Quote (Arcaeus @ Jul 31 2013 12:50am)
Middy join the service
I think the Gdgc battle service is a wonderful idea, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to be a part of it.
However, I do I question whether my skills are sufficient.
Even when I tagged regularly, which was awhile ago, I only worked with anime and game renders. I have next to no experience with "real-life" stocks.
If there's no quota or anything (I can contribute to request that fit my rather limited skill-set) I would definitely be interested in joining.
Quote (Indent @ Jul 31 2013 01:07am)
What is the difference between a handful of people responding to a thread in the Graphics Request Forum, and in your case, a group of people banding together under a service?
There is nothing different outside of how Forum Gold is distributed. You have a bunch of talented artists under a service, and the talent is the incentive people are responding to. People respond to requests with specific guidelines, and in that sense, there is a unique quality about each signature attempted on these forums.
You can pledge not to sell the signatures you make, along with the time and effort put into them, because you want to honour some idea about uniqueness. Honestly, ask yourself this question, “Does this idea cross the minds of most people?”
Are people going to lose sleep because you sold a signature that was worked around a stock of Kirino, the anime character? If you feel better about throwing away work, then so be it. You could make a profit, and at the same time, allow people to enjoy signatures at a discounted price.
Wall of Text Incoming.
Duck and cover!!
I would challenge the premise that a signature service is no different than a collection of users responding to a thread in the Graphic Request Forum.
I believe a signature service such as the Gdgc Battle Service is fundamentally different from "regular requests."
An ordinary "Signatures ISO thread" is a request for offers. The goal of the original poster in a request thread is to obtain the best value through a competitive process, and the OP reserves the right not to purchase any offers at all.
Unlike many services in the Request Forum, the Gdgc Battle also creates value through a competitive process; however, it is not simply a request for offers.
A user who posts in the Gdgc Battle Service is a
customer. By posting in the service, the user forgoes the typical requests for offers process and is willing to pay for the signature upfront, confident he will receive the best value out of any alternatives.
Under the assumption that users posting in the Battle Service are customers, I would argue we should treat them differently than we would non-customers (aka, a user making a "normal request" outside the service)
An important factor to consider at this point the idea that value is only relevant as it is seen from the customer's perspective.
From a more...objective standpoint, I agree with Magi
Quote (TheReborn_Magi @ Jul 31 2013 12:46am)
ah, well i see it as they get to chose what it consists of and what it looks like in addition to getting first dibs at any of them so I didn't really feel 500 was harmful to anyone. if thats the only issue we can have members just vote on which they think is most reasonable
We (the service providers) see the customer obtaining value through the right to request a signature, choose the style, and select from a number of alternatives.
However, what matters is how the
customer perceives the value he has paid to receive.
Imagine I am a customer.
I don't see many Rurouni Kenshin signatures around the forum, and I'm a huge fan, so I request a Rurouni Kenshin signature to be made with a "texture style."
I only have enough fg for one signature, but at the time this doesn't bother me.
I purchase a wonderful tag and am quite pleased!
Two days later, I see two of the tags I was unable to purchase being worn by other users.
They each paid 500fg for them.
What do I think?
As a service provider, there are two thoughts that might cross my mind with which you should be concerned.
1. "Yesterday there were no Rurouni Kenshin tags on the forum. Now there are many. My signature is less unique ---> Customer's conclusion: I recieved less value than I thought.
2. Counter factual thinking: The two users wearing the tags I didn't purchase are probably Rurouni Kenshin fans. If they had been the one to make the request, which is not an unreasonable hypothetical, I could have purchased TWO tags with my fg, instead of just one!
Again, from a more objective standpoint, the customer received exactly what he wanted, but this is largely irrelevant. If a customer perceives value as decreasing, the service provider should be concerned.
This is why many retailers promise a refund if the item goes on sale within a certain number of days after you buy it.
Thus endeth the wall of text.