LazyBucks 2013-06-09 09:29:25

This guy gets it.

I too noticed a lot of moaning threads and posts recently, thanks for taking the time to set them straight :)

Luis 2013-06-09 09:39:54

I kinda look at it as a means of rebirth, maybe the site's just become kind of saturated by negative spirits. Maybe just kinda letting those people drown out and move on isnt such a bad thing? Kinda clear out the people who for whatever reason are frusterated with life. Meh

I pretty much agree with your thoughts on being able to be low brow here

Luis 2013-06-09 09:44:55

i DO think that we as a website (and im talking about us here that work here) do need to be a little more agile in trying things out and accepting that some things work great and some fail, some are rough around the edges, whatever, but things are everchanging and we're trying new things. Good examples of this could be like in tweaking the front page, tweaking the under judgement system perhaps, adjusting the layout of the portals. These 'tweaks' may not be quite that easy and they may not be tweaks at all in a grand scheme/effort of things so maybe im talking out my ass, but i think that its a good time to really be aggressive about getting our hands dirty

TerryTimetable 2013-06-09 09:49:28

I agree with LazyBucks

Daker777NG 2013-06-09 09:55:03

Yeaah, that's more like it, i've readed so many posts about Newgrounds portal system sucking, that i started to believe it myself, but not really understanding the reason, and thanks to this post you've remembered me why i started to post things in Newgrounds in the first place, thank you man.

Slint 2013-06-09 10:33:06

okay

Tanadrine-Studios 2013-06-09 10:35:27

I agree entirely. I'd like to add though that there is yet another challenge Newgrounds faces that people often ignore/complain about... The website has to earn its bucks and offset the costs of operation. So, not ALL of Newground's featured submissions can consist of original works by individual artists because while the content might be good, the average joe usually wants something more familiar and that's what keeps the site alive. I know it isn't the #1 factor of content, but it still is a factor nonetheless. When the NG crew puts up videos on the front page, they have to think about returns as well.

Also, artists tend to rely too much on Newgrounds to pick up the slack for them. It isn't a replacement for getting your content out there, it is one of several hubs... the rest of the work with promotion, or ensuring quality content, lies squarely on the artist's shoulders. NG really needs this individual effort (especially now) as it will help to boost traffic to the site and in turn get more people to discover some of the great content here.

I like the portal system, but it does need some refinement on how its organized/displayed... there is definitely a layout that could be constructed that could convey more information to the viewer without hindering the content itself. Tom and the crew knows this already though, and I'm really glad they are working on it (like they always have)!

Anyhow, that's my 2¢ on it. Sometimes popularity can also come from consistency as well. Artists who regularly produce content are actually quite rare in comparison to people who upload 1-2 videos then vanish from the face of the earth. There's nothing wrong with gaining popularity from the trait of being a reliable artist who is willing to learn from their mistakes and pay attention to those who are kind enough to give feedback (good or bad).

TheMajormel 2013-06-09 10:43:46

AMEN, A-FUCKING-MEN.

ApprenticeBlacksmith 2013-06-09 10:49:31

Agreed.
I have been using Newgrounds since from first weeks it opened to puplic and always been amazed how well it is desinged. It's one of the oldest sites that have not really been down for long or had to change it's methods or how it works.
I got personally some pretty annoying problems when I made account here. First one didn't ever work. Second one got deleted in one of the major upgrades many years ago and third one got banned and never got answer from mod why it got banned. And now 4th account is actually working and Ive finally managed to share my tracks to ppl who don't like em :)
Anyway hope you do understand that back in 90s-early 2000 most of the computer users were already adults who paid by themself the computer and net. They did not have time to whine and troll about everything to grow their non-existing penises.
Nowadays every 5y got own pad or laptop and ofc they see more adult ppl joke around in the internet, a jokes that may seem bit trollish but still just for fun to everyone to laugh but young ones understand it totally wrong. Which leads to the trolling and whining that we see nowadays alot.
Ofc there is many 30-40y old ppl who does the same. Those have probably spend too much of their time front of bluescreen.
This is lil bit offtopic but what I hate in newgrounds community(animators) is that it feels like 90% of them are just copying others and not adding anything new to it either.
And ofc it has to be now this stupid style (yes it is poop and stypid, said grown up man) which was fun first time because of being unique. I mean the style where everything looks gross and non realisting. Eyes chaning size randomly everything is streching unnaturally and dicks and shit are flying randomly in the background when two assholes are frenchkissing eachothers.
Sorry about offtopic <_< and typoo english I am not from land of burgers nor tee.

Gibb50 2013-06-09 11:04:05

You speak nothing but the truth, good sir.

Gianni 2013-06-09 11:07:11

I feel like Newgrounds' bigger problem is that not enough people go to it. I wear my Newgrounds shirt out a bit, and people will either have no idea what a Newgrounds is, or they'll be like "Yeah, I remember going to that site to browse like stick cartoons and shit way back when I was in high school."

So then I wonder, if it's even possible to solve this problem and still keep the Newgrounds that all of us here know and love/hate. Because I look at what sites DO get huge followings, and it's all kinda dumbed down in its delivery. Tumblr being a big example. People browse lots of random shit on Tumblr or StumbleUpon or Facebook or whatever, and the appeal there is that they don't really have to look or choose or anything. Content is just FED to them, and then new content is fed to them based on when they go "Hey, I specifically like THIS content which was fed to me."

I'm surprised at how many artists aren't okay with failure. That's just the way. You fail but you keep going because it's what you want to win at. Then one day, because you were consistent, you'll get a real step towards what you want. Most things I do blow, but what am I gonna do, tap out? Nah. Bitch because I'm not getting my reward cookies anyway? Nah. I'm outclassed in every way, but I just try to keep learning and trying without losing touch with what makes my work specific to me.

Deemo-R 2013-06-09 12:04:37

Lovely <3

SpamClamberton 2013-06-09 12:18:08

Took the words right outta my mouth

ForgottenDawn 2013-06-09 12:53:25

Finally. Somebody that gets it.

Thank you for making such a post.
//FD

thatawkwardkid 2013-06-09 13:47:31

i couldent agree more. what gets me 20 views on youtube gets me over 600 views on newgrounds. people always complain about how they dont get 100 ,000 views and shit like that, when the dont understand how much 600 is. youtube does not give artist the exposer like newgrounds, and you have to build your way up. if you have the skills you can go big instantly on newgrounds. im just tired of kids joining and wanting to be "the next egoraptor". you have to do it cause you love it not because you want fame and money

W-P-S 2013-06-09 14:00:50

I remember back in the olden days when we had all these idiotic drama wars about how video game parodies were overrated and how "the original artist never got the spotlight" and yadda yadda yadda.
And there were a shitload of idiotic crews back then too.
And I actually participated in that shit, awkwardly enough.
I'd like to think I just did it to piss people off, but it's still silly.

I just wanted to say I agree with you.
Newgrounds is neato as fuck.
Sure, it might've been more active and more popular in it's glory days,
but it's doing pretty damn well for a site that has to compete against million dollar companies that shit on their own users.

So yeah, go Newgrounds!

FrozenFire 2013-06-09 14:04:09

Yep

Vert 2013-06-09 16:41:40

Fair point, there is some exaggeration going on right now and certainly people's expectations have increased far too much from a few success stories.

Having said that, there is a lot of good suggestions being thrown out on a occasion which should be considered; not that it's easy to implement or anything and I realize it's fine a line between self-entitlement and good criticism, I just would be careful not to dismiss some (potential) useful suggestions.

Potatoman 2013-06-09 17:11:31

100% agree with you

FightingSeraph 2013-06-09 17:14:42

I have to agree with you completely simply because I've been going here for about thirteen years now. For the most part the changes have been for the better, but at the same time, all of these technical advances and expanded resources can be more debilitating rather than enhancing. For example: try comparing the Korean film OldBoy with most of the blockbusters made throughout the past six-to-eight years or low-budget synth jams with what ends up on the music channels.