How To: a voting form deconstruction
Due to the fact that we have so many new faces this round and also that several people who filled out last round's end of round poll said that this might be helpful, I present to you: a voting form how to.
During the voting period, voting will go up approximately every 48 hours. You can have a look at old voting posts here to get a feel for how they look and work. Every participant is required to vote; participants who do not vote lose 2 points every three voting rounds they miss. These rounds do not have to be consecutive ( rules post). So in other words, voting here at Turbo-Rumble is pretty important, and the mod team has always taken the quality of votes given here really seriously.
WHAT DOES THE VOTING FORM LOOK LIKE?
The following form is provided in every voting post in an easy to copy and paste text area. Look for it at the top of the post before the voting table begins. You must use this form, and only this form, to vote.
TOP 3
1st - ## - REASON
2nd - ## - REASON
3rd - ## - REASON
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
## - REASON OPTIONAL
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM
## - REASON
## - REASON
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
## - REASON
## - REASON
## - REASON
BREAKDOWN: TOP 3
The first category in the voting form is the 'Top 3' which refers to the three icons you think are the best of the voting set. This section is how we decide the winners of each challenge and, ultimately, crown our overall winner for the round. Voting is not weighted, but you do need to vote for icons in order (i.e. the icon you give '1st' should be the one you think is the absolute best of the lot).
Rank your icons, replace the '##' with the corresponding number from the voting table, and then add in a reason. Reasons should avoid extreme personal preference (i.e. I love this icon because it is of my favorite character or I picked this icon because I love the color blue), and reasons should be strictly about the icon in question. Other than that, this section is fairly straightforward; simply fill in 'REASON' with why you like the icon/why it caught your eye.
BREAKDOWN: SPECIAL CATEGORY
This changes depending on the round and also the challenge so you should always pay attention to the details in the voting posts as well as the title in the voting form so that you know what you are voting for each time.
The two most common categories are:
Best Interpretation: Icons that take the theme of the challenge and showcase it in the best, most clever, or most unique way.
Most Creative: Something unique or unexpected. An icon that stands out from the rest. Employment of techniques such as coloring, text, cropping, and texture use, amongst others, in a different and eye catching manner.
The special category vote can be an icon you have already voted for in your 'Top 3'. It can also be a completely different icon. Reasons are encouraged as they help the recipient understand what about their icon warranted your vote, but in this section only, you do not need to supply any additional information other than the number of the icon you are voting for in the special category.
BREAKDOWN: CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM
This section is not for negative votes, least favorite votes, or why you hate an icon. Rude language will not be tolerated in this section, and your comments should be about the technical aspects of the icon only.
The constructive criticism section is for suggestions on how to improve icons. You must provide constructive feedback for at least two icons, but you are certainly welcome to include more if you wish. It is also completely acceptable to give constructive feedback to icons you have previously chosen in your 'Top 3' or in the 'Special Category'.
Certain types of votes are not acceptable in this section. Please familiarize yourself with them as it will save you and the mod team a great deal of time.
If you need any additional assistance with your constructive criticism, Turbo-Rumble has a very detailed guide with suggestions and examples to illustrate the sort of thing we expect in this section. Your are also more than welcome to ask a moderator for help if you are unsure if your vote fits. We now also have a good conrit vote showcase with examples taken from MVP and other participants of previous rounds that illustrate how to write concrit that covers all the bases. Have a look at those examples if you're really struggling.
Your vote can and will be disqualified if you do not adhere to the guidelines of the community. If any of your votes need to be edited for any reason, a moderator will inform you of why and the best way to edit you vote. If you do not edit your vote, your vote will be disqualified and you will not earn points for the vote. Repeat offenders will be banned from the community.
BREAKDOWN: ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
The final section of our voting form is the only optional section. That's right, you do not have to fill this section out if you do not wish to and/or do not have time to do so.
If you do wish to fill it out then:
- you can use it for additional concrit votes
- you can use it for other icons that you really loved but did not vote for in your 'top 3'
- all votes regarding whether or not an icon fits the given theme MUST be placed in this section
- you may also use this section for observations about icons that you are not certain of (i.e. if an icon looks like it might have gone a little overboard with the Topaz filter, but you cannot be sure as you did not make it, you could mention it here instead of in the concrit section)
- basically, any other additional things you might want to say that do not fit in any of the above categories go right here.
ADDITIONAL VOTING TIPS
If you are asked to edit your vote, DON'T PANIC. The moderator will let you know what's up and the best way to fix it. Armed with that knowledge, you should be perfectly fine.
English isn't your first language? DON'T PANIC. We've had plenty of ESL voters since the community opened; you are more than welcome. If we run into any errors, we'll let you know, explain what they are, and the best way to fix them. It's not a problem at all.
DOUBLE CHECK YOUR VOTE before you hit 'submit'. If you vote is not completely filled out, it may be disqualified, and you will not get points for it. The moderator team only has so much time to double check all the votes, and occasionally, things will be missed and/or not noticed in time for the voter to correct them. So double checking that all the categories have the correct numbers filled in and that your comments are there in their entirety is a good practice and helps out a good deal.
READ our constructive criticism guide, and make sure that your concrit votes are CONSTRUCTIVE as well as critical, with explanations and suggestions to maximize how helpful your votes are because, trust me, people read their votes here.
ABSOLUTELY let a moderator know if any vote has made you uncomfortable and/or if you need clarification on a vote you were given.
Not a participant? That's okay, VOTE ANYWAY. We love voters of all types.
Finally, just in case you needed some incentive, we give out one very prestigious award at the end of each round called The Most Valuable Player Award. This award is given the the voter who consistently voted throughout the round with votes that were exemplar in how constructive they were. There is typically a prize involved. This award usually goes to a participant of the round, but it can be, and has previously been, awarded to a non-participant voter as well.
Let the moderator team know if you have any questions, and I'll see you at the voting!