SASO 2016: Talkback

[referees]

This post is closed; thank you for your feedback. If you would like to provide constructive criticism, please contact the mods directly. All further replies to this entry are screened.

The mods still plan to reply to the topics listed at the bottom of the post.

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This is not the final wrap-up results/etc. post—that's coming in a couple of days. But while the mods tabulate final scores and create prize graphics, now's a good time to look back and reflect on your SASO 2016 experience.

Please leave comments giving us feedback on the event this year! What did you like? What did you dislike or find frustrating? What can we improve for next year, and how can we improve it? What was your favorite part of the event? Least favorite? Would you participate next year or not? Why? If you could mention your team when making your comment, we'd appreciate it.

If you would prefer to submit your comments in private, you can e-mail us at anime.espn@gmail.com or send us a Dreamwidth PM. We would prefer it if you'd put "Talkback" in the subject line.

Here's what the mod team plans to improve for next year:

• Voting program reliability. We'd like to apologize again for all of the server dowtnime, and definitely plan to make it much more stable for next year. The voting system in general, though, will remain the same.


• Bonus round program reliability. We think we got most of the kinks out during this year, but want to keep it stable for next year too.


• Dreamwidth capability for NSFW cross-posting. We didn't have time to implement it this year, but next year it should be ready to go.


• Clarifying the rules, especially on what "popular culture media" is acceptable to include in SASO work.

We also wanted to thank you again for being patient with us this year. We had a lot of technical hiccups, and you were all so kind while our heroic codermods worked out the kinks. We really appreciated your support.

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Mod Replies: (updated 12:55PM EDT 8/28/16)

Please note that inclusion of a topic on this list indicates that we're going to address it, not that we've made any decisions on judging/implementing or not implementing it.

Voting:

The preliminary vote system

Triggers in a participant's assigned vote pool

Juried panel (having the mods decide which entries were the best)

Voting mechanics

Bonus Rounds:

Promptless rounds

One day break between bonus rounds

Bonus round prompt and fill tracking/filtering

Recs round work count

Image size limit

Remix round

Remix/rec round timing

Rec round

Quality control (both prompts and fills)

What is allowed as a fill (tags and ratings)

Unscreening bonus rounds

Fairness to small teams

Comment screening

Main Rounds:

The anonymity policy

Professionalism:

Twitter tone

What information gets posted where

Considering a dreamwidth announcement community

Mod participation in the event

Comments

(frozen comment)

[platina]

Why is it not possible for us to actually vote for something we like in the prelims? I get the equal exposure for everything yadda yadda thing, but I sometimes end up with mainly stuff I don't really care for at all. I feel like you should have at least one option to actually vote for something you want really like and isn't on the list.

I just.. honestly don't see the point of voting if I cannot vote for what I really want to vote for or have to vote for something can't properly judge anyway if I'm not familiar with the canon. I think it's also a measure that can actually backfire for some teams, especially overall less popular teams that, however, do have a fixed support base who cannot help them out because their supporters can't vote for them.

Voting is biased as is anyway (be it because it's simply the fandom you prefer, oh look girls!, or other reasons), why make it even more complicated.

also, fuck remixes.

My favourite part of SASO is being forced to create, especially the main rounds. That's what I signed up for. I'd never make a VN or video in a month, as short as it is, without the deadline pressure of the event. I love that. It's fun just for the sake of creating, because I never expected much from the votes anyway.

During bonus rounds, however, I do struggle with the quantity>quality approach. I made some really shitty fills I'm not too proud of just so my team could scratch the 20 fill mark (which are a lot, even among 8 people when RL and MR are a thing as well) only to realize we are way behind other teams and their 50ish fills. It was kind of discouraging, haha.