I'm glad.

I don't want newgrounds to change too much

The questionary responses to choose in the april fools day showed that the NG team knows sarcasm and approach the topic though bitter, but upright with good ideas in mind. I for one always appreciated the blamming system as a handbrake but did not blam too many entries at all. I am open for new methods. Especially for the scouting system which to me always felt like a wall you have to overcome somehow, maybe even by cheating or being an ass begging for attention.

So far, no consequences come from the decision and noone really knows what they will be. It's good to think about new ways to make NewGrounds the future place to be and stay for creative folk.

When the NG Player comes along I do wonder how this'll all tie together. Would be useful indeed.

Same here. Just gotta find that optimal balance between nostalgia and progress. Not change what works for the worse, but also not not change what isn't working as well as it could simply because it's always been that way... tough choices.

The Aprils fool joke was Great. The EU socialist laws make me angry trough. But it is still a good thing the joke reminded us of those tyrannical things.

It's sad how political agenda of bureaucrats impacts lives and entertainment of millions of people who just want to create and enjoy digital media in peace and freedom.

All internet users, NG users included must fight for free internet. Free internet = free thought.

I am worried about blamming going away. I actually think too few submissions get blammed. I would like to see everything south of 2.5 stars blammed. That would reduce a lot of crappy noise content. Would save hosting for NG too.

I'm still waiting for some tools to better organize your art like gallery folders or just overhauled playlists feature. I wonder if projects rework is going to be useful for this.

Also, we need bigger thumbnails and extra row of "latest art" in profile.

That actually kinda reminds me - I wanted to ask something about the Project overhaul. Right now on the project page, we can see the number of views that our published projects have, along with the rating it currently holds and what other genre/rating/fun stuff pertains to it, which is a lot better IMO than going into the project itself to see those stats (which adds a view to said project). In the overhaul, will we be able to see those same things on the project page?

I personally hated the april fools day prank, i know it was for protest and all that, but just not being able to use the side for a whole day just felt a bit on the cruel side, maybe even a bit extreme.

And about the whole judging system, I also think that it shouldn't be removed, and you said that there aren't enough animations getting blammed these days right? Well, maybe we should up the entry quality a bit, like only 2.5 stars can get in, or heck maybe only 3 star movies if lack of blamming is concerned.

Because as it is right now with only two stars I'm seeing a lot of spam-ish movies getting passed and mean while seperating undiscovered artists and discovered artists apart from each other kind of feels like a segregation of sorts and will make getting fans seem like a more daunting task and kind of reminds me how youtube favors certian creators until they become popular or do something seen as good and punishes creators that don't know how exactly to stand out or do something seen as bad.

I'm just saying all discovery should be seen as equal, and this discovery system doesn't seem to be that.

When I went on the site the other day, I literally thought it was real until I realized the date. LOL!!!!!!!!

Are there any plans to add scheduled publishing? I'd love to be able to upload a file and then have it publish at a certain time a few days later.

Make EU not terrible again

your prank called me a european

But you COULD use the site, you just had to play with the questionnaire answers til you got all the most 'murican ones!

Let me just toss my hat into the ring about the UJ system and blamming being well,blammed.I'm in the court that it should stay.Now a lot of people have made some well constructed argumentive points that I be repeating,because I've got my own unique reasons for its defense.

The problem isn't that the UJ system isn't effective because it is.If you've ever seen a Jimqusition episode about Steam's lack of quality control,then you'd understand why some kind of gatekeeping policy needs to stay implemented.Also,as someone pointed out earlier,all one has to do is look at the obituaries from back in the day to find that the lists are quite extensive.As Todd Howard would say, "it just works".But now,the problem isn't the system,it's the lack of participation.There are a few reasons for that.

1)It's no secret that Newground's user base has been suffering and taken some massive blows to its numbers.So less people there are,the less people are going to vote on UJ content.Common sense,right?

2)People are busy.These days people are have little free time/or are just lazy,so they'd rather vote on the conent that's right in front of them rather than seeking it out.So what can we do to correct these problems?Easy,we have to promote the hell out of it!In every one of your forum posts Tom you're always urging people to become a supporter,I think you caould also dedicate a few sentances encouraging users to vote on UJ content.It'll make the people who read them aware of their existence,and possibly WANT to vote on these things!The reason no one is making use of it is because no one is talking about it!One thing that might help with participation is if we increased the value of voting on UJ stuff.Someone already mentioned doubling the XP,but we already get double XP on NewGrounds holidays,and (correct me if I'm wrong)on the weekends.I think instead we should make UJ content give double the blam/protect points on NewGrounds holidays;because doesn't the Portal see an up-tick of uploaded content on these special days of the year?It would actually reward people for digging through the Portal and voting on fresh content.

Now let's move on to my other point,which is voting.Right now the UJ is a system that encourages voting,thus earning XP and making use of the blam/protect ranks that affect one's voting power.So the whole system actively thrives on a system of voting and rewards those who partake in it granting them more voting power,and thus a more influential presence in the community.Now it appears that this new "scouting" system would not.Without a reason to vote on content,there would be no way to increase one's VP,and with blamming being removed the VP bonuses from one's blam/protect rank would be worthless.So with less influnce in the voting system,why even bother voting at all anymore?I mean,the most popular content on this site get the most views and comments,what difference would its vote score make?The main reason to vote is to either blam or save an UJ movie/game.With that consequence gone it won't matter how low a piece of content's score gets;it'll only be judged by the amount of views/comments it gets.As others have said,that's how other social media sites work,and if people actually wanted that,then they'd be staying there instead of coming to NewGrounds.Hell,that's why this site has that name;it's because people want to explore NEW GROUNDS!!They want to experience something different and unique,something they can't get anywhere else;and NewGrounds should provide that.

Now for my final point,am I the only worried about how these changes will affect Clock Day?Because isn't half the fun of that holiday just voting 5 on everything UJ in the Portal for the free XP and and save points?Without our current system,that classic NewGrounds tradition of such a beloved holiday is just going to be swept under the rug;nothing more than a faded memory of those who got to experience it.People will still make Clock Crew related movies,games,music,and art,but the PARTICIPATION part of the holiday is half of the fun!Plus,it's the only way for non-content creators to celebrate that day!Hell,it's BECAUSE of this current system that gave us this awesome and beloved part of NG culture!Now imagine what it would be without it.

So with all of that said,here's what I'm proposing.We put this new change to a vote;or we treat it like newly uploaded piece of content.We put it "Under Judgement",so to speak.If it doens't get enough votes in favor of it,then we "blam" it and keep the system as is;if it DOES get enough votes to "pass judgement",then we change it to the new system.

WE the people of NewGrounds should have the right to vote on our ability to vote!WE should get to decide how we wish to support and prop-up each other's content! I think it's only fair to let us decide,because we're the ones who are going to be using it.Remember,this place's slogan is "Everything by EVERYONE"!

If you're in the camp of keeping the current system,then please spread this message around! I'd like to know people's thoughts and opinions about my ideas,and what else can be added to the debate.I don't care if you have to copy+paste my comment,just do it!

The Newgrounds Player sounds interesting. It could seriously show some promise going forward! Any plans on using it as the basis for a mobile app (free & supporter ver)?

It was a pain in the ass, until you firgured out the correct answers.

It was a teaching moment with the quiz.

It has been harder and harder to get blams these days.

Its a good thing that I am a great quiz taker. I had plenty to accomplish on April first.

1

Scheduled publishing has been a plan for over a decade now... Some day it will be a reality but it probably won't be part of the current project system overhaul unless things happen to be going really really well and we go for it.

I am excited to see the possibility of getting rid of the B/P system. I don't think it has accomplished its original purpose (or any real purpose) for a long time.

I'd love to see content vetted via an expanded/revamped whistle system or something of the sort that addressed some of the actual things that need to be addressed with new submissions. The internet had changed and the laws surrounding copyright as only going to get more murky. So Newgrounds taking a pro-active route with a malleable system would be more than welcome.

It totally has. Its purpose (and the purpose of the entire UJ system) is to get people to vote on the newest submissions. Another purpose is to keep crap off the site. It does that. A lot of crap does get through and less stuff does get blammed, but less stuff is uploaded and crap really does get blammed.

Are you suggesting flagging in the place of blamming? I don't really understand, could you elaborate?

Maybe hold a submission form like with the April fools prank about UJ; the only vocal input is opposition and it’s hard to tell how many people are lukewarm or pro-scouting.

The art portal generally has good stuff in Scouted and there’s a consistent enough threshold of quality that’s arguably higher than movies (can’t comment on games personally). With that said, it seems like unifying that system would be more consistent and serve the same exploration purpose, but the debate comes into who’s exploring. The rankings also hold weight since that’s another thing people that have been grinding will miss, and even though I’m pro-scouting, I’d feel sad if they lost that. Hopefully a substitute ranking system for early voters could grandfather in B/P and keep that culture going

Based on the feedback in this thread, I have a feeling we won't rush to do anything drastic with blams and judgment and will prioritize other projects instead. I'm still tempted to try adding a scout layer to games and movies, which would result in less stuff coming through judgment but would help established artists get their work going immediately.

Hi everyone, hope you are doing good!

I think it was a brilliant idea to dare that kind of thing. It lets understand the message in a pratical way. Since I started using newgrounds back in early 2000's it was the first time it give me a good punch in the face and oh boy there are some artistic material on here that gives a punch already!

Also the geographical survey was really really nice, I loved the loading messages that kept me waiting to just put me back where I started. Ha great game! xD

Well done and thank you for using newgrounds as a real platform that communicates with everyone.

Also well done on your player can't wait to see that, you deserve all the success and the support!

Take care.

i have plans for you tom after that stunt you pulled earlier this week. You watch it!

If you really want to get back him, suck his dick and feed him tacos. That'll show em.

Wait, I need to make some enemies.

Regardless of anything please don't remove the B/P system, this the only art site still on the internet with an actual quality threshold, and even if in practice most people tend to be "good enough" the *threat* of it has always been significant and I feel it silently pushes people to try a little harder than they would otherwise, even people who would obviously never get their work blammed.

I be honest, Article 13 is most useless article I ever seen. I guess fair use don't exist there.

I will say that April Fool joke have me laughing my ass off yet terrified because it will happen soon.

Also Tom, I have issues on Mobile version here, nothing working like fav, add comment, giving rating or submitting artwork. Like I can't do anything.

yeah because no one asked for blams to be gone

Sure but what does that say about the crowd that's spoken up, is that just the people that DO still care about it? I just meant I don't think this is fully representative, but is still nonetheless valued input of course.

Getting rid of blams on Newgrounds is a pretty important and big change so I'd like to assume that most people who have something to say about it, would say it. It's not some minor feature that quietly gets added, that people will hate for a week and forget about. It's a major part of the site pretty much since the start. People will discuss it, and they have been. You could call it controversial in that sense, where it brings up discussion and everyone will have an opinion or thought to add to it.

Hope it's not too late to throw my own 2 cents in on the blams thing... I come back from a little trip and wow, very controversy.

I'm actually pretty neutral on how the judgement system works. Over the last few days talking to some people has made me appreciate more how Newgrounds maintains a quality threshold different from other sites and how that threshold continues to remain important. It's been cool to read all the discussion from both sides.

One thing I've found interesting here is that Tom and PG aren't just trying to change the rules, they're addressing tone. They're talking about taking the attention away from negative judgement (blams) and putting it more on positive judgement (scouting/discovering). They've referred specifically to the verbage used in these cases - taking away the "blam" and replacing "unscouted" with "undiscovered".

I don't think we're just talking about how we use Newgrounds here. We're also talking about the role Newgrounds plays next to current-state YouTube and Reddit and Tumblr. If a creator happens to decide to consider moving from there to here, if we're going to have a judgement process, it needs to still be welcoming enough to invite them in. Those terms, "blam" and "unscouted", make NG feel like an exclusive club that they're not invited to and turn them off.

Like I said, I'm kinda neutral on whether users should be able to vote content off the page. But I LOVE that Tom is working towards reshaping and streamlining the system for a more modern userbase! Now that's a step in the direction towards getting users off their YouTube and Reddit butts and giving Newgrounds a try. The more complicated and archaic the system is, as much as we old chestnuts love it, the more the rest of the internet gets turned off. And, like Tom said in this thread, all it takes is reading the word "blam" for a creator on the fence to go press that big juicy YouTube upload button instead.

I think judgement features help make NG what it is, but a system that evokes the mid-2000s in 2019 hurts our opportunity for growth. CMV