Quote from: Danny on November 11, 2018, 09:10:12 AM
Group,
I have to agree with Dune on this, although I would love to see more challenges and wouldn't mind doing the work, there isn't a demand for it. We have had Roadside in 2013 (19 entries), Iceland 2015 (28 entries) and Cliff in 2018 (27 entries). I am glad to see the lurkers are out during challenge time, but the fact remains for whatever reason ... they are not jumping in. Jordan mentioned during this time a majority of this traffic goes to NWDA's facebook page, realize they are directed there from dozens of NWDA Challenge announcements on all social media outlets, digital art communities, LinkedIn, Press releases and Broadcasts from NWDA's contact list. So that is the reason for the spike.
I'll point out, that's exactly why small businesses run contests, to create demand, for their product, and overall hearsay interest. TG comes off as a enterprise solution right down to lack documentation and PR. In fact, NWDA is it's only real PR beyond change notes....
Quote from: Danny on November 11, 2018, 09:10:12 AM
I would like to mention that NWDA will be launching something that I am sure will be very beneficial to the community. This new learning outlet will be on NWDA's mainsite and will be a massive resource IF the community gets involved. More to come on this..
Interesting, I'd be interested to learn what you mean.
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I'd like to also interject you're all going on your personal opinions regarding your own work and it's worth, not from a real public relations and web community aspect. Heck look
Look at Blender Guru... it's had mass success with it's contests (which helped build it's community... again), which serves as a master gallery of fine art. They didn't start doing prizes until they were able (Same for BlenderNation with a old, but used to be the most popular F1 challenge). This same model as seen all over the internet. CG Society did similar back when I used it over a decade ago, no prizes. All community fun to start.
So far I see only personal opinion in defense which is somewhat void in a objective analysis regarding community development, and the wrong type of thinking in general. You have to think like everyone you don't know, the masses. What does the average person think when he first comes across TG website or the Community? (The verdict isn't good..) etc.
And it's kinda odd, considering all this conversation, it seems the number one thing Matt should be thinking about is how to raise interest. By discussions here it seems like not many people even buy TG besides those that already know it, mainly cause the exposure of TG limits itself via alot, not least of which is it's intimidating posturing as a commercial enterprise asset without even having a legitimate foothold. TG licenses itself could be prizes (even limited time licenses for specific use).
I mean, I'm poor, have no money, and ran contests off my second hand give-aways, and was able to create an anime themed digital art community with over 2 million users and eventually end in lawsuits from FUNimation and Pioneer Video because we're more popular than actual anime distributors (and shady stuff like being the first large streamer before YouTube even fully opoened). But no one would have ever joined the community if there wasn't contests. We even started the website on a contest, all for a poster I made in Photoshop.... We have over 4 thousand users, and roughly 2,000 active in the first month. This all in 2004-2005 when getting on search engines, and being found, was all manual work and networking. And the only reason to join at that time, was a contest, and an empty forum. We had hardly any art resources, no anime reviews, and no streaming yet. Eventually i gave away stuff like all my original Pioneer Dragon Ball Z Movies, a original Bowser plushie from easily 90s... I mean, all junk.
Still closed the site with over 2 million users, over 15,000 active.
The game Mesozoica held contests just to get a species in the game that was the winner, and had thousands of entries when they had no community or even kickstarter support yet.