of the competition its not just there to give an idea but to guide the competition and give it some direction. this is why im not really a fan of freestyle themes because it really takes away from the originality one piece can have over another.

btw i dont have much time so thats why i dont enter anymore :c