Contest Results + Rant

Here are the result for the contest. Now, due to the lack of sufficient entries, I've decided to remove the "Quality" categories. It's not that the entries weren't of quality, but since there weren't enough of them, it was a bit unfair to judge them when most of the good one already went into the other categories.

So the results go as follow:

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For the Favorite Category:
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First place goes to Comus for his dolphin transformation. Nice work, funny image. Made me smile. The context he used was Flipper, both a movie and a TF series.
* http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1998614

Second place goes to Metamorpher for the crocodile transformation. Nice pace, nice pose. Nice tail. The context he used was Peter Pan, in reference to the crocodile and the ticking watch.
* http://metamorpher.deviantart.com/art/A-New-Clock-for-You-1-103371109
* http://metamorpher.deviantart.com/art/A-New-Clock-For-You-2-103371311
* http://metamorpher.deviantart.com/art/A-New-Clock-For-You-3-103371398

Third place goes to Inuebony for the Ninja Tribunal Dragon transformation. I haven't seen that arc yet, but the dragons looked quite nice. The context he used was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 20003 TF series.
* http://inuebony.deviantart.com/art/Sea-Dragon-109474949
* http://inuebony.deviantart.com/art/Sea-Dragon-page-2-109475210
* http://inuebony.deviantart.com/art/Sea-Dragon-page-3-109475413
* http://inuebony.deviantart.com/art/Sea-Dragon-page-4-109475565

Fourth place goes to HyperJet for the shark TF. He used Jaws as the context.
* http://hyperjet.deviantart.com/art/Dragoniad-Jaws-TF-111724526

Fifth place goes to Ageaus for his Viashino transformation. Viashino is a species from the card game Magic the Gathering.
* http://ageaus.deviantart.com/art/Viashino-Dragoniade-111933166

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For the Originality Category:
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First place goes to SesakaHeart for the Thing TF. I nearly felt off my chair when I saw it. It was totally unexpected. The thing is an horror movie, which she used as reference.
* http://sesakaheart.deviantart.com/art/Wrong-Blood-Type-110595791

Second place goes to Lukery for the pig transformation. He had found a good way to mix the site, show and contest. He used the movie Willow as the context.
* http://luckery.deviantart.com/art/Movie-Night-I-104310695
* http://luckery.deviantart.com/art/Movie-Night-II-104311131
* http://luckery.deviantart.com/art/Movie-Night-III-104311862

Third place goes to KitsuneKit for the rat transformation. He used a classic in the Transformation community: Disney's Aladdin, the Series.
* http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1905986

Fourth place goes to Avancna for the dragon TF. He used Disney's Sleeping Beauty well known dragon Transformation as the context.
* http://www.shadowlordinc.com/Contest/2008/Maleficaiade_1.jpg
* http://www.shadowlordinc.com/Contest/2008/Maleficaiade_2.jpg

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For stories and other media:
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First place goes to Ageaus for his Simic Induction stories, based upon the Magic: the Gathering universe.
* http://ageaus.deviantart.com/art/Simic-Induction-112238424

Second place goes to Comus, for his Dolphin transformation stories telling the stories of his picture who won the first prize in favorite.
* http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1998619

Third and fourth places goes to Morwalugi for his 2 dragon transformations written and narrated stories.
* http://www.shadowlordinc.com/forum/posts/list/12.page
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90tOYJB7vPg

Congratulation to the winner. I'll be contacting you regarding your prize.
Thanks for participating.

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Rant ahead
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Now, about this contest.

Personally, I'm very disappointed with how it turned out. The first one went very smoothly: good feedback, plenty of entries and support for the work I was doing for the site.
This time, now that the site was finally up, I get about no positive entries about it. What was it all about? Now that the site is up and running, no need to support the one that do the job? Or is it something? Let me know, I want to know what went wrong.

I asked a friend what was his thought about it. He told me that people talked to him about my contest. The lack of entries and support then wasn't related to not broadcasting enough the contest. What he told me was that the contest was 'too much like the previous one'.

Too much like the previous one? Come on. It's a transformation website, it has to be TF related. The other factor was I was the transformed, me or my character. Now, please someone explains to me how come, in Deviantart, all the recurring "draw my character" contests pass as original, but because it's me who do one of those, it's different?
So what, those contest just change the context between contest. Draw my character doing ninja stuff. Draw my character as a kanji. I'm supposed to be unoriginal? Please, explain where I was wrong.

Second, I was told the rules were complicated. Well, why has nobody told me? Why has anybody asked me question about it? AFTER the contest, someone came to me with that question. He told me orca, told him 4 example of TF, all featuring either an orca or a show. Street shark evil scientific changing me into an orca. Being turned into an orca to perform in a show (willy), etc.

Third, how come people are willing to bust their ass doing free and "stupid" (that was the opinion of 2 artists who brought that up) "transformation challenge" like zodiac, cursed candy, girl TF for another website than only leeched artists for years and never gave back for their work. I though giving money as prize would interest people, but I guess the whole "starving artists" is a myth if they prefer to do free challenge.

Fourth, thanks you very much, sarcastically speaking, to everyone that told me they were very interested join the contest, and toss it aside completely. I imagine what are their thought now: "Hehe, sucker!".

No seriously, if I got it work, feel free to correct me.

I dunno if I'll run another contest. I was running this one as a welcome back for myself, after nearly 3 years away to bring some life back to the community. But I guess the community is in zombie mode: more interested in eating brain that being constructive. Thanks for the 'un' support really.

The week before the contest end, I was nearly doing an update every morning, uploading 5-10 shows a day. Well, guess what, it won't happens again. From now on, there will be only one update a week, on Saturday. If, for some personal reason such as being on week-end duty like this week-end, I cannot update, then the update will be delayed to either sunday if I feel like it, or next Saturday.

I mean, donation have stopped, people do not support the arts gallery nor do give feedback what they would want in it to make it work and people weren't supportive with the contest. Why should I stress over an update then, if it's to snorted at or spammed on IM (see http://www.shadowlordinc.com/forum/posts/list/34.page ).

So, this being vented, thank for those who participated. I'll be emailing/Instant messaging you sometime this week.

Feel free to offer your opinion on what went wrong, what do I need t change, what I got wrong, etc, because seriously, I don't get what everyone else want.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 26/02/2009 18:48:41

I don't think people did the contest because for a few reasons:
1. You need to advertise more. Meaning that on your youtube account you could of wrote messages and or Comments for people to read at the bottom to let them now what was happening on the site. You could have also gone to your friends that are still on youtube to advertise the contest too.
2 I think most people didn't do the contest too is because they didn't know the site was open again and that is why the contest was a failure.
3 I didn't do the contest because I didn't know the website was working again maybe like I said before you could have just advertise or told people a little bit more about the contest. 4 If you wanted too you could of had people at least find old clips that you barely ever see anymore and put in a better quality or changed from black to white into color with there comp

These are just some reasons I think why your contest was a dud and there is no reason for you to rant. Since the website has just re-opened( I think)and it's like asomeone starting a new business . You just got to start somewhere and have people tell other people. You don't have to listen to me but that is what I think.

kylejhall2 wrote:I don't think people did the contest because for a few reasons:
1. You need to advertise more. Meaning that on your youtube account you could of wrote messages and or Comments for people to read at the bottom to let them now what was happening on the site. You could have also gone to your friends that are still on youtube to advertise the contest too.
2 I think most people didn't do the contest too is because they didn't know the site was open again and that is why the contest was a failure.
3 I didn't do the contest because I didn't know the website was working again maybe like I said before you could have just advertise or told people a little bit more about the contest.
4 If you wanted too you could of had people at least find old clips that you barely ever see anymore and put in a better quality or changed from black to white into color with there comp

These are just some reasons I think why your contest was a dud and there is no reason for you to rant. Since the website has just re-opened( I think)and it's like asomeone starting a new business . You just got to start somewhere and have people tell other people. You don't have to listen to me but that is what I think.

Just to clarify a few things:

1. I don't have a YouTube account, since I'm not a big fan of the whole numbing Web 2.0. You must be mixing me for someone else. Thus, no advertizing on You Tube. I did however do what you suggested on deviant art. But, as I mentioned to someone else, there are site I won't even consider to advertize on: Furaffinity and CYOC to name what he named, for boycott reason.

2. The site has been up since September. A lot of people already have heard of it's return and I know it as been spread by mouth to ear on many site, even some I'm not very supportive of. But what are your suggestion of other site I should advertise more? Sites I won't be flamed back for not being a dedicated/exclusive member?

3. Out of curiosity, where did you learn that the site was back? it has been announced on the the mailing list, on live journal, on Deviant art, on TF board. Stonegate announced it on Fur affinity if I'm not mistaken. Some troll announced it on the process and someone reported it to CYOC. Where else, mind I ask?

4. Again with the fanboy me me me clips. I was wondering when this statement would come in. Sorry if I'll be offending you, but that statement was the very reason I stop updating a few years ago. People complaining that THEIR kind of TF wasn't up. Or that the current clips sucked because it wasn't their fetish.

I have over 13000 clips to go through and upload. I already have 2075. Older clips were faster to upload than newer clips. So I started with those, doing some request from time to time (sabrina for instance). I've been recapturing some of the clips when I had access to better source. But how do you expect me to make 320x240 clips better if the show hasn't been aired again or never released on DVD? Magically? Stop expecting miracle ok? And for your information You Tube files are exactly THAT quality: 320x240 resolution stretched at 1.5x or 2x. And what about coloring Black and white video? That doesn't make sense.

So yes, the site already has been up since last September and announced plenty. But I cannot scan the web for every person that were waiting for it to return. There are announcement board for that. And I'm perfectly entitled to rant, since it seem it's the only thing that can get through some people.

But thanks, I've taken into account your valid advices , and discarded the fanboyish ones.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 02/04/2009 10:40:17

( And onto less economic or successful marketing matters

Hokey Wolf's "Poached Yeggs" episode first premiered
on August 25 1961.

Cross Linkage trivia
The Flinstones first premiered in September 1960
and Daws Butler voiced Barney Rubble/Dino
When Hokey Wolf came out in December 1960 Hokey Wolf was
played by Daws Butler.
http://www.wingnuttoons.com/Flintstones.html
http://www.wingnuttoons.com/HokeyWolf.html

My guess would be that Daws Butler voiced the dragon in
Poaached Yeggs,and that the dragon drawings are in fact a modified
Flinstones Dino.)

Its been a awful long time since I've drawn S&D charts,so I'm sure there
are errors in these.

I assumed 2005-Contest 1,2009-Contest 2 however we all known that from Oct 2008
the global banking crisis hit home dramatically,so the 2005 charts
could just as easily be dated June 2008.

Impression I have is that tf artists are reluctant to drop the supply
line,(probably because they have alternative sources of income such as
teaching art at college)
except for a few $1 commissions on Transfur.So probably the
all important line is that demand line.Basically its either shifted
down along its entire length( no $$ in a commissioner-patrons pocket no matter
what suppliers offer the 'tf widget' for
or
theres a change in consumer tastes,where the elasticity of demand changed
and the demand line angled downwards (rich consumers buy wall ready art,
poor consumers buy tf widgets.

I'm inclined to think the economic model for the tf community goes something like this

Stage 1
the professional artist and the commissioner-patron

The final consumer-the commissioner patrons(demand line)
the professional artist( the supply line)

From what I gather most professional artists don't actually make a living at their
art but at adjacent professions,teaching art at the local college for eg.
So our art teacher sees commissioner-patrons waving $20,s and $50's and
enters the tf community and supplies the product.The money dries up and the
artist goes back to teaching art school.

Stage 2
places like this and the professional artist

Professional tf artists (demand line)
the Service Provider(supply line)

the professional artist,in order to get the commission from the
commissioner-patron,comes to places like this to do the research for the job.
Whether they pay/donate for the Service Providers service ulimately boils down
to the state of health of the commissioner-patron.If Joe Blow puts
his $50 back in the wallet the non-event will work its way down the chain.
Joe Blows gone,the artist goes back to teaching art school and the Service
Provider is offering a research service no longer required.

I'm not going to work out how contests fit into that
stage1/stage 2 model,but I'd guess for contests time=money
and that professional artists(now the demand line) where you
are the supplier of 'contest widgets'(the supply line) saw a major
downward shift in the available quantity of time they have
available to 'spend'
which would have the same effect on a S&D chart as getting rid of all
the $ in the commissioner-patrons wallets.

Main point being the demand line has shifted for tf widgets in a very real world way
for all the various stages of S&D charts involved in the economic model.
Less $,less time,less everything.Essentially you'd need to get commissioner-patrons
primed up with $20's and $50's again to reprime the pump.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 15/03/2009 11:52:25

Hello Dragoniade,

I've been a fan and casual visitor of the site for a long time and I was genuinely surprised to see it alive and kicking the other day while I was looking for TF references.

First of all, congratulations on getting the site back up!

Contest?
A site relaunch contest was a great idea though after reading some of the other posts on the forums and reading through the news pages I see a couple of things that perhaps made things difficult or impossible for more people to enter the contest (even though the prizes were great).

Remember, this isn't a dig at you personally these are just things I see as an outsider that could use some tweaking.

Advertising:
It was mentioned before by kylejhall2, but let me elaborate a bit. You really gotta get into peoples' faces, send out personal invitations to artists, get on forums, chans, sites, link networks, social networking tools etc. Again, if it's easy for a lot of people to read your message then you'll get a much larger slice of the art community.

It's a lot of work to advertise things like this and you do have to go out of your way to get people in, especially if you don't have a large number of regular visitors or if you are trying to start something fresh from scratch.

You have to do what it takes to get people in and interested!

Keep it Simple:
After having hosted art jams and contests of my own for a number of years I've found that people respond better to more open challenges. When getting started you want to keep things open, loose and above all fun. Keep the contest description brief and bullet point the rules. Most people when confronted with a wall of text and half a dozen suggestions will either not read it all or feel confined by the examples.

The other big thing is clarity. After reading the news post made on 2009-01-07, my first question was when does the contest end? When did it start? After being unable to find that information I started skimming through the text and I realized the contest was to place your character in a TF situation based on some other media (with plenty of examples). I still had no idea what the contest duration was (and sifting through a backlog of news items is not acceptable).

So, to sum up...
From my perspective as an outsider to your comminuty:

-If I had known about the contest I may have entered
-If the contest rules were clear and concise I would better understand when and what I had to produce
-If the contest was more open I would have been more likely to enter something

Other comments...

I know you aren't that keen on turning the site into a collaborative effort (your site, your rules) but the danger you face by not letting people help contribute content is the site becoming an anachronism. Many moons ago, before there was a YouTube, the best places to find TF video clips and so forth were sites like ShadowlordInc. 7-8 years ago the video quality was passable but the best part was the site was thorough and a person could easily find what they were looking for (I think this is how the majority of people used this site, I know this is how I used to use it). These days there are armies of TF fans posting videos, screen captures and so much more. The content these masses provide are tagged and cross linked by search engines and are very easy to tap into, again not like the old days at all. Granted you don't want to turn the site into yet another FurAffinity but I wonder what is the purpose and the future of the site will be? Who does it serve?

Anyway, good luck with your future projects, and I sincerely hope you can stir up some more interest and get your site back into the swing of things.

Cheers,
AT

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 21/03/2009 11:22:28

Perhaps if I explain why I never ended up entering anything, it might shed some light on the general reason for it.

One reason I didn't end up submitting is that the deadline kept moving. It shifted at least three times, and by the third time, I started to figure that I'd probably have enough time without needing to hurry, because you'd keep it going until there were enough entries. And as a result, I didn't keep a close eye on the date - when the deadline finally rolled around, I hadn't gotten around to making my entry.

Beyond that, there was the rather verbose restriction that was somewhat difficult to comprehend. As a photomanipulator, I was looking at working on your real-life photos, and I was looking at a muscle-gain transformation, because it was relatively easy to do with those images... but how do I make it fit into your restriction? It wasn't quite clear enough, leaving me doubting my understanding of it, but not quite confused enough to go asking. It would have been better to either be more lax with your restriction ("TF me into something for which a 'category' exists on this site") or more specific ("TF me in a way that emulates a TV show transformation"), so that there was less confusion.

In addition, I thought I'd raise the point that the "latest news" part of the front page of your site isn't visible unless you scroll down, meaning that people who visit are less likely to see it. As such, even amongst people who were aware that you were running a competition, there was no obvious sign of it. Perhaps a partial redesign of the front page would help to avoid this in the future... I'm not suggesting you overhaul the site (obviously), but just a bit of tweaking. Perhaps you could have a sort of "recent happenings" section that appears above the main page logo, etc - it would simply say things like "2009-02-22 News added", "2009-04-17 Contest announced", or "2009-03-08 Updated content for show Urotsukidoji", with each linking to the appropriate page/section that it appears in (so it would be an in-page reference for news updates, and a link to the "Shows" page for content updates, etc). It would show, say, the relevant updates for the last two weeks or the last five relevant updates, whichever is larger.

See, it's not just awareness, you need to keep people conscious of the contest if you want them to enter it. Before the site relaunched, people would check for information on when it would launch frequently, resulting in high consciousness of the contest. With the site launched, when people come to the site, they go straight to the page they're interested in, resulting in them not scrolling down and reading the news section, which as I pointed out is hidden from view when you first come to the main page - you have to scroll to find it, even on a larger screen.

EDIT: Oh, and if you're going to have a contest, perhaps a permanent link somewhere visible upon first opening the main page would go a fair way - perhaps a slightly-modified front page that has a "Contest" link on the menu bar along the top (to the left of the "Shows" link would be an appropriate place).