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Polls, Voting and other things....
Nov. 19th, 2008 09:02 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
tamingmods.livejournal.comVoting
It was pretty clear that overwhelmingly people would like to do away with the polls in favor of something else. Our members do seem to like that we cover any fandom and would like the poll, or it's replacement, to help them write better.
So, until further notice, polls are suspended. As we haven't had them for two weeks, I'm sure no one is shocked.
Most people agree that comments are the way to go with concrit, instead of an anonymous low vote. We received several good ideas and will be mulling over the best way to implement the suggestions.
Other News
In other news, to spice the community up a little bit, we're going to be implementing two new features. One will be an optional monthly challenge and the other will be the addition of two new types of prompts - 'Pictures' and 'Finish the Phrase'.
1) Monthly Challenges - These will be challenges that overlay the weekly challenges. They'll be issued on the first of the month with a deadline of midnight on the last day of the month. They don't count as part of your standings, and will have specific rules that you will need to follow - ex: 'original fiction.' These will be totally optional and can be used on top of your weekly entry as long as you've met all the requirements of both challenges. The idea is to help you stretch your wings and challenge your muse even further. For Example:
On the first of the month, we post the Monthly Challenge '1000 + word original short story told from first person POV.' You will have until the last day of the month to post your entry.
If you get an idea for a story, you can post it any time during the month and simply tag it with your author name and the challenge tag and you're done.
-OR-
If on Sunday of week 4, the prompt 'Blueblood' comes up and you realize you can work into your monthly challenge piece, you can enter it for both. When you post your 'Blueblood' entry, you would need to:
We're going to start these in December. Depending on the turnout, we may do banners at the end of the month for those who participated.
As these aren't part of the standings, anyone can participate at any time: new authors, old ones who've dropped out, or ones currently doing a run. The more the merrier.
2) We're going to be adding two additional types of prompts into the prompt generator. One will be pictures, the other will be 'finish the phrase.'
Pictures - The prompt will be similar to the following.
Farmhouse
You'll be given an image, along with a word. As with the prompts we currently have, it will be up to you how you use it. You can choose to write about the image, refer to it in passing as a photo or painting on the wall in your story, or simply incorporate the word that accompanies it. If you know someone who can manip, you can have the image altered to suit your needs.
We will be very broad about what we accept for these type of prompts because the idea is to spur your imagination. If you're nervous about your interpretation of the prompt, you can always bold it or call it out somehow in your post to get feedback.
All of the following would be accepted as valid uses of the prompt:
His eyes were an unusual shade gray, like the sky after an electrical storm.
Bored, Jared began to flip through the thick book on the coffee table - New England Farmhouses.
The realtor strode away, chattering rapidly on her cell phone, allowing Armand to study the structure in earnest. The brick was solid enough, but the roof looked like it had seen better days.
Finish the Phrase -
For this type of prompt, you'll be given the beginning of a common phrase and you will get to be creative with the ending. Here are three example phrases -
you can catch more flies with honey than with...
all work and no play makes....
absence makes the heart....
So you could do the following -
For both of these type of prompts, we would enter our selections into the prompt generator and allow them to come up randomly, as we do other prompts.
Hopefully, these changes will all be positive for the community and help it grow.
So any questions? Comments?
~tamingmods (calypso)
It was pretty clear that overwhelmingly people would like to do away with the polls in favor of something else. Our members do seem to like that we cover any fandom and would like the poll, or it's replacement, to help them write better.
So, until further notice, polls are suspended. As we haven't had them for two weeks, I'm sure no one is shocked.
Most people agree that comments are the way to go with concrit, instead of an anonymous low vote. We received several good ideas and will be mulling over the best way to implement the suggestions.
Other News
In other news, to spice the community up a little bit, we're going to be implementing two new features. One will be an optional monthly challenge and the other will be the addition of two new types of prompts - 'Pictures' and 'Finish the Phrase'.
1) Monthly Challenges - These will be challenges that overlay the weekly challenges. They'll be issued on the first of the month with a deadline of midnight on the last day of the month. They don't count as part of your standings, and will have specific rules that you will need to follow - ex: 'original fiction.' These will be totally optional and can be used on top of your weekly entry as long as you've met all the requirements of both challenges. The idea is to help you stretch your wings and challenge your muse even further. For Example:
On the first of the month, we post the Monthly Challenge '1000 + word original short story told from first person POV.' You will have until the last day of the month to post your entry.
If you get an idea for a story, you can post it any time during the month and simply tag it with your author name and the challenge tag and you're done.
-OR-
If on Sunday of week 4, the prompt 'Blueblood' comes up and you realize you can work into your monthly challenge piece, you can enter it for both. When you post your 'Blueblood' entry, you would need to:
Tag your entry for both the weekly prompt and the monthly challenge as well as your author name.
Make sure it was an original fic.
Over 1000 words (instead of the usual 500).
Contained the word 'Blueblood'.
Be posted by midnight on the 30th of the month - even if the 30th is a Wednesday.
Make sure it was an original fic.
Over 1000 words (instead of the usual 500).
Contained the word 'Blueblood'.
Be posted by midnight on the 30th of the month - even if the 30th is a Wednesday.
We're going to start these in December. Depending on the turnout, we may do banners at the end of the month for those who participated.
As these aren't part of the standings, anyone can participate at any time: new authors, old ones who've dropped out, or ones currently doing a run. The more the merrier.
2) We're going to be adding two additional types of prompts into the prompt generator. One will be pictures, the other will be 'finish the phrase.'
Pictures - The prompt will be similar to the following.
Farmhouse
You'll be given an image, along with a word. As with the prompts we currently have, it will be up to you how you use it. You can choose to write about the image, refer to it in passing as a photo or painting on the wall in your story, or simply incorporate the word that accompanies it. If you know someone who can manip, you can have the image altered to suit your needs.
We will be very broad about what we accept for these type of prompts because the idea is to spur your imagination. If you're nervous about your interpretation of the prompt, you can always bold it or call it out somehow in your post to get feedback.
All of the following would be accepted as valid uses of the prompt:
His eyes were an unusual shade gray, like the sky after an electrical storm.
Bored, Jared began to flip through the thick book on the coffee table - New England Farmhouses.
The realtor strode away, chattering rapidly on her cell phone, allowing Armand to study the structure in earnest. The brick was solid enough, but the roof looked like it had seen better days.
Finish the Phrase -
For this type of prompt, you'll be given the beginning of a common phrase and you will get to be creative with the ending. Here are three example phrases -
you can catch more flies with honey than with...
all work and no play makes....
absence makes the heart....
So you could do the following -
you can catch more flies with honey than with...asbestos
all work and no play makes....me cranky
absence makes the heart....shrivel up and die
We'll be limited to English phrases, however, if you have a common saying in your part of the world that you can translate into English (or one that's not specifically American) - feel free to pass it on to us. all work and no play makes....me cranky
absence makes the heart....shrivel up and die
For both of these type of prompts, we would enter our selections into the prompt generator and allow them to come up randomly, as we do other prompts.
Hopefully, these changes will all be positive for the community and help it grow.
So any questions? Comments?
~tamingmods (calypso)
