02-06-2016, 06:58 AM
I personally have no issue with donating and having it go into a prize pool or used solely for server costs. Talk about giving money and all of a sudden people get real cagey about what it's to be used for. I have no issue if it goes to a "random stranger", it would go to a fellow artist and dagger, so I don't see that as a problem.
I'm sorry to be a broken record (again!) and I really don't intend to be critical of the status quo and always want to support new initiatives, but the reality with forums such as this one is that the critical factor to lively participation is a lively admin team to keep things pumping IN the forums consistently. I don't think there is any automated process that will have the same effect that increased admin time would have.
Also useful to keep in mind that learning artists (no offence intended to people here) are sycophantic as hell. They will sell their own mother for a chance at a folio review or time with a well-known artist, or to interact with them personally in some way. I'm pretty sure it didn't hurt the Bloodsports turnout because the prize was a crit/review by D&D and the guest judges. I'm not saying it is possible to bring that back, but that kind of prize is probably more effective. I participated in the Gnomon forums monthly challenge for a while, and the prizes are absolutely fantastic. I won over 1000 dollars worth of gnomon dvds as first prize on one occasion, and there were more for 2nd and 3rd runners up. Alex the admin is mostly non-existent, for obvious reasons. You know how many people submit work there? I only saw a max of 7 or 8 each month. Given the prize dollar value you'd imagine there would be many more. I think that is very telling.
Anyway if you truly wanted people to participate more I would somehow get some dedicated admins on board. I know that's going to be hard to find, and even then they would be fighting the post-and-run mentality that faceboob and the ilk seem to have cultivated in our species. :)
I'm sorry to be a broken record (again!) and I really don't intend to be critical of the status quo and always want to support new initiatives, but the reality with forums such as this one is that the critical factor to lively participation is a lively admin team to keep things pumping IN the forums consistently. I don't think there is any automated process that will have the same effect that increased admin time would have.
Also useful to keep in mind that learning artists (no offence intended to people here) are sycophantic as hell. They will sell their own mother for a chance at a folio review or time with a well-known artist, or to interact with them personally in some way. I'm pretty sure it didn't hurt the Bloodsports turnout because the prize was a crit/review by D&D and the guest judges. I'm not saying it is possible to bring that back, but that kind of prize is probably more effective. I participated in the Gnomon forums monthly challenge for a while, and the prizes are absolutely fantastic. I won over 1000 dollars worth of gnomon dvds as first prize on one occasion, and there were more for 2nd and 3rd runners up. Alex the admin is mostly non-existent, for obvious reasons. You know how many people submit work there? I only saw a max of 7 or 8 each month. Given the prize dollar value you'd imagine there would be many more. I think that is very telling.
Anyway if you truly wanted people to participate more I would somehow get some dedicated admins on board. I know that's going to be hard to find, and even then they would be fighting the post-and-run mentality that faceboob and the ilk seem to have cultivated in our species. :)