The Bstg_icontest Survey

[shadowserenity]

Jess and I decided that we should have a survey for bstg_icontest users. Anyone can fill out the survey. I've made it completely open. We appreciate your voice :).

Comments

[tashabear]

As far as the "provided resources" challenges, I like getting textures and brushes, not so much caps. I think that seeing the same image over and over would be boring.

[so_spiffed]

Unless that were the point of the challenge: To take the same image and trest it in different ways. But on the whole, I completely agree.

[tashabear]

Good point. I just know that I skip the contests where I have to use someone else's caps -- particularly if the images have their aspect ratios skewed. I have seen that, and I hate it.

[shadowserenity]

Oh, same! Sometimes I find I can't work with the caps altogether. It disappoints me because I love participating.

[thefannishwaldo]

Okay a few explainations

[shadowserenity]

Can we please use regular LJ polls? We don't use them because they're unreliable. I've seen comms that have had extreme problems with voting polls. Also, if you've voting incorrectly, you cannot withdraw the vote and we cannot notify you if there is a problem with your votes. The current format is much easier for us. Jess and I would be quite happy to tell you your results, or you could count them yourself (during voting, I always do quick math in my head to see if we're approaching any ties). All votes are unscreened after the winners are announced (I don't know if you realised that).

I'm assuming they would be 'bonus' challenges? So, for example, if we aren't interested in making a header, we'd still have the three icon challenges to work on, right? They would take up one challenge, which would mean you'd still have two others to participate in.

And I don't have the time/money/inclination to to move to a whole new program just for one comm. I suggest using GIMP (look that up in a search engine). I use GIMP exclusively. It's a

[buggy_542]

I agree with the gradients/brushes issue. I use Macromedia Fireworks and I can't install anything like that, so I'm automatically out of those challenges.

I'm okay with having them once and a while, there are always two other challenges I can enter in, but maybe if you plan to have them more often you could give a choice between a brush or a texture.

Othewise, everything's shiny. :)

[shadowserenity]

I treat the brushes/gradients as an image, so when I want to use them I press the option: "Open as a new layer". I don't know how Macromedia Fireworks works, but if it's anything like GIMP, I avoid installing add-ons and such.

We'll rarely have those types of challenges. As I said to kwaldo12, we try to achieve maximum variety :).

Thanks for your feedback!

[immora]

I'll try to remember to take this poll after a few challenges go by for me, since I'm fresh meat :)

Er, speaking of which... I really don't know what "Best Application" is for sure, so I want to check that before I vote for this week!

[shadowserenity]

This is the perfect time to ask just that question! :) I actually answered this over at my icon icontest comm, sf_incandescent, just last week.

Best Application means most applicable to the actual challenge. I've also had some people say that they treat it as best application of an idea or techniques to an icon. Okay, for example, say you wanted to vote for a really well done b&w BSG icon up there but you didn't think it said "terror" to you. Still, you really, really like that icon so you give it your first place vote (or second or third etc). When you get down to Best Application, you see a terrifying icon that may or may not have caught your eye before but it communicates the prompt *exactly*.

There we go :).

[shadowserenity]

Ooop, some of that explanation was about the challenge at sf_incandescent. Disregard the stuff about "terror" and substitute Hollywood references, plain b&w, and kissing/sex :).

[immora]

No problem! I remembered that challenge dealy so I figured it was an example of that.

Thanks for explaining! Now I'll be ready to vote :)

[cat_eyes_el]

(I know, I'm never here and last time I posted an icon was probably last holidays in January, but I'm so bad at them and besides i'm busy! :P)

With the special awards they do confuse me a bit. I saw above your explanation which helped, and probably I'm just dense, but still. :P

Also, I have to say I find some of the challenges hard because I can only use season 1 caps and I don't havevery many of them either. Looking for say, expressions, is really difficult for me. I think this is probably just a me thing though since Australia still has NO word on if anyone's even bought season 2 let alone feels like airing it... *sigh*

Cheers,
Cat

[shadowserenity]

To avoid further confusion, I've posted a brief explanation of the special awards here :).

Also, re: caps, on our recent comments page in our sidebar, there is a list of cap resources. All of those places are excellent. Personally, I recommend Jem's S1 Caps and BSG Media.

Hope that helps :).