2009 Anime-Beta Awards - AWARDS UP!

[ReiTheJelly]

Klet - your answer can be found at the bottom of the first post:

Credits:

Discussion Committee - Angelic-Lair, DragonShiryu & Starfighter

Site Design/Coding - Angelic-Lair

Site Testing - Belldandy16

Submission Processing - Angelic-Lair

Vote Counting - Belldandy16 & Midnite Kitten

Award Graphics - Midnite Kitten & ReiTheJelly

[cutiebunny]

My understanding of the initial post is that categories have been merged because 30 categories is difficult for the one person approving the entries. If this is the case, I would be happy to volunteer my time to aide in the approval of entries if it means that we can have the old categories restored. I know I stated that I would not get involved in this year's awards, but if that is the reason as to why we can not have the 30(or so) categories we had in previous years is due to time, then, I'd like to help out.

[wELCOME cONSUMER]

Here's my feedback about the categories: I really don't like the changes at all. Generally, I think we all prefer to see some kind of common thread among the entries for a single category, ie - all rage together, all joy together, etc. I'm with cutiebunny, if drastically trimming categories is due to time or some lack of labor problem, I will gladly volunteer some assistance if it means reinstating the categories.

This is a pretty big community, even if everyone doesn't frequently chat or post here. So a lot of categories and a lot of variety is far more appealing. It makes the event more fun, more interesting. Diversity is what keeps this event going strong year after year. This is a once-a-year extravaganza where almost everyone comes together to put in their two cents, participate, organize, submit entries, vote, whatever, so I think it's best to keep it "big." If you feel like that undertaking is too much for you, perhaps someone else needs to step up to organize this event.

The community and the organizers have to meet each other halfway in shaping each year's Beta Awards.

[iceman57]

A note, there's no "sketch" mention on the authorised items list...
Sometimes sketches are even nicer than the final cel result...

[Kata]

A note, there's no "sketch" mention on the authorised items list...
Sometimes sketches are even nicer than the final cel result...

Because there has been this year a Anime Beta 2009 sketch award already and they trying to make this mainly cel related.

[iceman57]

Ouch, I totally missed it with the baby's delivery
Well merge welcome for 2010

[Angelic-Lair]

The committee has setup an urgent meeting tonight, so that we can discuss the issues and get back to the community as soon as possible. The community can expect us to reply to their concerns tonight. In the mean time however, we would like to point out one thing:

The community and the organizers have to meet each other halfway in shaping each year's Beta Awards.

We totally agree with you WC. However, it seems most eveyone who posted in this thread wants all the previous categories reinstated, which cannot be called "meeting half-way". We have rapidly understood that the changes we proposed were too drastic and probably wrong, and we posted to that effect under a very short delay, stating we would meet again urgently and re-add emotion categories. We understand that the community has a big voice in these procedings, and we have not tried to monopolize the process. If the community has been feeling this way, we would like to apologize for it.

To our knowlege, nobody from the discussion committee has been directly offensive or abusive to any of you. Yet, we have received a lot of abuse and aggressity from many Beta members. Organizing the awards is very time-consuming, and we were very estatic to volunteer for the project, and try to make it a great event, hopefully even better than previous years.

Regardless of the mistakes we might have made along the way (and we will likely continue to make some, as we are all humans and organizing this is a first for many of us), we believe that in no circumstances we deserved the hostility that many of you have shown towards us. Please try to keep that in mind.

[iceman57]

Yet, we have received a lot of abuse and aggressity from many Beta members.

Jesus, threats and so on per e-mail and PMs ???
This is totally counter-productive.

[samiamew]

We understand that the community has a big voice in these procedings

As it is a 'community project' it should. I fail to understand how The Committee (of three people, mind you, who have not been voted into office -- so to speak) have a greater say than the entire A-B community? Why should there be such a drastic 'middle road' compromise (as in deciding if all the emotion categories and such should be reinstated) if it's 3 Committee people vs the rest of the entire AB board?

I thought the group of volunteers was to help organize the A-B Cel Awards and not re-structure it?

I still do not understand why 'everything' must be discussed and decided Off Board by 3 people and then The Decision handed to the rest of the members?

I know my post leans towards the yang side of things but this high-handedness peeved me -- and I rarely give my two yen worth on anything

[ReiTheJelly]

Perhaps everyone is simply making this more difficult than it needs to be. To simplify things, we could:

(1) Use the website that Zerospace made for the sketch awards. Why reinvent the wheel if we've got a perfectly good working one? I'm sure if we all pleaded nicely, she would be willing to be webmistress for at least one more A-B Awards contest, since I'm sure she's very protective of her hard work and won't just want to give the code out.
It will certainly cut down on Angelic-Layer's stress level if they don't have to program an entire new Awards site and give them time to focus on other areas instead.

(2a) Use all of the categories from last year's awards and maybe add one or two new ones. If a category has less than 5 entries, it gets axed for this year. Those who entered "failed" categories will be given the chance to enter other artwork in available categories.

(2b) Start a thread to take suggestions for new categories ONLY. Then run a poll, letting the community vote for which new category it would like the most. Add the two suggestions with the most votes to this year's Categories. This limits the additions to the two most requested new categories, so as not to overwhelm the Organizer.

(3) Ask for community involvement for SPECIFIC jobs. People are more likely to help if they know *exactly* what it is they're volunteering to do and how much of their time it is likely to consume.

(4) Keep ALL communication to the forums. This will hopefully help people to keep a civil tongue in their head and not send hate-mail to the Organizer.


These are just my suggestions as to how we can smooth things out.

[klet]

To our knowlege, nobody from the discussion committee has been directly offensive or abusive to any of you. Yet, we have received a lot of abuse and aggressity from many Beta members.

Ummm . . . welcome to the world of Beta Award Organizers? Seriously, from what I've heard and seen, all previous organizers have gotten similar flack both publicly and privately.

You guys are getting it sooner and in more abundance because of the drastic and unpopular changes you wish to make coupled with the attitude in which you presented them. Emphasis on the attitude, actually. The first thing you did is say that changes have been made. You never asked our opinions. You may have meant to ask them, but you didn't. Not at first.

Now, if you'd started out your post by saying something like, "The organizers have been discussing the number of categories, and we'd like the board's opinion on some changes" you wouldn't have gotten so many angry replies. A lot of people would have still disagreed with you, but they would have been a lot more polite about it.


I suppose it all boils down to the fact that the Anime-Beta Awards belong to anime-beta, and not just four members. Setting up the "discussion" email? Making decisions in The Committee and presenting them as decisions rather than suggestions up for discussion with the entirety of the beta population? These are both moves that make it seem like you're taking the awards away from the general forum membership. That may not have been your intention, but that's how it came across.


Frankly, the Beta Awards wouldn't be the Beta Awards without the yearly bouts of discussion, fighting, and occasional ugliness. It's part of the tradition!

[Starfighter]

Hello Beta members,


Would like some input on 2 new catagories for this years awards. Suggestions of 2 new catagories. From now until Monday 3:00 pm eastern time. Will create another post with a vote on the catagories from Monday 4:00 until wednesday at 3:00 eastern time .


Looking to hearing from you all so we can make this a great beta-awards contest.

This will be added on to the 31 catagories

[Angelic-Lair]

To all beta members:

1) The award categories have been changed back to the list used last year. No mod has been made other than removing the sketches.

2) Starfighter will follow ReitheJelly's idea and help organize a poll for 2 possible new categories.

3) We would still like to do the website, that is, if the community agrees. Our website will not have the same functionality as the one done by Zerospace, but we still would like a shot at it.

Thanks

[wELCOME cONSUMER]

There is no reason why you can't design/host your own site. That's typically been the tradition.

Organizing this thing is hard and you just have to roll with the punches.

[Moop]

I still do not understand why 'everything' must be discussed and decided Off Board by 3 people and then The Decision handed to the rest of the members?

The first thing you did is say that changes have been made. You never asked our opinions.

*Sigh* I'm going to go against extremely popular opinion here in regard to the previously mentioned 'attitude' and say: Oh, yay - mass produced art is back as an accepted entry. Some of us think it's a keen idea, and some of us think it isn't. But like a very long list of other fundamental changes that have been made to the awards over the years, they're in the lineup because 'the committee' put them there without discussion. The only difference was, they didn't call themselves 'the committee' - they simply made the change and then nonchalantly announced it. It's just semantics, folks, and this part of the process goes on for awhile, so give this year's team a break and let them do their job without feeling like they have to walk on eggshells. If you don't like what's done, just say so. No need to react as though it's all a shocking, unprecedented outrage.