I don't, lol. I likely just wouldn't have voted. I don't think having the names of people publicly made available under the entry they voted for in the poll is it.
Our 2023 Holiday Event is Here!
- Thread starter Mick
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I was going to keep my mouth shut about this because this whole ideal has made me very sad and I don't know how to properly express my feelings or choose the right words but...
I don't know if it's people going crazy for the imposter wands or if the community has secretly always been like this but I thought the community was better than this, this event is really bringing out the worse in people. Trying to manipulate and bribe others to vote for you or your friend's entries is one thing but trying to manipulate and bribe people to vote against entries you dislike is a whole other level of disgusting.
This makes me really embarrassed and self-conscious about myself, it never occurred to me that it's possible some people might dislike or hate my entries, or secretly conspire grudges against me and vote against my entries because they do not like me, I particularly put a lot of time and effort into my room design entries for events and I have come pretty close to winning entries before and it made me wonder if it was because I have a tendency to post my entries too late and not everyone wants to scroll through the thread to vote for late entries or it's because it seems contests always seem to be more like a popularity contest and not a "who's entry do you genuinely think deserves to win?" contest and I'm nobody's friend so the votes go towards more popular members.
Mind you, I don't actually really care about being nominated for staff favorites or winning something, I just wanted my efforts for how long I put into my designs to be acknowledged, I don't want people to vote for my entries because they like me or whatever, I want people to vote for my entries because they genuinely think I deserve to win, it would feel really awful if I won some kind of fake award because people voted for me only because they feel inclined to vote for people they like. I want to work hard on my entries and try to aim for something to acknowledge my hard work if my entries are not good enough I see it as me striving to do better and improve I shouldn't be feeling like I'm in a popularity contest and comparing myself to others "I lost because I'm not like them and I'm not as good as them" instead I should feel like "I can do better next time" It makes me ashamed for even trying to put myself out there and shoot my shot if other people are going to just campaign to have people vote against entries they dislike or people they dislike so they don't want them to win out of spite.
Other people on this thread have already been discussing ideas about the matter and I understand it's extremely difficult to prevent "popularity contests" like this from happening, I do wish members could not see how many like/love reacts someone has on their post because it drives the unhealthy feelings of me constantly looking at the thread and seeing if I'm winning or losing against other members, hiding the votes would help ease the pressure so people don't need to be concerned about how many votes they have and events can be more fun and light-hearted. I understand nobody's perfect and we can't entirely prevent events from being unfair and I think staff does a good job moderating everything and making sure it's fair for everyone
I'm really sorry for this massive 5-paragraph essay of text and I'm really sorry if I said anything offensive or if anyone took anything I said the wrong way, I'm not good with my words or expressing myself and this is just a jumbled mess of my thoughts
This makes me really embarrassed and self-conscious about myself, it never occurred to me that it's possible some people might dislike or hate my entries, or secretly conspire grudges against me and vote against my entries because they do not like me, I particularly put a lot of time and effort into my room design entries for events and I have come pretty close to winning entries before and it made me wonder if it was because I have a tendency to post my entries too late and not everyone wants to scroll through the thread to vote for late entries or it's because it seems contests always seem to be more like a popularity contest and not a "who's entry do you genuinely think deserves to win?" contest and I'm nobody's friend so the votes go towards more popular members.
Mind you, I don't actually really care about being nominated for staff favorites or winning something, I just wanted my efforts for how long I put into my designs to be acknowledged, I don't want people to vote for my entries because they like me or whatever, I want people to vote for my entries because they genuinely think I deserve to win, it would feel really awful if I won some kind of fake award because people voted for me only because they feel inclined to vote for people they like. I want to work hard on my entries and try to aim for something to acknowledge my hard work if my entries are not good enough I see it as me striving to do better and improve I shouldn't be feeling like I'm in a popularity contest and comparing myself to others "I lost because I'm not like them and I'm not as good as them" instead I should feel like "I can do better next time" It makes me ashamed for even trying to put myself out there and shoot my shot if other people are going to just campaign to have people vote against entries they dislike or people they dislike so they don't want them to win out of spite.
Other people on this thread have already been discussing ideas about the matter and I understand it's extremely difficult to prevent "popularity contests" like this from happening, I do wish members could not see how many like/love reacts someone has on their post because it drives the unhealthy feelings of me constantly looking at the thread and seeing if I'm winning or losing against other members, hiding the votes would help ease the pressure so people don't need to be concerned about how many votes they have and events can be more fun and light-hearted. I understand nobody's perfect and we can't entirely prevent events from being unfair and I think staff does a good job moderating everything and making sure it's fair for everyone
I'm really sorry for this massive 5-paragraph essay of text and I'm really sorry if I said anything offensive or if anyone took anything I said the wrong way, I'm not good with my words or expressing myself and this is just a jumbled mess of my thoughts
honestly, I'm not sure if it'd be possible, but hiding the non-approval reacts for event threads where winners or at least finalists are determined as such isn't a bad idea either
I do have a few other ideas to that end as well, but they'd be far more work and still not perfect (submissions all initially private and made public/names removed afterwards and also shuffled around such that each member sees all the submissions in a different order)
That is something I forgot to mention in my earlier post, but I believe I mentioned it in a past thread and my comment was largely ignored.
I just don't think it sets a good precedent to have even those be visible because then, as far as events/contests go, it causes people to look through the thread and unhealthily compare themselves to others.
Like you said, I'm not sure if that in particular is even possible, but it would also be a good change as well imo.
I feel like if they really want to tackle this they would have to have all submissions submitted privately and then placed on a public thread by staff when the deadline ends. Like Mars said it would help with the early/late entries ect.
I didn't know polls used to show the users who voted for who. Glad that hasn't been a thing since I've been here.
You don't have to apologize for your post Mars. I've felt the same with the way some of these events have unfolded in the past. I always thought of this community as a wholesome place, and it still is!, but lately I've been noticing a lot of infighting where that image is not as cut and dried as we would like to believe. Maybe making collectible not be so insanely rare would help to.
I resubmitted my votes!
All the major events on TBT give me major flashbacks to my years as a forum moderator, haha. It's really challenging to host events for a large community of pseudo-strangers in a way that feels fun, fair, competitive-but-not-too-competitive, and so on. I just want to say that after a decade on TBT, I REALLY admire the staff and how hard they work to host these fantastic events and stay on top of any issues that arise--quick to address unfairness and implement fair consequences, but also gracious in keeping usernames private and encouraging the rest of the community to be mindful in their response. They are level-headed in difficult situations, they are clear and responsive but not harsh or dismissive, and they always solicit feedback from members and seem to take it seriously. I'm consistently blown away by the level of effort these events clearly require (this was a "small" event???) and the frequency of activities for forum members to participate in. Truly an exceptional forum. Thanks, staff!
All the major events on TBT give me major flashbacks to my years as a forum moderator, haha. It's really challenging to host events for a large community of pseudo-strangers in a way that feels fun, fair, competitive-but-not-too-competitive, and so on. I just want to say that after a decade on TBT, I REALLY admire the staff and how hard they work to host these fantastic events and stay on top of any issues that arise--quick to address unfairness and implement fair consequences, but also gracious in keeping usernames private and encouraging the rest of the community to be mindful in their response. They are level-headed in difficult situations, they are clear and responsive but not harsh or dismissive, and they always solicit feedback from members and seem to take it seriously. I'm consistently blown away by the level of effort these events clearly require (this was a "small" event???) and the frequency of activities for forum members to participate in. Truly an exceptional forum. Thanks, staff!
Omg and on top of that, it being against the rules to vote yourself. and of course one time I did anyway and it was displayed so publicly
I do get why they had the no self-voting rule back then, but I guess staff realized that it's not like one vote for yourelf will have any general profound effect
that said, I personally can't imagine self voting with the general standard of quality here
that said, I personally can't imagine self voting with the general standard of quality here
Aquilla
all was golden when the day met the night 🍁
It has actually been a thing up until last year
not all event votes were public every single time, but occasionally they still were! They were public with visible names who voted what during celebrating di in 2023 for example. I remember that because of how much I hated it lmao.Oh shows how much I pay attention. I wasn't active during the diversity event this year. I just don't remember votes/names being public for the 2022 event. That was like two years ago so I probably forgot.It has actually been a thing up until last year
all time classic jacob
VanitasFan26
I'm just a ghost.
One last thing I'll say about this is that I hope everyone realizes to not let favoritism get in the way of voting. Even if you have a friend you trust or anyone else who you respect with all your heart you should never be forced into voting for their entry if they send messages that say you have to do it. Even those who try to cheat their way ahead should be banned. I know for a fact that making an alternate account is against the rules on here (I know from experience since I learned the hard way). I know it may seem stressful when you look at so many entires and you think you want to vote for them because you don't want to let your friend down, but remember it has to be fair and civil, no matter how you view it. It should be treated with honest and respect. I never liked the idea of campaigning to vote for certain things because I always just see it as like bragging about to vote for stuff because they try to make people do it which not only does a lot of damage but it can cause a lot of drama. Voting is by choice not by force.
Darkesque_
gotta be delusional to be in the biz
Dang, it's sad to return from a little break to see campaigning/bribery going on. I've felt like the community had a little clique of "popular" members, but I would have never thought I'd see it come to fruition. It's very saddening. On a happier note, all of the selected entries are absolutely amazing, and I admire everyone's artistic abilities. It was very hard to vote for one lol. Anyway, I'm glad to see the staff's reaction to this, and I think hiding the polls and narrowing down voters is a good idea. I also agree with what others have said about hiding the post votes in order to prevent stuff like this.
After reading through, I agree with a lot of the sentiments already thoroughly discussed here. It’s very disappointing and surprising to see this is happening, and the fact it has happened in the past.
I also agree with the sentiment though that as much as I entirely believe the people in question should have to deal with consequences for their actions, not to treat them too harshly, and for that I’m glad the staff has kept their names private. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the people involved genuinely were just excited to help a friend, or just didn’t think about how big of an impact campaigning for votes would have, and now feel horrible. Mistakes happen, we’re all human. Although it is even worse to hear people directly campaigning against others, even then I have no idea of the nature of that/those peoples motives either, as suggested above by Jeremy.
I’m grateful for the staff’s response throughout all of this, I think it’s been handled with a lot of care, and the fact a way was found to make votes private I think is a massive step, both for cheating encouragement and for the mental load of everyone involved.
I also agree with the sentiment though that as much as I entirely believe the people in question should have to deal with consequences for their actions, not to treat them too harshly, and for that I’m glad the staff has kept their names private. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the people involved genuinely were just excited to help a friend, or just didn’t think about how big of an impact campaigning for votes would have, and now feel horrible. Mistakes happen, we’re all human. Although it is even worse to hear people directly campaigning against others, even then I have no idea of the nature of that/those peoples motives either, as suggested above by Jeremy.
I’m grateful for the staff’s response throughout all of this, I think it’s been handled with a lot of care, and the fact a way was found to make votes private I think is a massive step, both for cheating encouragement and for the mental load of everyone involved.
I think having private submissions and having members send their entries directly to staff is a lot more trouble than it's worth. These are supposed to be stress-free tasks and to have to go through that much trouble, in addition to what staff already put into these events, just is not worth it in my opinion. Imagine hosting a fun "design your own winter themed board game" but having to go through extreme measures such as private submissions, hiding threads, and blacking out individual names just to avoid drama. It's not right and again, it does not seem worth it. Staff try hard to put together these fun events and it should all be in good fun.
I'm okay with hiding the vote count but private submissions or hiding love/like is a bit too much, it's fun to see everybody posts, and then notice someone had the same idea as you and panicking wondering if you have time to start again , competition is fun too, when I'm not getting a lot of like, I don't feel bad about it, I'm happy just to get one, yes I spend days on my entries but that doesn't mean that I have better ideas and when I see what others submitted I'm always amazed.
We could just separate the votes from the likes at the end of the event selecting 10 each or something, to give a chance to the late posters
but staff can't police everything either, people have to grow up and behave too. It's not fun when people are childish and petty.
, competition is fun too, when I'm not getting a lot of like, I don't feel bad about it, I'm happy just to get one, yes I spend days on my entries but that doesn't mean that I have better ideas and when I see what others submitted I'm always amazed.We could just separate the votes from the likes at the end of the event selecting 10 each or something, to give a chance to the late posters
but staff can't police everything either, people have to grow up and behave too. It's not fun when people are childish and petty.
I mean private submissions and removing names were things before and worked out perfectly fine
the only issue was that ofc there was nothing against posting your submission publicly as well. nor do I think there should be, but it can affect subconscious biases as a result
also, it's obviously more work for staff to have to comb through each individual submission thread as opposed to check in on a singular one for that activity throughout the event
the only issue was that ofc there was nothing against posting your submission publicly as well. nor do I think there should be, but it can affect subconscious biases as a result
also, it's obviously more work for staff to have to comb through each individual submission thread as opposed to check in on a singular one for that activity throughout the event
It's finally raffle time!
Before we introduce them, we have a few related announcements. The bonus gumdrops for all entries nominated by the staff have now been distributed. This is the last batch of gumdrops from TBT's 2023 Stole-iday Season. However, don't forget that any remaining raffle tickets from 12 Days of Collectibles can be sold from your inventory for one gumdrop each. Round up all of the gumdrops you have left for our final three raffles, which now have raffle tickets available to purchase in the shop.
OG Glow Wand Raffle Ticket - 3 Winners
Star Glow Wand, Heart Glow Wand, or Flower Glow Wand. Only one of each will be given out. The first winner can pick from any of the three. The second winner can pick from the remaining two. The third winner will receive the one that wasn't picked by either.
New Gen Glow Wand Raffle Ticket - 3 Winners
Your choice of the Enchanted Butterfly Glow Wand, Snowflake Glow Wand, Planet Glow Wand, Pumpkin Glow Wand, or Skull Glow Wand. No limitations based on who wins first.
Plush Raffle Ticket - 3 Winners
Your choice of the Mom's Plush, Sheep Plush, Bee Plush, Dino Plush, or Fancy Kitty Plush. No limitations based on who wins first.
Each raffle costs 1 gumdrop to enter and you may purchase multiple tickets to increase your odds of winning. The raffles will be drawn in the order listed above and you can only win once. The raffle will end shortly before the closing ceremony thread is posted. While the date has yet to be confirmed, it will happen sometime after the polls close Sunday afternoon (not necessarily the same day). Once that happens, the raffle tickets will no longer be sold in the shop, but the other items will remain for sale for a little while longer.
Good luck!
Before we introduce them, we have a few related announcements. The bonus gumdrops for all entries nominated by the staff have now been distributed. This is the last batch of gumdrops from TBT's 2023 Stole-iday Season. However, don't forget that any remaining raffle tickets from 12 Days of Collectibles can be sold from your inventory for one gumdrop each. Round up all of the gumdrops you have left for our final three raffles, which now have raffle tickets available to purchase in the shop.
OG Glow Wand Raffle Ticket - 3 Winners
Star Glow Wand, Heart Glow Wand, or Flower Glow Wand. Only one of each will be given out. The first winner can pick from any of the three. The second winner can pick from the remaining two. The third winner will receive the one that wasn't picked by either.
New Gen Glow Wand Raffle Ticket - 3 Winners
Your choice of the Enchanted Butterfly Glow Wand, Snowflake Glow Wand, Planet Glow Wand, Pumpkin Glow Wand, or Skull Glow Wand. No limitations based on who wins first.
Plush Raffle Ticket - 3 Winners
Your choice of the Mom's Plush, Sheep Plush, Bee Plush, Dino Plush, or Fancy Kitty Plush. No limitations based on who wins first.
Each raffle costs 1 gumdrop to enter and you may purchase multiple tickets to increase your odds of winning. The raffles will be drawn in the order listed above and you can only win once. The raffle will end shortly before the closing ceremony thread is posted. While the date has yet to be confirmed, it will happen sometime after the polls close Sunday afternoon (not necessarily the same day). Once that happens, the raffle tickets will no longer be sold in the shop, but the other items will remain for sale for a little while longer.
Good luck!
- Status
