Featured Images Technology

zeedaam's picture
Submitted by zeedaam on Wed, 2005/08/10 - 8:50pm.

This is just a sneak peak into the way things will work with images and ranking on the site. I'm hoping to get comments and suggestions too.

Featured Images

The ultimate day-to-day goal of the site will be to get your images featured. The featured images will be chosen by a private jury.

Votes on your images and others will not count towards being featured. The votes are only there for you to see where your strength and weaknesses are. To help you evaluate your progress and see where you need to increase your efforts.

The jury will remain private so that there is no cheating or backstabbing involved. Jurors must be members, must volunteer, and must be chosen by the administration. An image will have to be selected by at least 50% (to be determined) of the jurors before being promoted to "featured". So if for example there are currently 5 jurors, then an image will be promoted to featured when it receives 3 approvals from the jurors.

Featured images will be the best images on the site and will be featured in their own gallery, as well as the front page.

Rank and Title

Other than the coolness factor of your image being featured, there are ranks and titles that will be associated with your progression on the site. For example, when your receive one image featured in photo-art, you will gain the title of Novice Photoartist. When you get 5 featured images in a chosen category, you will be granted the title of Expert Photoartist, and the top tier will be Master Photoartist. The number required for each rank is still to be determined, but you get the idea.

The ultimate achievement title with the featured images will be Artalyst Elite. This would require getting master in all of the available categories. All users can get their images featured, but only members will get the titles and ranks. If you were to get 5 featured images, then decide to become a member, the previous featured images will count retroactively. The same goes for those who cancel membership for a while, then reinstate it later. The only difference in this ranking, is that when you are no longer a member, you have no title. But it will be held for you when you become a member again.

Display of Ranks and Titles

Display of ranks and titles will be with icons next to your name anywhere it shows up on the site. When you hover over an icon, a description will pop up to show you what the title is and how you get it. Admins, moderators and Elites will most likely have a different colored name as well.

So please, let me know what you think. Any ideas before I finalize the coding on this? 


LosdaBear's picture

Submitted by LosdaBear on Wed, 2005/08/10 - 9:22pm.

Sounds pretty cool, I think there should be a few more jurors than 5 though...


madame_ava's picture

Submitted by madame_ava on Wed, 2005/08/10 - 10:53pm.

I like it all. Sounds very neat.


RebeccaBridges's picture

Submitted by RebeccaBridges on Thu, 2005/08/11 - 3:00pm.

Sounds great to me! Looking forward to all of it!


Timelode's picture

Submitted by Timelode on Thu, 2005/08/11 - 4:34pm.

Wow, this sounds cool. I really can't think of anything to do differently or better.

Los, I think Zeedaam was only using 5 as an example.


zeedaam's picture

Submitted by zeedaam on Thu, 2005/08/11 - 7:31pm.

and the number of jurors will be somewhat out of my hand. it would depend on the level of participation and willingness to volunteer. plus there are some who will want to be, but will not be chosen.


LosdaBear's picture

Submitted by LosdaBear on Fri, 2005/08/12 - 5:29am.

Yeah.. I know it would be hard to have even 5 jurors right now considering... I was just kind of commenting. But when there are 100's of photos a week or a day even submitted it will take more than 5 volunteers to chose.

As a not so aside, I think the jurors should be proven professionals or trained artists or proven amateurs like proven contest winners from Worth or such.


zeedaam's picture

Submitted by zeedaam on Fri, 2005/08/12 - 1:00pm.

picking an image as featured will be as easy as checking a box. I actually don't expect that good images will be bypassed, but images that don't really deserve featured will be chosen anyway.

my jurors in the past have been photographers, graphic designers and publishers. but these were people I know. I would expect that jurors I choose onsite would have good meaningful critiques on images, and appear to be impartial. cause as you know, it doesn't take an artist to fully appreciate art.


LosdaBear's picture

Submitted by LosdaBear on Fri, 2005/08/12 - 1:37pm.

Indeed, indeed. As you and everyone who has been here a while knows, some people think that you must be an accomplished artist to dole out an effective critique. All one really needs is an opinion and a little tact. But back to your point, every time I disagree with you I end up agreeing with you, what's with that?


zeedaam's picture

Submitted by zeedaam on Fri, 2005/08/12 - 1:51pm.

tact :-)


Eurydice's picture

Submitted by Eurydice on Sat, 2005/08/13 - 7:34pm.

I like the idea, it gives people an incentive to want to make art without really having to compete with anyone else except themselves.

As for a jury, at the moment, to me 5 seems amply sufficient.. as the site grows and there is a need for more, more could easily be added.

I also don't believe that anyone should have to prove that they are great artists to be on the jury. I know many people who appreciate art and can even critique it well and are not themselves artists. But I don't think though that just critiquing and being tactful is enough. You really need to understand about techniques, colors, composition and still leave room for the art, which is the most important part of it all.. it must be a blend of both. Jurors should be able to prove that they are unbiased and able to critique something mediocre even though it's made by a friend and they really like this person. We want the very best images to be featured no matter who the artist is and if we care for them or not.


zeedaam's picture

Submitted by zeedaam on Sat, 2005/08/13 - 9:15pm.

I believe the whole "cult" of the jury will be something similar to a secret society. I predict many many topics on it as well as controversy. But an unbiased secret jury is necessary to judge which images are featured and which are not.

All of this will play perfectly into the storyline though. I can't wait. I wish I could snap my fingers and make it all happen right now. And put it all on credit :)


RebeccaBridges's picture

Submitted by RebeccaBridges on Tue, 2005/08/16 - 1:53pm.

I think a secret jury is fine really, and I dont see it causing any controversy. Not when the whole point is choosing a great image. I would hope whomever it is though will be able to give a constructive critique. Afterall that is what most of us are after when we submit an image (or at least I am)!


LosdaBear's picture

Submitted by LosdaBear on Wed, 2005/08/17 - 4:27pm.

By saying 'proven' that's exactly what I mean Eury, that generally excludes those that have no training in the arts. Right now 5 would be okay because there aren't many images being submitted but increase that number and it will take a serious commitment to even just look at all the images let alone pick one or a dozen for selection.


Dex's picture

Submitted by Dex on Mon, 2005/10/03 - 9:12pm.

Ah, there was me thinking that I had already read everything, thanks for pointing it out. Sounds like a great plan, think I might of just caught this site at the right time.