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Wysiwyg - Blog
Category: Announcement
Publish date:01/03/07 @881Editor:
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Shedding the Blue (Again)I'm BAAAAAAAAAACCCKKKKK! Well, after a 6 month hiatus I’ve rejoined the Moderator team. This is probably isn’t news to some as I was STILL getting pm’s asking me why I left. I’m flattered really, and it did break my heart not being able to delete double posts  But to be honest, I had an epiphany of sorts. One that relates to life, the internet, and most importantly (in relevance) GFXartist. So many arguments ensue here in regards to what is right/wrong…ethical/cheating…vote this/that. I’ve come to realize that it doesn’t matter. More so than before. My approach as a Moderator is going to change from what you were used to before. I will be fair, I will be just, and dammit I’ll still be blunt as hell  But I’m not going to spend 5-6 hours in a day just to prove someone is an art thief. It’s just not worth it.I’m working 2 jobs right now (I’m still in the military, but I have a civilian job now) that only allots me about 4-6 hours a sleep in a weekend. I used to spend that much time in a single day here. Not anymore. I need to work to help pay my wife’s tuition as I don’t want her to be a mom/student/employee all at once. I also have the end of my military contract coming up. 2 more years is a short amount of time to get a portfolio ready. My work is seconded only by my family. GFX is coming in around 3rd or 4th , sometimes 5th nowadays. So I’ll still be a force in the forums, pushing logic in a way that some appreciate and others detest, and I’ll still be asking folks here and there to enforce guidelines where I see blatant violations. All that ‘borderline’ crap though is going straight to  MartinI used to entertain debates all the time, and I’m happy to say majority of them came to an understanding on both parties’ parts. But not so much now as I won’t have time to debate with someone about their ‘American rights of free speech’ on a Dutch website (I’m an American for those who don’t know, but that’s just a silly argument ) or folks who think that their words are going to make me lose sleep at night (they never did).The Mod team is quite small at the moment, so your patience is appreciated as we the best we can to help this site grow. Remember this is the house of Brothersinart.com aka Martin and Martijn. They don’t dictate what you can create, but just what can be posted here. GFX is a great place, but not the ultimate answer in creative communities…there are plenty out there and I suggest you sample all so that you may benefit from the unique features and members, from those respective sites.Hate to say it folks, but when you (or I) turn off that monitor it all goes away….so while it’s on let’s make the best of it k? |
Comments (6)
Category: Exposition
Publish date:01/02/07 @790Editor:
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What about last year's resolutions?With every year people make new resolutions....do they ever think back to what they were supposed to do last year? This New Year's is important to me as it also marked my movement from one duty station to another. I left a place where I was the top dog for 5 years to a place where I was no longer the 'go to' guy. Frustrating? Of course....Beneficial? Absolutely! Being the new guy (and not deploying to a warzone anymore) gave me opportunities to focus on my personal growth in this field. As I only have 2 more years left in the military, I have to shift focus and prepare to support a family with my work. That means working on art that pays the bills (read: not painting ) and working with programs that are not exactly GFXartist friendly for posting the final results (video, flash, web)That's one of the main reasons of my absence these past few months, I just had to shift priorities. So...was it worth it? Let's review Dreamweaver  I built my first website (personal), and 2nd (community), and my 3rd (commercial)...with 2 more on the horizon...so yeah, my knowledge base has definitely increased from nothing to something Premiere I not only cut video now...but I teach it to students Still a beginner in the big scheme of things, but definitely something I can build upon or apply in multimedia projects.Flash I knew nothing this time last year, now I teach a basic course in it  Again a lot to learn...mostly in integrating audio/video. But it turns out Flash is more about patience then anything else. If you understand the concept of timelines and objects w/internal timelines your set.InDesign  I've worked on Pagemaker since before Adobe bought it from Aldus. But I've forgotten so much. I just got put in charge of a project that will require intermediate/advanced skills....so I'm breaking out the books for a refresher. Illustrator Again, long time user that hasn't used it in a long time...in this aspect I failed to grow. Photoshop Hmph....I'm all shortcut keys...there's nothing left to learn imo...I just need to do my Certification. I have though, learned a few new approaches to do certain techniques. Manual Arts The building block of everything...what got me into art in the first place has been really ignored and has suffered as a result. Top priority this coming year. So there you have it.....Overall I'm happy with my progress, I can only do so much in a given time. This coming year my focus will be for:
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Category: Announcement
Publish date:08/19/06 @154Editor:
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A new era...A new Banner, A new Avatar, A new member icon?!?!? Yes, within the next day or so my position of moderator will be no more. I could type a story and a half as to why, but instead I'd rather assure you that there was no conflict, no gripes, no complaints, no bitterness towards the Admins, members, or this site in general for my decision. Martin has assured me the door is always open once I get my life back in order. There are alot of things going on in my life that aren't going to wrap up anytime soon. And so what little time I have here I want to focus on my creative upbringing.I became a mod almost a year ago to make a difference, and I think I did in small parts here and there. But I know I can make a BIGGER difference putting my energy into what I became known for here...good, honest, critiques...sharing my knowledge and absorbing the knowledge of others... Will I still be a voice of reason in the forums?...yes. Will I still hunt someone I suspect to be a thief? damn straight Will I be able to unpublish violations? No. Delete double posts? No. But I have the red phone direct to Martin for serious issues. Basically folks...I'm resigning to go back to what I loved about this place when I came here...being an active part in it...not it's overseer. I want to create, I want to browse the galleries and admire the work, not scan it for issues...I want to be an artist again....thus for now...I am a moderator no more. Take care, Brett |
Category: Exposition
Publish date:04/08/06 @982Editor:
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The Elite System...how it really worksAs a moderator I am supposed to stay impartial, but my attitude (read:Wysiwyg anacronym) is what got me this job in the first place. As even the Admins recognize issues regarding the elite/vote system I don't feel out of place explaining it once and for all what the deal is with it...and why I forsee it as an issue. *Examples used are from the March 2006 Elite nominations* A good example is the Painting catagory:  Wallace  beatrizmatar and  henning Totals pts:
beatrizmatar was the most productive....Totals # of submissions:
henning is the 'best.'Averages:
So who is the best artist? a. The one who earns the most total points in a month? b. The one who produces the most work? c. The one who averages the highest points per work? The answer is D it doesn't matter, they are all eligible for elite...and that's the problem with the system. Points are not an accurate measurement of skill in the application of a medium or it's creativity. ----------------------------------------------------- Now..someone replied with this: The thing is that if u tend to post with a bigger space between posts, then you have more chance on getting more points...and i think thats the better way to do it..because if you post too many artworks you dont get enough exposure..thusly not enough appreciation anyway the vote depends on the members..on their tastes, on what they see as good, on the style...a whole lotta stuff ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Totally untrue...I just proved this... bigger space between submissions yields more pts...nope: beatriz averaged almost 1 post a day votes depends on member's tastes....nope: some works averaged as low as 47pts It's about how many people vote: 1 vote of 10 = 10 votes of 1 If you get 10 people to vote on your work...and get 10 votes of say 6...you earned 60pts But what if you other work gets 30 people to vote and you get an average of 3....lower votes...yet you score a 90. So which is the better work? Essentially EXPOSURE OVERPOWERS QUALITY There are times when QUALITY will get it's just due...Henning is a prime example...He is not the most active member here at times as he has many other obligations, but his quality of work is what made him a rare gem in overcoming the factors listed above. But this does not overide the factor of amount of votes being more important than value of those votes. Note: henning won the competition that month 
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Category: Opinion
Publish date:11/08/05 @541Editor:
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It's not easy being greenAs Samson (  emarts) has posted his thoughts here..I figure I would follow suit and put in a blog what I had in my profile intro. I'm a little more straight foward than most....so here you go.This has been an interesting week. My clamor and incessant pestering to Martin about GFX changes has resulting in my being chosen to be a Community Moderator. The mentality of "Quit bitchin' and do something about it." Is one that I approve of, but in 48 hours there were already a few prices to pay. It's amazing how people's attitude change when a new title or material variable is introduced. In only 2 days time I have been mocked, insulted, disrespected, and pretty much written off as a jackass by those who would call me friend less than a week ago. Some members have pulled their works, others have left GFX altogether. Out of dissapproval for those chosen or just b/c they like attention...it doesn' t matter. Neither action will help this community grow. If anything, it is they who are hurting the community. My question is why? This new little batch of green pixels aren't a trophy... ...I don't get paid ...I don't get more art exposure ...heh heh Not that I care...but I won't get more votes All this title does is present me with responsibility. To remain objective, professional, and mature. It also demands that I put up with alot of crap. As any figure in a any community with an ounce of authority, my actions now will be in the spotlight. Every letter I type will be watched, and judged. I know this from both my military and civillian experience...the junior ranking guys are always weighing their thoughts on the leadership...more often than not they are lookng for a flaw. I've been on both sides of the fence on this one many times in many different situations, that is why I know what I must do. Ignore the naysayers...they will fizzle out over time...and try and set the best example I can. Take care, Brett |
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