Attached Link: Poser Staff Picks

Here are this week's Staff Picks.

Congrats to you all! Great work!

Poser Gallery Staff

The staff picks are all glossily pretty, but lack any real originality in content.
dph

2nd one was nice though.

I said that they were glossily pretty, but to me they look more like Merchandise Showcase pics, than any thought provoking art. Where's the underlying message that all art should convey.
dph

David these are staff pick from Renderosity which is a store. No wonder they look like promo pictures.I agree they do.

Quote - I said that they were glossily pretty, but to me they look more like Merchandise Showcase pics, than any thought provoking art. Where's the underlying message that all art should convey.
dph

Not all art needs to have a message.  Sometimes there's art for the sake of art.

Such art is usually vacuous in nature.
dph

Quote - 2nd one was nice though.

Yes, but why exactly is she in that pose?!  Where's the enemy, where's the menace?  Upon whom or what is she leaping in attack?  It's just an empty pose!  And her eyes, where is the 'Battle Madness'?  Her mouth, where is the scream of challenge?

Vacuous!
dph

Why can't we just call them pretty pictures and let those enjoy them who do enjoy them, and those ignore them who don't? Why this fuss over nothing of any consequence?

 David, you've been told before, these are the images that we, the forum staff, have picked in our gallery rounds as the ones we like.  You are free to post, in this threads, images that you feel could use some attention.  However, desparaging the ones we have chosen is not fair to the artists.  
We pick the ones WE like, and our tastes are not going to be similar to yours.  

No offense to the staff, but I stopped caring what Staff Picks were a long time. If you're going to post a thread about them and not expect people to give their honest opinions in the thread, don't post them in a thread! Make them some sort of announcement that people can't comment on. It's really that simple.

Quote - No offense to the staff, but I stopped caring what Staff Picks were a long time. If you're going to post a thread about them and not expect people to give their honest opinions in the thread, don't post them in a thread! Make them some sort of announcement that people can't comment on. It's really that simple.

Lost, that is fine if you don't care about the staff picks but some members do. And to make rude comments about a member's work is not acceptable.

The old saying: if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Easy as that.

Nice work all, I really enjoyed the work "Été d'Amour" the backdrop was a neat touch, it reminds me of a french poster I have.

Quote - > Quote - No offense to the staff, but I stopped caring what Staff Picks were a long time. If you're going to post a thread about them and not expect people to give their honest opinions in the thread, don't post them in a thread! Make them some sort of announcement that people can't comment on. It's really that simple.

Lost, that is fine if you don't care about the staff picks but some members do. And to make rude comments about a member's work is not acceptable.

First off. I made no rude comments about the members works and neither did David. I suggest you read what David wrote again. There wasn't anything rude in his comments. He posted his opinion on their artistic merits. Again, if you don't want comments. Don't make the Staff Picks a thread where people can respond with their opinions. It's that simple.

Quote -
The old saying: if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.
Easy as that.

Is that a new TOS rule? If so I'd like it in the TOS where it belongs. Opinions may not be nice, but as long as they don't break the TOS they're still allowed as far as the rules currently are written.

Quote - Why can't we just call them pretty pictures and let those enjoy them who do enjoy them, and those ignore them who don't? Why this fuss over nothing of any consequence?

The fuss happens when images are picked out for "Special" concideration and then people are told not to pay special attention to them with their comments.

The point of the Staff Picks thread is not a critique thread. If you wish to make a comment on an image picked you can leave a comment on the image itself.

And no Lost, that quote is not in the TOS.  It is something you should already know and put in effect when making comments about other members and their art..

Ryus, Seriously. When you post a thread, here of all places, the only way you're going to stop people from commenting is to lock the thread. Which leads back to, why don't you just make Staff Picks an announcement at the top of the forums like all the other announcements. Then people can go read and not leave the comments that seem to be annoying the heck out of you. My point is simple. If you don't want discussion about the topic, don't make a discussion thread.

Lost, I'm going to state this one more time...when the Staff Picks thread is made it is NOT for critiques on the images this is to say Congrats to your fellow members that images were picked by the staff for that week.

My point is Simple. Not a critique thread. Yes to "Congrats to this week's picks".

I will NOT lock any of the threads for the staff picks. And I am done debating this issue with you.

 Our Staff picks are no different than the local library or bookstore having their staff pick their own books of the week, or the local record store doing the same.

This is something that we have been doing for years, and will not stop doing so.  If you don't like it, don't open the thread.  Like any other thread.  

Quote - If you don't like it, don't open the thread.  Like any other thread.  

Words to live by.

"Learn it.  Know it.  Live it."
                  - Brad Hamilton

 Guess he wasn't happy cause none of them had Dork in it?  lol

I was honored to be picked.  I feel I've come a very long way in six months and with the curves that life has thrown of late, it is a bright spot, even if some people think my picture wasn't original or worthy.  

:)

Thank you, Staff!

Actually these picks make me go have a look and once there I continue to cruise through. I don't think the thread should be locked, some folks like the staff picks and some don't. As stated above if you don't like them don't open the thread, that's pretty simple.

For me it's always cool to see what the Staff will pick...Beauty is in the eye of the beholder:) Keep up the good work guys

Look people. I never said anything about not liking the Staff picks. My gripe was the censorship being foisted on this thread with Mods telling people what they can and can not say, irregardless of whether it was a TOS violation or not.

Apparently Jen and Ryus think they can make up their own rules on what people can post in threads that have nothing to do with the TOS says. Neither I nor DP broke any Terms of service rules with our posts to this thread but were told to move along. Period.  To me that, reeks of censorship and favoritism.

I'm liking Apple_UK's stuff as far as Poser renders go.

I like her stuff too. She's one of the few Sci-Fi artists in my watchlist. She's got a story in her head just beating it's way out and I like that.

 LostInSpaceman, no one's saying "you can't say whatever".  Basically, it falls along this principle:  We post these because they're what catch our eyes.  If you don't like them, that's fine, but it's no reason to desparage the images contained therein.  Which is what you guys were doing.  If you see images posted that you find people need to know about, feel free to post them.  We all have different tastes.  You and I are probably not going to share the same tastes on everything, but I don't see a reason why you guys shouldn't share what you like, rather than complain about what  we DO pick.
So, in the end, it's kind of like choosing to sit in a dark room and complain how dark it is...instead of getting up and walking 2 feet to flip the switch and turn on the light.  You can't change our tastes, but you can share yours.

Jen, show me where I "disparaged" your picks in this thread. You can't do it or you would have already. What I did say was that I didn't care what Staff Picks were.

Quote - No offense to the staff, but I stopped caring what Staff Picks were a long time. 

 I have a right under the TOS to say that. It wasn't disparaging the artists you picked or even your choice, it was merely voicing that I didn't care what you guys picked because as you say, we do not share the same tastes.

Quote -  LostInSpaceman, no one's saying "you can't say whatever". 

 
But Jen, Ryus DID say basically just that! Ryus took it over the line to censorship when she said we could only post encouraging remarks and congratulations in the staff picks threads.

Quote - Lost, I'm going to state this one more time...when the Staff Picks thread is made it is NOT for critiques on the images this is to say Congrats to your fellow members that images were picked by the staff for that week.

I'm sorry but that's just plain out censorship and that is what I don't like about staff picks. That's why I call favoritism when you try telling people they can't voice their opinion in an open thread even if it's not against the TOS, it's apparently against somebody's personal choice for the thread and you've placed that choice above the TOS.  Do you see my point yet?

It's not about your choices being bad. It's about you guys saying these are what we find best and don't you dare contradict us.

First off Lost I never stated YOU yourself made anything bad remarks.

" And to make rude comments about a member's work is not acceptable."

That sentence was made in general. 

"It's not about your choices being bad. It's about you guys saying these are what we find best and don't you dare contradict us."

Lastly, this thread is put up to share the Staff picks.. not for others to argue with something that has already been done.  Like Jen said above, you may not agree with our picks but If you don't like what we have chose... do not reply. Simply as that. I will continue to put these threads up every week. Don't like them... do not click on it.

 OMFG, seriously?  You're taking what she said out of context to go out of your way to take offense to it.

THIS IS SOMETHING WE DO THAT IS FUN.  IT IS NOT MANDATORY THAT YOU TAKE PART, AND THAT INCLUDES OPENING THE THREAD.  IF YOU WISH TO COMMENT/CRITIQUE THE IMAGES, PLEASE DO SO ON THE IMAGES.

It's not that we're saying you can't make comments, what we're saying is that this thread isn't the place to critique and/or comment on the images.  If you or anyone else wishes to, we've provided the links DIRECTLY to the images on the staff pics page.  Voila.  Think about it this way...if we picked your image, and someone commented here that the images contained in our pics were vapid and devoid of meaning, wouldn't it sting a little?

I know that the critique of the staff picks is aimed at the staff, and, quite frankly, we've got pretty thick skin.  However, the vitriol aimed at us tends to splatter and hit people who don't deserve it, like the members who's images we picked to showcase.

There is a reason we started this.  We try to showcase art that ISN'T making it into the Hot 100.  Because, frankly, it's a lot of the same images and artists week after week.  And, that's fine, and it's community-driven.  We choose images that are posted in the gallery, and each of our opinions on what we like is different.  And, sometimes, especially with someone like me, likes change from week to week.  

Also, you're right, the TOS doesn't say you can't speak your mind, but it does say this:

"Members and users are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that is constructive and respectful of others at all times. Additionally, we hope that each member/user will work to facilitate a culture of collaboration and positive reinforcement, so we can all share our passion for art while developing our personal ambitions, and friendships."

So, while it's not technically a TOS violation to be rude, it's not going to endear you to anyone, either.  We DO expect that you all to treat each other like you'd like to be treated, and tend to remember the way members treat others when they complain how they're treated by others in the forum.

 heh...crossposted ;)  My statement still stands, though ;)

Quote - First off Lost I never stated YOU yourself made anything bad remarks.

If you could read you would have noticed I was responding to Jen who said that I personally had made disparaging remarks.

Quote - Lastly, this thread is put up to share the Staff picks.. not for others to argue with something that has already been done.  Like Jen said above, you may not agree with our picks but If you don't like what we have chose... do not reply. Simply as that. I will continue to put these threads up every week. Don't like them... do click on it.

And this is where you've crossed the line. That is censorship. It's against what's in the TOS and it's just plain wrong.

 Good lord.  My freaking bad for saying "you guys".  I apologize.  David was the one to desparage the images, not you.

Regardless, screaming "censorship" is a moot point.  We're not saying "You can't say this, or you'll be punished!!"  But, c'mon, let's be real.  This isn't a debate or critique thread.  It's not fair to the members who's images were picked to pick them apart here, where they may not exactly be aware that they're being referenced.

We are not saying you can't say this or that. Poser staff pick threads are not critique threads.  Comment on images/post like you would like people to comment on something of yours thats all we ask from the members.

I didn't take Ryus out of context. When you tell someone what they can and can not post. It is censorship. I'm not saying people should have a right to rag on your picks, but I didn't rag on them. DP did NOT rag on them. He questioned their artistic merits. From there it went downhill to us being told to basically keep our traps shut.

No one said shut your traps.  Just that this thread isn't the place for it.  AND, NO, IT IS NOT THE SAME THING.

Like I said, attack us all you want.  But, I'd prefer it if you attacked us on things where members wouldn't have a chance of getting runoff from it.  You may not see it as that, but, seriously, I don't understand your fervor on this matter if the concept of this thread doesn't matter to you in the first place. 

All the staff picks are are images that each of the staff happen to like that week. Nothing more, nothing less. There just isn't anything more to it than that. :o). And as we all know, people like what they like. It may not be what you like or what someone else likes, but it's what they like...lol. And that's really all there is to it. It's innocent in the utmost ;o). I really don't understand what all the blather is about.

Laurie

Jen, when was the last time you saw a thread that stayed 100% On Topic in this forum? My fervor as you call it is because I'm tired of the "Because We Said So" attitude I'm seeing in the forums both here and elsewhere.

How ever you want to color it, these are open forums and people will come along and comment on threads that exist here, on topic or off. Telling someone they can't do something in a thread because "It's not for that purpose, it's for this purpose" just goes against the grain and whether you like it or not, is a form of censorship. You can tell me you're not telling me what I can and can not say all you want, but basically, yes you are. I'm sorry you can't see that.

I understand that there are TOS's and I live with that most of the time, my long standing here pretty much proves that.  I've gotten into some hum dinger arguments but I've never had a single ban and if I've had any warnings, "Officially" they were so long ago that I don't recall what they were for.

I've even run a few forums in my days of computing so I'm not ignorant of what goes on behind the scenes. I know you guys have a tough job and at times I make it tougher, but as moderators, I hold you guys up to a higher standard than I do regular users of the forums.

 OMFG.

Seriously, I give up.  Do what you want.  Let's turn this into a thread about artichokes.  Because that's where it was headed.

Seriously, though.  All we're saying is, instead of being negative all the time about whatever, can we just get along?  FOR REAL.  Or do we have to spend 2 or so hours not doing work elsewhere on the site or working on other things for the community arguing sentiments when basically all we're saying is "If it can be helped at all, please don't be a jerk to other members".  We're not asking anyone to be nice to US.  But, if you're (collectively, not pointedly) not going to respect the request (yes, that's what it was, a request!) of a staff member to respect your fellow members, we can't expect you to respect a request from a member.

Also, the reason thread drift happens is conversation.  Not "I feel like doing this, therefore I will do it".  This wasn't thread drift, it was a direct "I don't like this, therefore I will make a nasty comment."  While not a TOS violation, it's also not welcome in the forum.  We won't delete it, it won't be on your record, but we remember it.

That's ok Jen, We have memories too. Basically, you're saying you hold a grudge and maybe not here, but let's say "Twitter" you'll just go and call me the word you really wanted to use instead of "Jerk". That's Muy Mature.

 Or, you could check the timestamp, and realize that I wasn't even talking about you.  

Or, you could be that vain, and think that I spend all of my time worrying and posting about things that happen here on other sites.

Or you could just be BSing because you basically repeated the same thing in this thread that you posted to Twitter two hours ago only you changed the wording. I'm not the one who has their "Twitter feed" using TOSable wordage on their home page here.

 Right, lol, because my life revolves around this site.  I don't have a family and I never leave my house, so I couldn't POSSIBLY be talking about the "dick" that cut me off and almost ran me into the cut-out part of the road construction while I was on the way to CVS to replenish the formula I spilled all over the carpet.  I would never do that!!  I never leave my computer!!  sigh

 Oh, btw, that last one was for you.  I waved.  Thanks for watching!  

My god, can't this be dropped already?! The horse has BEEN dead and is now just a greasy spot.

BTW...

Anyone have any calamine lotion? I have a rash...

Laurie

Simple solution, lock the "Staff Pick" threads and suggest that people comment on the images directly.

 We could, but sometimes the people who are chosen like to express their thanks in the thread...and we shouldn't have to pre-lock threads simply because a couple members don't like it.  It's like any other thread started by anyone.  

(stated generally to the thread, not to anyone in particular)  
Jen shouldn't have to lock a staff picks thread, it's an established thing by now and there's a reason it's called "Staff Picks" and not "here's what's popular this week".  The one time one of my images was chosen made me feel pretty good that someone noticed the work I put into it.  No one was required to like it.   Had that thread turned the way this has it would have generated some bad feelings, something that really isn't necessary and is really unfair to those whose images were chosen.   

This thread wouldn't have turned out the way it did if someone didn't feel the need to tell someone else not to post here in the first place. It could have ended by just ignoring the remarks instead of making an issue out of them. I'm just sayin'. You say it's like any other thread, but it was being treated like hallowed ground had been pooped on.

Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it.

I'm just saying there's a time and place. 

Wouldn't hurt to make this a sticky thread each cycle, until the next started - my vote.

With the 8 billion images uploaded a month, this is a great idea without being dependent on hits or number of comments. Highlights folks.