The MLP Arena
Creativity => Customs => Topic started by: heftysmurf76 on February 17, 2012, 07:05:37 AM
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It used to be there were so many I wanted to be in, I had to pick and choose carefully, now it seems there are less and less I'm interested in...
I'd start my own but don't have the time for the work involved...
Has anyone else noticed this trend? Is it maybe because of the more stringent rules/feedback with shipping on time, etc? I know that's part of why I've hesitated on some that weren't AS interesting to me, but its been ages since I did a swap on here ...
I don't think its entirely to do with the transition to the new boards either... *shrugs*
Thoughts?
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The swaps have seemed great to me lately actually. I think right now the new ones popping up are a little light because people are still recovering from the holidays and we have a quite a few swaps starting to wrap up in a month or two. I know I haven't gotten the swap I was going to host underway yet as I wanted to allow some stuff currently going on time to wrap up.
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Why not suggest themes for swaps and let someone else host. I've seen a few people here do that because they don't have the time to host themselves.
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There are quite a few great swaps right now :) The Cherry Blossom Swap and the Love Swap are both large swaps, so I think once those finish up we will see a lot more smaller swaps pop up.
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The swaps have seemed great to me lately actually. I think right now the new ones popping up are a little light because people are still recovering from the holidays and we have a quite a few swaps starting to wrap up in a month or two. I know I haven't gotten the swap I was going to host underway yet as I wanted to allow some stuff currently going on time to wrap up.
I don't mean to imply that the swaps available now aren't good ones, they just don't interest me as much, whereas in the past, I've been torn between 4 and 5 different swaps I wanted to be in. I guess part of it is a lot of them have been done before, or I personally have done similar ones...*shrugs*
Thats a good point about the Holidays, but I think I took that into account last month, not so much now...but perhaps...
Why not suggest themes for swaps and let someone else host. I've seen a few people here do that because they don't have the time to host themselves.
Thats a good idea, I definitely considered that! If anyone wants to host please chime in!
A few things I'd love to see:
- DC or Marvel characters ONLY swap (the comic swaps in the past have been too broad IMO)
- Disney Animated swap
- Star Wars Swap
- Star Trek Swap
- Movie theme swap (ponies designed with "collages" of our favorite moves, or characters from them
- Bella Sara swap (MLP-ized versions of Bella Sara horses)
And of course the old standbys like
- G4 to G1, G1 to G4, G3 to G4, etc etc
- Adult to baby
I'd kill for another Monster High swap too!
I added to the thread's title to reflect this, I'd be glad to help co-host evun...or make up the application...
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Idk man, the swaps have been pretty dang epic as far as I'm concerned, I've been really disappointed that I can't join all of them!!
I think the stricter rules were warranted. You don't tell your boss "oh I'll come to work whenever" you go in when you are scheduled!! I don't see why it's so hard to get swaps done on time, since you are usually given way more than a month to get things in!
But as far as more swaps that you are interested in, why not come up with some ideas of your own, and see if anyone would be interested in hosting them? There are plenty of seasoned swap organizers that would probably step up to the plate :)
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I love the idea of the Star Wars & bella Sara swaps, but I have really been behind on my work lately so I haven't been able join swaps.
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I love running swaps (I'm one of those people who likes to organize things,) so I would definitely assist in any ideas anyone might have if I'm needed.
I think we're all trying to recover from the holidays (and the holiday swaps) ... but there are some good ones coming up (and I don't just mean mine .. cough cough. I'm kidding. :) )
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I think the stricter rules were warranted. You don't tell your boss "oh I'll come to work whenever" you go in when you are scheduled!! I don't see why it's so hard to get swaps done on time, since you are usually given way more than a month to get things in!
I'm not saying they were unwarranted, I just wondered if that was why some folks stopped joining in...I do understand the importance of getting things done on time, but I don't know if I'd compare it to a job...that also makes it seem less fun! LOL :)
Regardless I definitely see the importance of having the stricter rules, I just wondered if they affected others willingness to participate.
But as far as more swaps that you are interested in, why not come up with some ideas of your own, and see if anyone would be interested in hosting them? There are plenty of seasoned swap organizers that would probably step up to the plate :)
yep, already did that :-D
I love running swaps (I'm one of those people who likes to organize things,) so I would definitely assist in any ideas anyone might have if I'm needed.
I think we're all trying to recover from the holidays (and the holiday swaps) ... but there are some good ones coming up (and I don't just mean mine .. cough cough. I'm kidding. :) )
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE feel free to "steal" ANY of my ideas and run with them...just LMK you're doing so, so I can be first in line to join! :-D
What are the ones coming up though? I only see 3 gauging interest ...
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Nah I don't think they've stopped people from joining, Like, Eviecorn said, I think it's more that people are still recovering from holidays!
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I think the stricter rules were warranted. You don't tell your boss "oh I'll come to work whenever" you go in when you are scheduled!! I don't see why it's so hard to get swaps done on time, since you are usually given way more than a month to get things in!
Life. Short and sweet, life has a way of sneaking up on you in a way that affects your creativity and time to make a pony.
I think we all enjoy swaps with the best intention of doing a fantastic job and giving a wonderful gift but if I have to choose between dealing with life events or making a pony, the pony loses.
it's also on of the reasons I swore off the swaps....even doing personal trades is difficult with life getting in the way.
That being said I always check the swap posts and offer advice and generally stick my nose in. Even if I won't be making a pony for it I can always help a fellow artist with tips and advice.
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Maybe a miyazaki swap or a pokemon swap!
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I had planned on hosting my first swap next month, a Nursery Rhyme swap, with a cohost.
I had also planned 3 other swaps upcoming, Medieval Times, Disney & Studio Ghibli and "Best Friends set" themes.
I have just had a lot going on rl recently, and through personal preference and the urging of friends I have stayed away from swaps. There have been a lot of awesome swaps going on, I have been sad not to join them.
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Nah I don't think they've stopped people from joining, Like, Eviecorn said, I think it's more that people are still recovering from holidays!
I noticed the trend BEFORE the holidays though...I mean I definitely AGREE that the holidays have a lot to do with it, but I don't necessarily think they're the ONLY culprit. Like I said though, this is just my opinion that I haven't seen any swaps that I'm like "OMG must join now!!!"
Life. Short and sweet, life has a way of sneaking up on you in a way that affects your creativity and time to make a pony.
I think we all enjoy swaps with the best intention of doing a fantastic job and giving a wonderful gift but if I have to choose between dealing with life events or making a pony, the pony loses.
it's also on of the reasons I swore off the swaps....even doing personal trades is difficult with life getting in the way.
yes, see this is sort of what I was alluding to. And if you're not completely enamored with a swap theme, there's even greater chance of it not being a priority.
To clarify, I'm not saying I think folks join swaps they're not interested in (or should), I'm just saying this coupled WITH the fact that we defineitly need to be more aware of timelines, might be why (TO ME or IMO), it seems like there are not as many swaps that strike my fancy currently...
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I think the biggest problem is that people don't want to host because it is a large amount of responsibility and time to make sure everything is running smoothly in addition to designing and making the pony for the said swap. I understand you feel like your style of swap is missing but maybe it's because people with your interested don't want to be swap hosts. They would rather someone else do the logistical business for them and at the moment those people arent available. I only see a few options, cohost a swap to take some of the pressure off, find someone else willing to pick up your swap, host the swap yourself.
Personally financial setbacks after the holidays play a factor.
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if any of the swaps were newbie friendly and allowed people with no feedback to join, I would have joined a few.. But.. No feedback = no participation :) So I just watch.
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Hannaliten and I are hosting a Mythology swap atm : http://mlparena.com/mlp/index.php/topic,286314.0.html
I'm not sure what your idea of a "good swap" is, but there several swaps going on right now. Steampunk just finished taking signups the other day. The Love Swap had an epic list of participants, so did the Cherry Blossom swap. I'm sure once they are over there will be a lot more swaps too.
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if any of the swaps were newbie friendly and allowed people with no feedback to join, I would have joined a few.. But.. No feedback = no participation :) So I just watch.
Aw you could do some private trades to build up your count?
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I honestly haven't noticed people not joining swaps. There are 2 swaps with decently large participant lists going on currently even. I've even seen members who rarely, if ever, join swaps signing up. I'm sorry you've found few that appeal to you, but I'm sure there will be some soon.
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if any of the swaps were newbie friendly and allowed people with no feedback to join, I would have joined a few.. But.. No feedback = no participation :) So I just watch.
Aw you could do some private trades to build up your count?
I actually have done some :) It just takes time is all. I'll have a handful of trades soon enough. Then I can do swaps. Woo!
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There is a difference between life circumstances coming up that get you behind and getting behind just because you're not motivated or keep putting it off, though. I've never known a swap host to get mad if you have something serious come up that takes you away from ponies, but if you can't reasonably commit to giving your best effort to meet swap deadlines you shouldn't sign up for swaps.
There have been way too many instances of people just vanishing or flaking out or needing tons of harassing to get their swap poines done, and from what I understand a lot of those cases are simply people being irresponsible and not keeping up.
I think Creampuf takes the right course of action. You know you probably will have things compe up, you aren't sure you'd be able to meet deadlines, and so you don't sign up. A lot of people aren't that responsible about it. They sign up when it's something they can't really commit to. So if strict rules and requirements put off the people who can't really commit to the swap, I don't see anything wrong with that.
ALSO... if there was a DC/Marvel comic swap, I'd be alllll over that.
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There is a difference between life circumstances coming up that get you behind and getting behind just because you're not motivated or keep putting it off, though. I've never known a swap host to get mad if you have something serious come up that takes you away from ponies, but if you can't reasonably commit to giving your best effort to meet swap deadlines you shouldn't sign up for swaps.
There have been way too many instances of people just vanishing or flaking out or needing tons of harassing to get their swap poines done, and from what I understand a lot of those cases are simply people being irresponsible and not keeping up.
I think Creampuf takes the right course of action. You know you probably will have things compe up, you aren't sure you'd be able to meet deadlines, and so you don't sign up. A lot of people aren't that responsible about it. They sign up when it's something they can't really commit to. So if strict rules and requirements put off the people who can't really commit to the swap, I don't see anything wrong with that.
ALSO... if there was a DC/Marvel comic swap, I'd be alllll over that.
Mostly I agree although I wish people would accept alternative forms of feedback. Some do but especially when we were all stuck with that 'pending' feedback before the thread. I couldn't do anything even though I was qualified.
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I think pending arena feedback was almost always taken into consideration for swaps - you just had to find the place on the feedback thread where people left feedback for you and link to it. Feedback on places like ebay is harder to justify as it doesn't really relate to the way a swap works. I know most hosts will consider it if you are a feedback short or something, but it really doesn't make sense to accept it in place of arena feedback for people who've never done any swaps or any transactions on the arena.
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I think the stricter rules were warranted. You don't tell your boss "oh I'll come to work whenever" you go in when you are scheduled!! I don't see why it's so hard to get swaps done on time, since you are usually given way more than a month to get things in!
Life. Short and sweet, life has a way of sneaking up on you in a way that affects your creativity and time to make a pony.
I think we all enjoy swaps with the best intention of doing a fantastic job and giving a wonderful gift but if I have to choose between dealing with life events or making a pony, the pony loses.
it's also on of the reasons I swore off the swaps....even doing personal trades is difficult with life getting in the way.
That being said I always check the swap posts and offer advice and generally stick my nose in. Even if I won't be making a pony for it I can always help a fellow artist with tips and advice.
Oh trust me, I know that very well. I guess I"m just super serious about it because I'm used to working some pretty insane deadlines and I stress myself out super bad making sure that they get met! LOL
But I'm with you Creampuf, If life gets bad enough, the ponies come last. Always. Which is why I haven't been joining swaps as of late because life just wasn't letting that happen.
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I think pending arena feedback was almost always taken into consideration for swaps - you just had to find the place on the feedback thread where people left feedback for you and link to it. Feedback on places like ebay is harder to justify as it doesn't really relate to the way a swap works. I know most hosts will consider it if you are a feedback short or something, but it really doesn't make sense to accept it in place of arena feedback for people who've never done any swaps or any transactions on the arena.
Note I said before we had the thread. There was quiet a stretch there were people without a thread were waiting for their feedback without the benefit of the temporary feedback thread. The point is is a person reliable in their commitments. I feel like extensive ebay, etsy, mlp trading post feedback demonstrates a commitment to reliability. But many probably do share your opinion that such history is not valid.
I guess I just feel like it hinders the influx of new people. You cant buy because people think you are going to open cases against them. You can't sell because peopel think you are too foolish to accurately represent yourself and your product. You can't trade because if you haven't done work here you are obviously not reliable enough to be trusted.
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There is a difference between life circumstances coming up that get you behind and getting behind just because you're not motivated or keep putting it off, though. I've never known a swap host to get mad if you have something serious come up that takes you away from ponies, but if you can't reasonably commit to giving your best effort to meet swap deadlines you shouldn't sign up for swaps.
There have been way too many instances of people just vanishing or flaking out or needing tons of harassing to get their swap poines done, and from what I understand a lot of those cases are simply people being irresponsible and not keeping up.
I think Creampuf takes the right course of action. You know you probably will have things compe up, you aren't sure you'd be able to meet deadlines, and so you don't sign up. A lot of people aren't that responsible about it. They sign up when it's something they can't really commit to. So if strict rules and requirements put off the people who can't really commit to the swap, I don't see anything wrong with that.
ALSO... if there was a DC/Marvel comic swap, I'd be alllll over that.
I have to agree with you, and add that if life comes up, communicating with your swap host is always the best course of action. If you don't let anyone know that life has taken all your pony time, then they have to assume you have just dropped off the plant.
also comic swap FTW!
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I don't think many people hold buyers and sellers to the same standards as signing up for a swap. Sales and purchases have a level of protection built in if you go throuh paypal, so that's different. So you can build up feedback that way. But swaps and trades are different - there is a level of trust that is involved since there is no way to take action if someone does not follow through.
All of us had to start at the begining with no feedback and work our way up to get it. I don't think it hinders anyone, it's just part of the process. That's why we have newbie friendly swaps and suggest people do private trades.
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A little off topic, but I'm in the middle of a DC custom right now, good to know there will be people who will appreciate her when she's done!!!
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A little off topic, but I'm in the middle of a DC custom right now, good to know there will be people who will appreciate her when she's done!!!
Yes! I'm a huge DC fan, I know there are a lot of other DC fans lurking around :D Can't wait to see it!
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I'm not sure what your idea of a "good swap" is, but there several swaps going on right now. Steampunk just finished taking signups the other day. The Love Swap had an epic list of participants, so did the Cherry Blossom swap. I'm sure once they are over there will be a lot more swaps too.
Like I said, I didn't mean to imply that the current ones aren't good, I simply did not find them as appealing. It was too broad a generalization I guess.
But I did consider your Mythology swap, I'm just not that into Mythology and have also done one before...and THAT'S not to say I think swaps that have been done before are boring either...I mean I did mention the standards i.e Adult to baby swaps, etc :D
Please don't misunderstand, I'm not implying there shouldn't be stringent deadlines and rules, I'm GLAD there are, it makes folks (present company included) take the deadlines even more seriously. I just wondered if that was why, never meant for it to come across that I thought it was a bad thing.
I honestly haven't noticed people not joining swaps. There are 2 swaps with decently large participant lists going on currently even. I've even seen members who rarely, if ever, join swaps signing up. I'm sorry you've found few that appeal to you, but I'm sure there will be some soon.
I dunno, I remember a time where there were like 6 or 7 different swaps in the "Gauging interest/Taking sign ups" category, and now I'd say its 2 or 3 in there at a time on average. I wonder if the reason there are so many participants in the current swaps isn't because there are so few options...I don't know, I'm just guestimating, it's not like I have any data to back this up, just conjecture tinged w/my opinion :)
I'm sure there will some soon too , and I hope this discussion helps spur someone into action...
Doesn't someone want to host that Comic Book swap by now? ;)
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personally i think so many people have been burned by other people in swaps that many are starting to not want to participate, or even host! (cause hosting means you are making extra customs when people go MIA)
but just my opinion.
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personally i think so many people have been burned by other people in swaps that many are starting to not want to participate, or even host! (cause hosting means you are making extra customs when people go MIA)
but just my opinion.
Yuuuppppp
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personally i think so many people have been burned by other people in swaps that many are starting to not want to participate, or even host! (cause hosting means you are making extra customs when people go MIA)
but just my opinion.
Yuuuppppp
Super yup.
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personally i think so many people have been burned by other people in swaps that many are starting to not want to participate, or even host! (cause hosting means you are making extra customs when people go MIA)
but just my opinion.
Yuuuppppp
Super yup.
Super duper yup.
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personally i think so many people have been burned by other people in swaps that many are starting to not want to participate, or even host! (cause hosting means you are making extra customs when people go MIA)
but just my opinion.
I'd agree with this.
Team that with the fact that people sometimes get a pony that they aren't happy with (not meeting requirements, lower quality than expected based on previous works, late shipping) which makes a swap experience less than positive... I think that plays a part.
I personally am very picky about joining swaps because I have received customs from people in the past which were shipped incredibly late without so much as a 'sorry!', or customs which were the complete opposite of my requests (using colours which I specifically mentioned not liking etc), or of a lower quality than I'd expect from the person sending. Those were less than stellar experiences for me - putting so much effort into a custom and shipping on time, only to receive something 10 weeks late of the shipping date? It certainly left me feeling sad and unwilling to participate in as many swaps - now I pick and chose very carefully.
~Princess Of Darkness~
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personally i think so many people have been burned by other people in swaps that many are starting to not want to participate, or even host! (cause hosting means you are making extra customs when people go MIA)
but just my opinion.
I think this is definitely a major factor.
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personally i think so many people have been burned by other people in swaps that many are starting to not want to participate, or even host! (cause hosting means you are making extra customs when people go MIA)
but just my opinion.
^truth.
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Maybe a miyazaki swap or a pokemon swap!
miyazaki omg PLEASE! T.T
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Agree with a lot of the comments, I am new to the public swapping aspect but hope it to be a positive experience :)
Would love the idea of a Ghibli swap
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[size=78%]I hosted a swap last year and found it very hard work - much prefer hosting shopping swaps on PonyCon where everybody is a bit closer; it feels easier and more connected some how. It will be a long time before I consider hosting another swap.[/size]
I considered a couple of swaps but [size=78%]I just haven't felt the mojo so far this year. I know how you feel about there seeming to be too many swaps that you wanted to enter and not enough time etc, but at the moment I think that a lot of it is down to me being a bit meh about it all. I've come so close to starting a PM with signup info and then backed out. I wonder how much of it is due to always going for complicated customs - more often than not my ideas will exceed my ability so I get frustrated during the process. I want to do a few smaller projects - she says as she has 2 G2 baits prepped for sculpting wings on - to get back into the flow. I used to make a custom or two a week, now I do 2-3 customs a year.[/size]
[size=78%]Also, with a lot of new customisers coming in (I often don't recognize the posters in the customs forum because I've spent less time here, and more in the Army Swap thread which is my home from home, and the SHII) I think that we're seeing repeats of themes that we saw in the last couple of years. I'd rather do something different.[/size]
[size=78%]But, if I don't sign up now, I can work on customs for other things as I have quite a few I want to do and I've always put them on the back burner to prioritise swaps etc, and then if a swap comes up that I really want to do, I'm not too tied up in other swaps already.[/size]
Over the next year or two, I'd like to try my hand at a mermaid swap, I am devastated that I couldn't do the Under the Sea swap (I was in two/three others) and if another fairy tale swap crops up then I'd like to do that. And a dragon swap of course. I loved that.
In the mean time, I'll just keep doing whatever it is that I do with my bait box - mostly go through it looking for a bait, but ending up putting the baits on the shelves because "oh I can't bait you" - and hope that something inspires me. :)
Post Merge: February 18, 2012, 06:33:51 AM
Sorry, I don't know why on earth it does that weird size thing or how to fix it. All I did was drag text from one part of the post to another and it went dodgy. :|
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I agree with that "disappointed" factor that's been mentioned. I've been a bit "Swapped out" the past 2 years and have only tried to do the swaps that I REALLY REALLY wanted...and had problems twice (my only swap problems) - thankfully, I would say those happened on ones that were not at the top of my FAV swaps, but still... I also went through a period a few years ago where I was doing so many swaps I had people tell me that instead of commissioning me they would wait and see if they got me in a swap, and I've been trying to avoid that ever since. I seem to have a *very* hard time selling my customs/commissions within the community, which doesnt' help how I feel. I really enjoy swaps (personal and organized), but I have to be picky so as not to burn myself.
Currenly, I feel very behind in my own customs, the customs I want to have done for the Fair, and commisions/personal trades (thankfully just finished the commish and one of 2 trades) so I can't meet some of the *short* deadlines that some swaps have (yes 2 months is short when you're planning to sculpt)
recently the ones that have peaked my interest seemed to have a total lack of interest from those I'm used to seeing in the swaps I do - that plays a part in my decision too.
personally I feel that some of us are just in a "tired" phase and need a small break from swaps, hoping to gear up for more after the Fair.
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im hosting my first swap right now, its kinda a small swap, but iv really liked it so far :) i would for sure be willing to host more later one, especially if someone has an idea but doesnt want to host it themselves maybe.
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If people are being disappointed so much, do you think that we, as swap hosts, aren't doing a good enough job of filtering people out and pairing up? If that is the case, what do you think could be done to improve this?
I had one person who was an established community member vanish in my swap (my partner luckily, left other people standing too), a pony go missing (sender made another for their partner which was received) and one person ship late after an extended deadline for everybody (but it worked out in the end, they were also late on other swaps). Kind of put me off hosting again but these things happen!
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I stated above I meant to rephrase "good", because I wasn't insinuating the ones available currently are NOT good, just not as appealing to me. I thought to change the thread title, but didn't want to confuse people since it had so many replies already.
To me, I'm not into the stuff that gets done a lot, like corsets, steampunk, flowers, mermaids, etc. I much prefer unique or geeky swaps, but I like them to be specific...That's just my preference though, It wouldn't stop me from joining one if it piqued my interest... :blush:
Speaking of, I'd defineitly add to my list of swaps I'd like to see:
-Jem swap
-Care Bears Swap
-Strawberry Shortcake Swap
-Animal friends swap (make a pony into a new animal friend or animal themed cutie).
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recently the ones that have peaked my interest seemed to have a total lack of interest from those I'm used to seeing in the swaps I do - that plays a part in my decision too.
Oh man, this as well. The people who used to be really involved in swaps when I first came here aren't anymore. I always wait to see who else is signing up now before I sign up myself.
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personally i think so many people have been burned by other people in swaps that many are starting to not want to participate, or even host! (cause hosting means you are making extra customs when people go MIA)
but just my opinion.
Totally agree! Late shipping, pairings, and people flaking out and going MIA.
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I rarely join a swap unless it is run by an organizer I know, with participants I know also. I make sure I check feedback of course, but I have been burnt four times by a custom swap, and once by a non-custom swap, so I am very selective. I think what has been said is true about the things that have been happening lately.
It's really a disappointment when you put your all into a custom, thinking it is awesome and knowing you will get one equally as awesome, but then something happens. You don't get a custom of equal quality, or not getting one at all. Sometimes it is the HOST that doesn't follow through as your partner, or with replacement customs that they offered.
In one of my first custom swaps my partner was the HOST. I waited MONTHS after the ship date for my custom, spendng countless hours of communication, half of this time they ignored my PMs. I did get a custom months late, but it was of a poor quality and looked like it was a rush job. Another swap I got a custom that literally made me cry.
My point is that I think there are reasons we all have for sticking to our guns on what (if any!) swaps we've been in recently. It may not be there are no good ones, and it might not even be the host or participants, it may be past swaps leaving a bitter taste in our mouths, or something like real life coming in the way.
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For me there aren´t good or bad themes, i think is completely subjective. For me there is or has been many swaps in which I was not interested because I do not like the theme, or didn´t know anything about it (but i must to say that some of that kind of swaps are exciting) Also for the time, and the fact i have many private swaps by the moment and i don´t like disappoint people.
In my case I have very good experiences in official swaps (with ultra gorgeous customs!!! that i love with all my heart) and only one very bad, or at least disappointing (Disney Princess swap i think it was, i never received nothing, the host was MIA and my partner never told me anything about if she likes or not the custom i sent :huh: ) so yes, before joining any swap i check who is the host, who approved it, and if the participants are active, constant and if we made trades or sales in the past. At least the ones are options to be my partners.
The dragon swap was a madness full of masterpieces, also the oriental, the peacock, steampunk, and so many :iconclap: . customizers sometimes have more free time to start with personal challenges :good:
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Sometimes the problem ends up being that, even though the host checks feedback, proper feedback was not initially left.
I have checked up on feedback left by PMing the person who left it, and had them tell me they got the pony late but felt bad leaving and such feedback.
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I'd like to see a "sculpted hair" swap. I'm always drooling over the G4s w/ sculpted hair and REALLY want one, heh. And I'd like to try my doing it myself . But I don't know if that would be a focused enough theme.
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Sometimes the problem ends up being that, even though the host checks feedback, proper feedback was not initially left.
I have checked up on feedback left by PMing the person who left it, and had them tell me they got the pony late but felt bad leaving and such feedback.
This is a good point as well. I have recently looked at some feedback of people who I know have had problems in swaps before and it is all still glowingly positive, which is super misleading.
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Sometimes the problem ends up being that, even though the host checks feedback, proper feedback was not initially left.
I have checked up on feedback left by PMing the person who left it, and had them tell me they got the pony late but felt bad leaving and such feedback.
This is a good point as well. I have recently looked at some feedback of people who I know have had problems in swaps before and it is all still glowingly positive, which is super misleading.
Seconded. It's incredibly important to leave proper feedback, even if it seems cruel.
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Sometimes the problem ends up being that, even though the host checks feedback, proper feedback was not initially left.
I have checked up on feedback left by PMing the person who left it, and had them tell me they got the pony late but felt bad leaving and such feedback.
This is a good point as well. I have recently looked at some feedback of people who I know have had problems in swaps before and it is all still glowingly positive, which is super misleading.
Seconded. It's incredibly important to leave proper feedback, even if it seems cruel.
Agreed. This is one of the big reasons there is so much disappointment in swaps, everything looks fine even when it really isn't. You aren't doing the community any favors by not being honest with your feedback. All you are doing is making it easier for the same person that disappointed you to disappoint others. It's our job to let each other know were the problems are. If hosts knew what participants they could trust, they might be willing to host more swaps.
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I would love to host a swap, but I think I'm terrified of doing something wrong. Plus I can't seem to think of themes. So if you keep listing themes, I might pick one up, once I get over my fear of actually hosting.
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I'm planning to wait to participate in swaps until I have more recent feedback. But when I do, the type I'd like to join is the type where you get rid of all your custom baits and/or some random accessories, or completely mint ponies with no marks allowed, or exactly what is on peoples' wishlists. I don't know that I would want to host a swap ever to be honest XD
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I recently held a poll about proper feedback. There were many mixed feelings but the general majority felt unable to leave appropriate feedback on the grounds that it was difficult to tell who was working hard and just needed to improve their skill, and who honestly just didn't care and slapped something together at the last minute, failed to read preferences, did not research a topic they knew nothing about and ended up with something inaccurate to the theme.
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I recently held a poll about proper feedback. There were many mixed feelings but the general majority felt unable to leave appropriate feedback on the grounds that it was difficult to tell who was working hard and just needed to improve their skill, and who honestly just didn't care and slapped something together at the last minute, failed to read preferences, did not research a topic they knew nothing about and ended up with something inaccurate to the theme.
That's not the sort of feedback that is the issue, as that kinda has to be a judgment call that has to be addressed on a case by case basis. The issue is when someone is extremely late or doesn't ship at all and no one wants to be the first to say "hey, this person was really late" or "they never sent me a pony and never communicated with anyone about anything" or the like. There really is no good reason to not leave feedback in those cases and yet people fail to all the time. Then in the next swap the same people do the same things and make huge headaches for the host and everyone involved again because their last several partners never said anything.
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... one very bad, or at least disappointing (Disney Princess swap i think it was, i never received nothing, the host was MIA and my partner never told me anything about if she likes or not the custom i sent :huh: ) so yes, before joining any swap i check who is the host, who approved it, and if the participants are active, constant and if we made trades or sales in the past. At least the ones are options to be my partners.
This was/is my number one pet peeve on swaps, was not receiving a "Thank you" from my partner, or at the very least,a PM or message in the thread that they had received their pony, even when I sent a note asking them to LMK, and to even feel free to tell me of any changes they might want if they were not satisfied, yet never heard one word. To me that's even more inconsiderate than a rush job, or work being viewed as sub-par, because I put a LOT of effort into my customs, and to not be acknowledged is incredibly bad manners IMO...
Even taking this and all ofthe above into consideration though, I really do look forward to joining another swap when one comes up that strikes my fancy :-D
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If people are being disappointed so much, do you think that we, as swap hosts, aren't doing a good enough job of filtering people out and pairing up? If that is the case, what do you think could be done to improve this?
I can only speak to my experiences with swaps 5 years ago, but it seems like the problems are the same now as they were then:
1. People being dissatisfied with what they end up with
2. People flaking
For the first problem, one of two things is going on. People aren't understanding the minimum guidelines, or there's something that is so inherently subjective about the condition of ponies that it's hard to match in a swap. Only one of those can be addressed by swap hosts. And the second problem isn't within the host's control.
The only ideas I can think of that would address both problems would be requiring everyone to either send their item to the swap host for inspection first, which isn't logical considering the shipping costs; or everyone sending X amount of money to the swap host, who would then pick out and send ponies of the same quality out. This opens a whole new can of worms - it's not like you really get to swap your own pony for a different one, so it kind of defeats the purpose of a pony swap, and that is a lot of trust and responsibility being placed on the host. And in the end, some people still might not feel happy.
I guess that leaves you with being very clear on guidelines for minimum pony/item condition and price, which I'm sure hosts are doing the best they can already XD Maybe you could put together a quiz with pictures of ponies in various conditions and require that people correctly identify which condition a pony is in 80% of the time in order to do swaps?
(edited for grammar)
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I recently held a poll about proper feedback. There were many mixed feelings but the general majority felt unable to leave appropriate feedback on the grounds that it was difficult to tell who was working hard and just needed to improve their skill, and who honestly just didn't care and slapped something together at the last minute, failed to read preferences, did not research a topic they knew nothing about and ended up with something inaccurate to the theme.
That's not the sort of feedback that is the issue, as that kinda has to be a judgment call that has to be addressed on a case by case basis. The issue is when someone is extremely late or doesn't ship at all and no one wants to be the first to say "hey, this person was really late" or "they never sent me a pony and never communicated with anyone about anything" or the like. There really is no good reason to not leave feedback in those cases and yet people fail to all the time. Then in the next swap the same people do the same things and make huge headaches for the host and everyone involved again because their last several partners never said anything.
that´s true, and i did that in the Disney princess swap. But really feel bad about it because the mod has personal problems when the swap was running and i felt it would be impertinent and uncomprehending of me. Anyway the time passed and the moderator forgot about me, I never knew who was supposed to send me a custom. So when i see that this girl is interested or registered in a swap, i prefer not go.
ALso i can´t leave a bad feedback if the custom was late, specially because i´m international and i know sometimes the mail is very slow, happened to me in a lot of times even having sent before the deadline. Sometimes customs takes 2 months to arrive :/
What i´m trying to say is i know that life happens and also problems, sometimes we try to be patient and considered, but not all are interested to do the same
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My biggest beef with all the swaps is that they don't welcome newbies, and those that do, welcome the newbies with +3 feedback already, or 3 months of membership, or both and more...
in my opinion, those things don't judge if someone is new or worthy of participating with others, it should be up to the judgement of the host to pair people of similar talent.
I understand that it's the way things have been for a long time, and everyone has done it the hard way through personal swaps and all, but it really isn't a very good representing system. I and I'm sure several other "newbies" were customizing before I was a member on here, and you all have seen our work and seen us around a bit- we're trustworthy people, or else we wouldn't be allowed on the arena in the first place.
It's a bit of an elitist viewpoint, to make us "prove ourselves" in order to run with the rest of the clan.
In my opinion, there should be more (I'm not calling for all!) swaps that welcome ACTUAL newbies to the arena. Judge it by the number and quality of customs a person has done so far, the amount of technique s/he has explored. It may take some more effort to background check each participant, but it'll be more fun as well- Aren't we all on here stalking new posts of customs all the time anyway? It's fun to look up someone's entire gallery, see his/her progression.
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My biggest beef with all the swaps is that they don't welcome newbies, and those that do, welcome the newbies with +3 feedback already, or 3 months of membership, or both and more...
in my opinion, those things don't judge if someone is new or worthy of participating with others, it should be up to the judgement of the host to pair people of similar talent.
I understand that it's the way things have been for a long time, and everyone has done it the hard way through personal swaps and all, but it really isn't a very good representing system. I and I'm sure several other "newbies" were customizing before I was a member on here, and you all have seen our work and seen us around a bit- we're trustworthy people, or else we wouldn't be allowed on the arena in the first place.
It's a bit of an elitist viewpoint, to make us "prove ourselves" in order to run with the rest of the clan.
In my opinion, there should be more (I'm not calling for all!) swaps that welcome ACTUAL newbies to the arena. Judge it by the number and quality of customs a person has done so far, the amount of technique s/he has explored. It may take some more effort to background check each participant, but it'll be more fun as well- Aren't we all on here stalking new posts of customs all the time anyway? It's fun to look up someone's entire gallery, see his/her progression.
Unfortunately there have been too many newbies who do not come though. Hence many swaps having newbies have at least some form of feedback. So while it is hard to wait till you manage to get that feedback it shall be so much sweeter when you can and have proven you are as good as you say you are at getting that pony done. There have been in the past total newbie swaps, and I am sure someone shall offer one some place along the lines.
I do not enter for two reasons, one I do not have the feedback needed, and two I am slower then molasses so I do not want anyone to not get there pony in the time frame required. Though if someone was to offer a carousel swap, I would clear some time and be all in.
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There are many reasons why the board is not currently flooded with swaps and I think most of those reasons have already been mentioned. ;)
I rarely join swaps anymore mainly because I have so little time to customize and what time I do have is taken up by commissions. I recently joined "The Love Swap" but it was my first swap in over 3 years. I joined because it was run by Jupi and I know she's a tough but fair swap host - I trust her enough to know this swap wouldn't be a waste of my time.
Running a swap is a huge responsibility and one that shouldn't be taken lightly. I run the Official Arena Holiday Custom Swap every year but never participate myself. I keep myself available just in case someone doesn't follow through. Once of these year's I'd like to actually sign up. :P
My biggest beef with all the swaps is that they don't welcome newbies, and those that do, welcome the newbies with +3 feedback already, or 3 months of membership, or both and more...
in my opinion, those things don't judge if someone is new or worthy of participating with others, it should be up to the judgement of the host to pair people of similar talent.
I understand that it's the way things have been for a long time, and everyone has done it the hard way through personal swaps and all, but it really isn't a very good representing system. I and I'm sure several other "newbies" were customizing before I was a member on here, and you all have seen our work and seen us around a bit- we're trustworthy people, or else we wouldn't be allowed on the arena in the first place.
It's a bit of an elitist viewpoint, to make us "prove ourselves" in order to run with the rest of the clan.
In my opinion, there should be more (I'm not calling for all!) swaps that welcome ACTUAL newbies to the arena. Judge it by the number and quality of customs a person has done so far, the amount of technique s/he has explored. It may take some more effort to background check each participant, but it'll be more fun as well- Aren't we all on here stalking new posts of customs all the time anyway? It's fun to look up someone's entire gallery, see his/her progression.
I'm not sure I understand how it is "elitist" to require some proof of reliability. :huh:
Just because a person has made custom ponies before doesn't automatically make them a responsible trade partner.
Feedback requirements do not exist to prove you can paint a pony - they exist to show you can be counted on to follow through and ship on time. Also, your feedback doesn't have to involve custom ponies, it can involve selling or trading Hasbro ponies and merchandise.
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There's really no way to please everybody with swaps. You have people who want the standards to be lower, because the strict rules make it more stressful, or because they don't have enough feedback, or whatever other reason. Then you have people who want the standards to be even stricter, who are afraid of not getting their half or getting something not that great. No matter which way you go, you're going to displease some people.
Guaranteeing that all participants get something good just means putting more burden on the host, making it easy on the host makes it more likely somebody will be a deadbeat. Anything you try to do is going to make the swap less appealing to somebody somewhere.
I think things are fine the way they are. No system can EVER be perfect and there's no way to make it perfect. You just do the best you can.
And I'm not doing any swaps because I just don't have time! I'm swamped with work. I'd like to do a private swap again someday with somebody interesting, but doing the huge group swaps doesn't appeal to me enough (no matter what the rules are) for me to spend that tiny sliver of free time on one.
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There's really no way to please everybody with swaps. You have people who want the standards to be lower, because the strict rules make it more stressful, or because they don't have enough feedback, or whatever other reason. Then you have people who want the standards to be even stricter, who are afraid of not getting their half or getting something not that great. No matter which way you go, you're going to displease some people.
Guaranteeing that all participants get something good just means putting more burden on the host, making it easy on the host makes it more likely somebody will be a deadbeat. Anything you try to do is going to make the swap less appealing to somebody somewhere.
I think things are fine the way they are. No system can EVER be perfect and there's no way to make it perfect. You just do the best you can.
NICELY said, so true, you can't please ALL the people ALL the time! There sadly are no garuntees in life or in swaps, no matter how hard you plan. You pick up the pieces to the best of your ability, "fix" it, and move on, and HOPE that a MAJORITY of the people ARE happy :-D
I count myself fortunate that in the 3 swaps I have hosted, I haven't had much trouble. I would definitely like to host again at some point, but I know better then to get that involved right now...
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My biggest beef with all the swaps is that they don't welcome newbies, and those that do, welcome the newbies with +3 feedback already, or 3 months of membership, or both and more...
in my opinion, those things don't judge if someone is new or worthy of participating with others, it should be up to the judgement of the host to pair people of similar talent.
I understand that it's the way things have been for a long time, and everyone has done it the hard way through personal swaps and all, but it really isn't a very good representing system. I and I'm sure several other "newbies" were customizing before I was a member on here, and you all have seen our work and seen us around a bit- we're trustworthy people, or else we wouldn't be allowed on the arena in the first place.
It's a bit of an elitist viewpoint, to make us "prove ourselves" in order to run with the rest of the clan.
In my opinion, there should be more (I'm not calling for all!) swaps that welcome ACTUAL newbies to the arena. Judge it by the number and quality of customs a person has done so far, the amount of technique s/he has explored. It may take some more effort to background check each participant, but it'll be more fun as well- Aren't we all on here stalking new posts of customs all the time anyway? It's fun to look up someone's entire gallery, see his/her progression.
I'm not sure I understand how it is "elitist" to require some proof of reliability. :huh:
Just because a person has made custom ponies before doesn't automatically make them a responsible trade partner.
Feedback requirements do not exist to prove you can paint a pony - they exist to show you can be counted on to follow through and ship on time. Also, your feedback doesn't have to involve custom ponies, it can involve selling or trading Hasbro ponies and merchandise.
Quote for truth. I mean I'm sorry that some newer members feel left out but what would you rather we do? Let all people in to whatever swaps they want without having any proof if they are trustworthy or not? People would be dropping out all over the place, not sending ponies, swap hosts would be over run with unhappy participants...
Like Pop said, it's not about artistic skill. Swaps are open to people of all skill levels and are matched accordingly, and yor artistic skill has nothing to do with how long you've been here and we know that. The requirements for feedback and being around a certain amount of time are to prove you can be trusted to follow through with commitments. It baffles me that people don't understand why that is important.
Also, there is no "trustworthy" test that you pass to join the arena. You sign up with a name and an e-mail address, so I don't see why you think "we're trustworthy people, or else we wouldn't be allowed on the arena in the first place" is a valid statement.
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My biggest beef with all the swaps is that they don't welcome newbies, and those that do, welcome the newbies with +3 feedback already, or 3 months of membership, or both and more...
in my opinion, those things don't judge if someone is new or worthy of participating with others, it should be up to the judgement of the host to pair people of similar talent.
I understand that it's the way things have been for a long time, and everyone has done it the hard way through personal swaps and all, but it really isn't a very good representing system. I and I'm sure several other "newbies" were customizing before I was a member on here, and you all have seen our work and seen us around a bit- we're trustworthy people, or else we wouldn't be allowed on the arena in the first place.
It's a bit of an elitist viewpoint, to make us "prove ourselves" in order to run with the rest of the clan.
In my opinion, there should be more (I'm not calling for all!) swaps that welcome ACTUAL newbies to the arena. Judge it by the number and quality of customs a person has done so far, the amount of technique s/he has explored. It may take some more effort to background check each participant, but it'll be more fun as well- Aren't we all on here stalking new posts of customs all the time anyway? It's fun to look up someone's entire gallery, see his/her progression.
I'm not sure I understand how it is "elitist" to require some proof of reliability. :huh:
Just because a person has made custom ponies before doesn't automatically make them a responsible trade partner.
Feedback requirements do not exist to prove you can paint a pony - they exist to show you can be counted on to follow through and ship on time. Also, your feedback doesn't have to involve custom ponies, it can involve selling or trading Hasbro ponies and merchandise.
Quote for truth. I mean I'm sorry that some newer members feel left out but what would you rather we do? Let all people in to whatever swaps they want without having any proof if they are trustworthy or not? People would be dropping out all over the place, not sending ponies, swap hosts would be over run with unhappy participants...
Like Pop said, it's not about artistic skill. Swaps are open to people of all skill levels and are matched accordingly, and yor artistic skill has nothing to do with how long you've been here and we know that. The requirements for feedback and being around a certain amount of time are to prove you can be trusted to follow through with commitments. It baffles me that people don't understand why that is important.
Also, there is no "trustworthy" test that you pass to join the arena. You sign up with a name and an e-mail address, so I don't see why you think "we're trustworthy people, or else we wouldn't be allowed on the arena in the first place" is a valid statement.
well, it is technically elitist, by definition, to have rankings and divisions of classes between people, such as the moderators, then the people with the most posts and feedback, then the 'newbies' at the bottom with unequal rights, but I am obviously not calling for the destruction of order.
And I understand that the feedback is supposed to represent our strength of commitment, but as previously stated, there have been plenty of non-newbies that don't follow through as well, so there are holes in the feedback system.
I'd be interested to see how these strictly newbie swaps turned out in the past, if they all were wondering if their partner would follow through, being a newbie and such...
Also, many people look at feedback before buying from someone because, like you all said, it's supposed to represent if someone is trustworthy enough to ship within a reasonable time. Do you see the paradoxical cycle here? Newbies need feedback to join a swap and get more feedback to prove themselves as trustworthy members of the society, however they can only get feedback from sales that require/prefer feedback, or newbies can do personal swaps, which some people look at feedback to judge if the personal swap will be worth it. This is a very demanding niche to make home!
Finally, my note on being trustworthy in order to be on this arena is directed more towards the policies that we all agreed to, such as posting only clean content and such, showing that we're all controlled adults ( in the manners that are necessary, of course ;p ) united by such an innocent commonality- ponies. Ponies. I'll say it one more time to let it sink in: We. paint. ponies. I couldn't find it in my heart not to trust someone like that until proven otherwise.
Wouldn't it be nice to take a cue from our own governmental system: Innocent of being untrustworthy until proven guilty?
Maybe I will host a swap sometime as an experiment. Thank you for the inspiration, all.
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Just adding a tiny little comment.
No where does it say a newbie can't host a swap and allow all newbies to join...just sayin..you could be the one to step up to the plate on this.
Just cause some of us have been at this longer and have been througbt he fire doesnt mean we didn't all start right where you are now. I traded and sold ponies for a year before I felt qualified to join an arena swap. Host your own swap if you feel the other rules are too strict.
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Along the same lines, there are TONS of way to establish feedback. We were ALL new once. When I was a new, I ran a FREE contest. I built my first feedbacks on my ability to follow through on shipping the prizes. I also built feedback by trading, and I sometimes had to send my end and wait until it arrived before they sent. It just works that way sometimes.
Try not to see it as a better than you attitude, we ALL started somewhere. If you have questions on how to get feedback, just ask. There are plenty of people willing to help with ideas.
On a side note, I miss my free contests, maybe some time I will bring them back.
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it's up to the swap host who they want to let into their swap.
the rules and host for a customs swap are approved by the moderators here.
sometimes even HOSTS go MIA or neglects yheir own rules and ships late. its always a risk joining a swap.
if the host is approved to run a swap that allows new members to join, then fine. i know about 6 months ago I co-hosted a "Newbie" swap, where the requirements where low, and newbies were able to join. But we still required some form of feedback. and even those who wrote me wanting to sign up with a 0 feedback, I offered a private trade with them to help them build feedback.
There are people willing to trade/buy from a new member.
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Of course there are people with higher post counts and feedbacks but that does not make it an elitist system, that just means those people have been around longer and have, you know, had more transactions for which they have recieved feedback. You want to hold that against them and claim that they are elitist simply for being here longer than you?
A positive track record qualifies members to be able to take part in certain activities. Much like in the real world where you must have met certain requirements to be able to do things like drive a car or apply for certain jobs. There's nothing elitist about that. Using feedback is the best way to determine with a reasonable degree of certainty that someone is trustworthy enough to take place in a swap for which there is no real protection or reprocussions. Of course there are times when even people with good track records do something wrong, but those instances are relatively rare.
It is also extremely easy to build up feedback without already having feedback. People do it all the time. We all start with zero feedback. We all take part in transactions that allow us to gain feedback and build up that reputation.
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My biggest beef with all the swaps is that they don't welcome newbies, and those that do, welcome the newbies with +3 feedback already, or 3 months of membership, or both and more...
in my opinion, those things don't judge if someone is new or worthy of participating with others, it should be up to the judgement of the host to pair people of similar talent.
I understand that it's the way things have been for a long time, and everyone has done it the hard way through personal swaps and all, but it really isn't a very good representing system. I and I'm sure several other "newbies" were customizing before I was a member on here, and you all have seen our work and seen us around a bit- we're trustworthy people, or else we wouldn't be allowed on the arena in the first place.
It's a bit of an elitist viewpoint, to make us "prove ourselves" in order to run with the rest of the clan.
In my opinion, there should be more (I'm not calling for all!) swaps that welcome ACTUAL newbies to the arena. Judge it by the number and quality of customs a person has done so far, the amount of technique s/he has explored. It may take some more effort to background check each participant, but it'll be more fun as well- Aren't we all on here stalking new posts of customs all the time anyway? It's fun to look up someone's entire gallery, see his/her progression.
I'm not sure I understand how it is "elitist" to require some proof of reliability. :huh:
Just because a person has made custom ponies before doesn't automatically make them a responsible trade partner.
Feedback requirements do not exist to prove you can paint a pony - they exist to show you can be counted on to follow through and ship on time. Also, your feedback doesn't have to involve custom ponies, it can involve selling or trading Hasbro ponies and merchandise.
Quote for truth. I mean I'm sorry that some newer members feel left out but what would you rather we do? Let all people in to whatever swaps they want without having any proof if they are trustworthy or not? People would be dropping out all over the place, not sending ponies, swap hosts would be over run with unhappy participants...
Like Pop said, it's not about artistic skill. Swaps are open to people of all skill levels and are matched accordingly, and yor artistic skill has nothing to do with how long you've been here and we know that. The requirements for feedback and being around a certain amount of time are to prove you can be trusted to follow through with commitments. It baffles me that people don't understand why that is important.
Also, there is no "trustworthy" test that you pass to join the arena. You sign up with a name and an e-mail address, so I don't see why you think "we're trustworthy people, or else we wouldn't be allowed on the arena in the first place" is a valid statement.
well, it is technically elitist, by definition, to have rankings and divisions of classes between people, such as the moderators, then the people with the most posts and feedback, then the 'newbies' at the bottom with unequal rights, but I am obviously not calling for the destruction of order.
And I understand that the feedback is supposed to represent our strength of commitment, but as previously stated, there have been plenty of non-newbies that don't follow through as well, so there are holes in the feedback system.
I'd be interested to see how these strictly newbie swaps turned out in the past, if they all were wondering if their partner would follow through, being a newbie and such...
Also, many people look at feedback before buying from someone because, like you all said, it's supposed to represent if someone is trustworthy enough to ship within a reasonable time. Do you see the paradoxical cycle here? Newbies need feedback to join a swap and get more feedback to prove themselves as trustworthy members of the society, however they can only get feedback from sales that require/prefer feedback, or newbies can do personal swaps, which some people look at feedback to judge if the personal swap will be worth it. This is a very demanding niche to make home!
Finally, my note on being trustworthy in order to be on this arena is directed more towards the policies that we all agreed to, such as posting only clean content and such, showing that we're all controlled adults ( in the manners that are necessary, of course ;p ) united by such an innocent commonality- ponies. Ponies. I'll say it one more time to let it sink in: We. paint. ponies. I couldn't find it in my heart not to trust someone like that until proven otherwise.
Wouldn't it be nice to take a cue from our own governmental system: Innocent of being untrustworthy until proven guilty?
Maybe I will host a swap sometime as an experiment. Thank you for the inspiration, all.
I may have only hosted one swap and I really loved doing it but at the same time it is nerve wracking. You have to worry about every single person shipping on time and doing the job they promised. If they don't it falls to you to "pick up the pieces" and make sure the non receiver gets something. It's pretty hard to "make" someone do something over the internet so the only thing to go by is the feedback that others have left about their transactions with the person. By looking at someone's feedback you can get the piece of mind of knowing they have followed through before.
As for personal swaps, I don't think that is really building feedback the hard way. It can be a great experience and can also give you the sense of what it's like to have a time frame, parameters around which to create your custom, and see just how important communication is. No one goes into a swap (at least I hope they don't) with the intentions of going MIA or not creating a pony, but sometimes people don't know what they're getting into until it is too late. Feedback lets the swap organizer know that this is somewhat less likely to happen.
There are also other ways to gain feedback besides personal swaps. I've traded ponies I have already made with people, you can sell customs/custom supplies/ or just loose MLPs.
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Like I said, I understand how the feedback system is supposed to work, I promise I really do. The reiteration is getting...well, repetitive, but thank you all for making sure I understand. :|
All I'm saying is that I think it would be fun to allow more blank-slate newbies into the swaps and see what happens. If you're a host and you don't want to, that's cool too. I'm just calling for a reconsideration by those hosts that go by the common "no newbies" rule because many other hosts are doing it.
I've already said that I am thinking about hosting a swap, so your suggestions for me to do so are accepted encouragement, thank you.
Thank you JSplit for telling of your own personal experience of hosting a swap, I will take your advice into consideration when I host mine- I'll make sure to do it when I have plenty of free time, after this semester ends maybe! :lol:
Didn't mean to cause a big hulabaloo about it all, obviously swaps is a touchy subject. Carry on with your various discussions, and have a pony-rific day ♥
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I just don't think the "hey lets throw everyone into a swap and see what happens" attitude is a responsible one to have. That's just asking for way too much trouble. And it's not fair to your participants in they have a bad expereince because there was no sort of standard for those joining. And since swaps have to be approved by the staff here, I don't think anyone is going to let someone get away with hosting a swap that doesn't require any kind of feedback.
There are also requirements for the HOSTS of swaps - they have to meet certain fedback requirements as well since hosts are taking on a huge resposbility, as Jsplit and others have pointed out. If anyone in the swap falls through, you as a host are resposible for that. So as admirable as your desire to host a swap is, you're still gonig to have to build up your own feedback before you'd be able to.
We have newbie friendly swaps that only require minimal feedback. in swaps that have been run in the past the hosts have been very encouraging towards letting new members join and open to alternate feedback and have offered to help them build up feedback with private trades. Just because you weren't here to see it doesn't mean it hasn't happened. We have a pretty good system here and do what we can to make sure people feel encouraged. Not all swaps are open to all people, but throghout the year there are swaps for just about everyone.
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MOD WARNING: Please keep this on subject.
I do not want this turning into a "newbie vs veteran" discussion.
swaps come up all the time that are newbie friendly.
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When I was a newbie jupiternwndrlnd was kind enough to co-host a newbie swap for me when I had a swap idea, the swap was made for newbies (such as myself at the time) to earn feedback and get experience. Later this spring when things are calmer for me outside ponyland, my current swap is over and my baby's surgery is over with I may consider running a swap just for newbies to help them get feedback and experience again.
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Just want to pop in a big THANK YOU to the members willing to take the time to run swaps, they are so much fun! Also another thank you to reliable swappers, couldn't do it without ya!
I told myself it would be a while before I hosted again, but man, Diamond's carousel idea is top notch!
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i would love to host a monochrome color swap! fun fun
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Just want to pop in a big THANK YOU to the members willing to take the time to run swaps, they are so much fun! Also another thank you to reliable swappers, couldn't do it without ya!
I told myself it would be a while before I hosted again, but man, Diamond's carousel idea is top notch!
Do eeet!
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i would love to host a monochrome color swap! fun fun
I think someone else might already have one in the works.
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Just want to pop in a big THANK YOU to the members willing to take the time to run swaps, they are so much fun! Also another thank you to reliable swappers, couldn't do it without ya!
I told myself it would be a while before I hosted again, but man, Diamond's carousel idea is top notch!
Do eeet!
If you do, I would so have to play!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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The only catalogued working and gauging interest swaps atm are:
Ponies on Vacation Swap
Steampunk Pony Swap
Mythology Swap
Love Swap
Mash-Up Swap
Cherry Blossom Swap
I think a monochrome swap would be super cool! I've seen one person's work especially that always keeps the eyes colored the same as the body and it looks sooooo cool, I've been wanting to try it :)
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A Carousel one would rock!!!
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I am running an animal swap too.
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I am running an animal swap too.
Oh ya, I've clicked on your thread it seems like a dozen times lol
It wasn't on the list of Swaps, I'm confused... are only some of the swaps listed there? :o
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I am running an animal swap too.
Oh ya, I've clicked on your thread it seems like a dozen times lol
It wasn't on the list of Swaps, I'm confused... are only some of the swaps listed there? :o
its a new swap -- sometimes it takes us time to update the list.
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I am running an animal swap too.
Oh ya, I've clicked on your thread it seems like a dozen times lol
It wasn't on the list of Swaps, I'm confused... are only some of the swaps listed there? :o
its a new swap -- sometimes it takes us time to update the list.
Oh, so it skipped over the gauging interest part? I'd figure there'd obviously be interest in that swap, so that's understandable.
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I am running an animal swap too.
Oh ya, I've clicked on your thread it seems like a dozen times lol
It wasn't on the list of Swaps, I'm confused... are only some of the swaps listed there? :o
its a new swap -- sometimes it takes us time to update the list.
Oh, so it skipped over the gauging interest part? I'd figure there'd obviously be interest in that swap, so that's understandable.
No, it gauged interest a while back.
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Such awesome ideas! I love carousal animals...I'd really want to be in that swap (so please don't start it too soon, lol). And a color swap! <3
Something I've love to see is a dessert swap. Wouldn't a red velvet pony or a blackberry cobbler pony be adorable?
Or a sport swap--could be a team pony (go Panthers!) or an activity (yay! Marathons!)
Birthsign swap! Make your partner a pony based on their sign/birth year (could be zodiac, or Chinese birth year animals or your birth month flower/gem/etc!)
"When I Grow Up" swap--make a pony based on what you wanted to be when you grew up (so you could have a firefighter pony, or a teacher pony, or a 'trophy wife' pony or a Princess Firefighter Doctor President pony)
There could be a lot of really fun, cute ideas. I know personally, I wouldn't be able to run a swap for a while...too much going on! I'm really grateful to everyone who is running a swap or has in the past--it's a big responsibility and it is so awesome to participate in a well run swap!
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We did a birthday/zodiac swap a while ago, it went pretty well.
I would LOVE a dessert swap, that's ab awesome idea. Food ponies are my favorites.
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I pitched a food swap idea in the old arena ... maybe I can run it after Ponies on Vacation is done (if it even gets enough participants ... Hah.)
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theyre all awesome ideas, I recon birthsign, dessert and when i grow up would be great swaps! but would prefer they run later on, so ive time to become more than a newbie!!
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I hope some more pop up but I understand why we aren't seeing many. I really appreciate everyone who hosts a swap. It definitely takes a lot of time, stress, and dedication. The stress part is why I don't host one. The stress of tracking everyones pony when it comes time to shipping would drive me crazy. I stress way too much when I ship my own pony. Can't imagine that times 15 or 20.
Just thought of a swap that I would love to participate in:
G1 to G3/G4 Masquerade Pony
I would love to see one of my three favorite G1 ponies turned into a beautiful masquerade pony.
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Just thought of a swap that I would love to participate in:
G1 to G3/G4 Masquerade Pony
I would love to see one of my three favorite G1 ponies turned into a beautiful masquerade pony.
That would be awesome!
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One of my goals this year is try to be host for a swap (i want to do a henna one), but before it, i must to finish all my pending customs.
Also i need to start a gaugin interest thread about it and see what happens (last year i talked about a cultural and ethnicity swap, but get never approved and some people be offended about the subject) so i´m a little discouraged and afraid that this one be rejected too, so we´ll see
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One of my goals this year is try to be host for a swap (i want to do a henna one), but before it, i must to finish all my pending customs.
Also i need to start a gaugin interest thread about it and see what happens (last year i talked about a cultural and ethnicity swap, but get never approved and some people be offended about the subject) so i´m a little discouraged and afraid that this one be rejected too, so we´ll see
Oooh a henna one would be so amazing, I see a lot of people on here posting custom with henna style designs :)
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Dessert swap is SUCH a great idea...masquerade too
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I hosted PonyIsland Swap on PI. Given how many cop outs I had for entry level ponies, I'd rather see one done through here and I woudn't mind hosting this if there were enough interest.
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PI swap? Like, make someone's PI pony into a custom? That would be AWESOME. I'd be so in!
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I hosted PonyIsland Swap on PI. Given how many cop outs I had for entry level ponies, I'd rather see one done through here and I woudn't mind hosting this if there were enough interest.
YES!!! I'd be interested too!! I've been itching to make a couple of my most loved PI ponies into pretty customs... a swap like this would be just the kick I'd need ;)
~Princess Of Darkness~
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Tell ya what folks, After I'm through the mythology swap, I'd totally host the PonyIsland Swap(if I can get approval). This would totes have to be a level-based swap because of some of the sculpting involved for the later breeds. I'd love to see my triple-viz mountie girl in custom, but I wouldn't assign that to a newb.
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Star wars swap would be soooo frikkin epic!!!!!