Indeed. I'll add that to the post, along with the list of review mods.

If you want, go for it. If it's already stolen an award, it's kind of pointless, but it'd still set a good example. And if it's for something that squeaked past judgment, it'd help keep it from stealing the next week's awards...

They passed, due to both his mass-voting and the NG public being too fucking stupid to watch the 'flash' and whistle/vote zero. At least we know that he'll soon be deleted, again.

The fights for TOTW are incredibly stupid, with groups of people voting down their own flash and voting up any competitors. They pretend to be the ones on the ball, mocking everyone for caring about the site, when they have little baby gang wars over a fucking pixel prize that carries no prestige.

Since they're never going to grow up, it's up to the NG public to be mature enough to not help them.

swell

bon

When it comes to point-whoring and abusive reviewing, I'd say it's more than half of the NG population that does it. The spam doesn't just pass with a 1.7 or a 1.8, but with 2.2 or more a good deal of the time.

Honestly, I'd love to see every single person who fifens everything in the Portal nerfed, stripped of every single B/P point they have. I'd also love to see account deletions of the big submitters, the ones who have hundreds of spam flash, along with their alts. That would change things.

Why, thank you.

You can see a list of online users, with mods in green and admins in red, at the bottom of the main forum page. Just refresh until a review mod comes on, shouldn't take long.

For Portal abuse (fileswaps, stolen flash passing, etc), PM Wade anytime. But send review related problems to review mods.

This isn't intended as a fucking revolution, just a post to let the Newgrounders know they have very little right to bitch about things. The situation is as it is because Newgrounders are allowed to get away with their stupidity.

Right now, Newgrounds has the Portal it deserves.

Someday the admins may decide to start punishing people, hopefully on both sides. I wouldn't mind seeing lots of people getting trashed, especially the high-ranking accounts that submit the most ridiculous and boring of the spam garbage and the low-ranking accounts that consistently give it wings. Until then, though, these morons need to be reminded.

Perhaps try something original or funny. The Duck Division's brand of spam was old when the Barney Bunch was young.

Unfortunately a small amount of people makes very little difference when everyone is voting stupid. At least, around peak time.

However, few nights ago, one of those Cyberen movies comes in around midnight, yeah? And I vote zero on it, because it's garbage. And then midnight comes around, and I vote zero on it again. It went on to be blammed---just BARELY. If I hadn't have voted twice, it would have passed. Victory, right?

Wrong. Next day it was re-submitted and passed with a healthy margin.

For now, whistling is the most a small amount of people can do. A very good chunk of the Portal browsers would need to be voting smart to make a difference there.

I reviewed it honestly, giving it the zero it deserved but giving advice for improvement. Hopefully he'll take my suggestions under advisement.

EDIT: It seems a review mod hit it up and deleted both the abusive reviews and some questionable high-scoring reviews. No chance of it winning Review Pick or Underdog at the moment.

excellent

now try my new challenge

collect eight silver coins from MY world

you must collect eight from each level and WIN

then come back and see me

That's a good idea. The EGB can't get enough people to vote fairly to stop spam from passing, but it doesn't take many people reviewing properly to screw up a spam flash's chances of stealing Review Pick or Underdog.

Hm...

Huzzah

Haha. Now, the question is, will this week's awards be legit, or was there a spam flash we missed?

You know what might be good? A "most recent reviews" list. Abuse could be flagged quickly, and spam flashes being mass-ten'ed could be easily identified.

Unlikely it'll happen, but hm.

There are four levels, so HAHAHAHAHAHA

Also don't forget the piece of the TT amulet, you need it to pass the Space Pig door later

The higher-level Newgrounders have more secret identities than a bowl full of superheroes. :-D

Indeed. Having a more open mind in regards to flash can save newbies a lot of stress. Some spam, while not passworthy, can be hilarious in its insanity. Furthermore, once a spam flash passes, it'll never be heard from again (unless it wins an award), so there's no point in getting too pissed about it.

Also, if any submitter goes too far, they're be deleted, including all of those countless shit flashes, so people should chill a bit.

ROCK AWWWWWN

Maybe I will.

Keeping track of the potential award-stealers shouldn't be too hard. They need to change the title to something offensive early on, in order to drop the score for TOTW and Underdog...and something like [KKK] FUCK YOU SLUTS is pretty easy to find, lol.

The model Newgrounder hunte3r does not approve

oh god no

I wish I could argue that point with you, but I can't. It's why y'all can make a living around here, lol.

shure

Yeah, that was what I was saying. If people reviewed properly, their reviews wouldn't be deleted and the average would be lower. Instead, they get irrationally pissed off at a flash that even the most active B/P'er will see a whole one time and write about how the author deserves to die for making a crummy .swf. I don't really feel pity for them, because they're being just as abusive---and in cases of "kill yourself", a hell of a lot more so---than any spammer.

bleh

I agree on that. Not sure why they don't seem to have that option. It would take one person maybe one minute, once a week, to delete any questionable winners. The lack of such an option, or the lack of using it, is why the NG admins aren't entirely blameless in this, either.

But since they're still making a profit, I guess it's not much of a priority.

Every so often, a spammer will give my serious reviews a thoughtful response, explaining why they're doing what they're doing and why they think it's funny/acceptable, and without any bullshitting (for example, because the typical Newgrounder's idea of "good flash" takes three months to make and they'd rather just have fun with stuff they made in an hour). It was being exposed to the "fuck graphics, I just wanna laugh" idea that made me join the Barney Bunch way back when.

Of course, then you get spammers who just want to piss off Newgrounders (which can be a source of humor if not taken too far) or find ways around the word filter for racial slurs. I believe that some spam can be hilarious and awesome and other spam can be pointless dickery, and it's the latter that's pervaded the Portal lately due to lack of supervision and stat-whoring.

The review average is low at the moment, but it has enough reviews already to be eligible for Underdog. I'll keep an eye on it and mention something if the average climbs above 6 or 7.

It has a number of tens and a highish average at the moment, but not many total reviews. It might just be a case of clocks voting high on fellow clocks and will stop as the flash slips into obscurity. I'll watch it for signs of life, though.

Wouldn't it be more accurate to be called HIVVirus?

Well, two V's look weird next to each other, so whatever.

What submission?

dog cocks

All three awards were stolen this week. Hopefully they'll be deleted and the people who used alts to review get a permaban on all their accounts.

bleh

don't be too ruff with them

LOLOLOLOL

goddamn it

Age/Gender: 13, Male
Location: S/F,California
Job: Dark Poet(not goth)

lol

Yeah...awkward moment there.

THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

NO, A FLASH THAT HAS PASSED JUDGMENT CANNOT BE DELETED.

Only the author can delete a passed flash, and even then, only before it has 400 votes. After that, only Wade or another admin can delete a flash. Repeatedly voting zero on a flash after it passes is a waste of time, and (if before the week's awards are decided) can lead to it winning TOTW and getting much more exposure; voting after the awards are decided has no effect.

If you're curious, the current lowest-scoring flash on Newgrounds has a score of 0.50 (which is about as low as a flash can get for statistical reasons).

It's okay to review them and the like. In fact, Newgrounds thrives with a degree of spam, as it's the edgy and controversial stuff that brings a lot of humor and fun into the Portal. The problem is when it goes too far, and when Newgrounders do more harm than good by overreacting and contributing to the problem.

So yes, spread the word, and help out by writing constructive reviews for flash that's being ten-spammed, and flag abusive reviews so that their authors learn better.

Blams: 20,477
Saves: 13,824

lol yeah actually i've been around the block a few times and have an idea of what i'm talking about

It's okay to review them if you can do so constructively. It's the abusive reviews that contribute to the problem. In fact, a constructive zero review can help keep Review Crew Pick and Underdog out of spammers' hands.

How are you cleaning it up? By voting zero on passed flash that cannot be blammed and giving them a better chance of getting TOTW, which is exactly what they want?

You're perpetuating the problem, not stopping it.

Again, how?

Once a flash is passed, it CANNOT be deleted, no matter how low its score goes. The mass zeroes of you and your buddies aren't just pointless, they're helping the spammers get their shitty flashes put on display for a week.

The only way a spammer gets deleted is if they break the rules, and while a lot of spam is effortless, humorless garbage, very little of it actually breaks the rules.

And thus, the only way to "clean up Newgrounds" is to go to the Portal, vote fairly on under judgment flash---that is, voting on a flash based on how much you like it, not on who the author is or whether or not you think it'll pass---and whistle abuse. Writing constructive reviews for spam flashes that may be gunning for Underdog or Review Crew Pick can negate the effect of alts and abusive reviews. See my reviews for how it should be done.

The first line of defense against abusive flash is your whistle, and it's the one that should be utilized first. Be sure that you ONLY WHISTLE FLASH THAT BREAKS THE NG RULES---if it's stolen, malicious (fucks up your computer, redirects you, or spawns pop-ups), or unsuitable (extreme racism, real porn, slideshows of stolen images, etc). Do not whistle normal spam flash.

Only if a flash passes judgment should it be PM'ed to Wade. Be sure to include as many details as possible along with the message; links to the flash, its author, why its rulebreaking, link to the original source of a flash if it's stolen, etc..

Very important to learn quick: "blam" means "delete a flash", not "vote zero". You can help blam a flash that's under judgment (highlighted in purple on the Portal), but you cannot blam something that's passed.

If the 'leader' of that crusader thing wants, I can tell y'all how to handle any problems that might arise on Newgrounds. And once y'all reach high enough B/P ranks, you can apply to the NGPD and Elite Guard Barracks, both of which are filled with veterans of the Portal.

Having a high rank is nothing to be ashamed of...if you earned it properly. There are people who vote five on everything that they assume will pass, and you can tell who they are. Most Newgrounders nowadays have more saves than blams, but those who stat-whore will have a 5:1 ratio of higher, and those people don't have much to be proud of.

I'm proud that I'm a Supreme Commander. I went through the point-whore phase early on, along with a couple of crazy Clock Days, but in the end, I'm part of the rare breed of Newgrounders who vote fairly, and give every flash, even those by spammers, a chance to impress us.

Not all spammers are bad, though. Though the Portal is all but empty of them now, there have been spam groups that were hilarious and worth talking about, like the original Clock Crew and the Barney Bunch. The problem is 'bad spam', which steals awards and passes ridiculous things like single-frame flashes and fake preloaders, and those are on the rise.

If you want to fight that bad spam, I recommend fixing that broken whistle and taking to the Portal. There's plenty of work to be done and every Portal patroller counts.

The first thing you must understand is that flagging something that is NOT abusive takes away a lot more points than flagging something that IS abusive will give you. Making even a few mistakes can cost you dearly (as you've found out), so you must be cautious with whistling things.

Currently, your whistle has no effect, but you can still get points if you whistle something that gets deleted due to others flagging it. I recommend flagging abusive reviews to repair your whistle. Any review that insults the author instead of the flash is abusive. Criticizing a flash being on the front page is abusive. Chain letters and ASCII art (like the middle finger made out of hyphens and slashes) are abusive.

Extreme abuse, such as telling the author that they should kill themselves, threats against the author, spamming links, and things of that nature should be flagged AND reported to a review moderator. A full list of review mods is in my post.

You won't get or lose points immediately upon flagging; whistling something merely makes it more likely for a review mod to see it. Stronger whistles are more effective.

A review mod can handle a flagged review in several ways.

1. If they deem it abusive, they can delete the review (giving whistle points to those who flagged it), and choose whether or not to ban the author from reviewing.

2. If they deem it not abusive, they can clear the flags with penalty, taking away points from those who flagged a non-abusive flash. This is most likely how your whistle was broken.

3. If they deem a flagged review extremely unhelpful but not outright abusive, they may clear all the flags without penalty/points to those who flagged it.

Since your garbage whistle has no effect, you'll have to rely on others to flag it enough to be noticed, or hope that a review mod randomly stumbles upon it. It may take some time, but be patient---don't go crazy and start flagging non-abusive reviews, or you'll just dig yourself even deeper into negative whistle points.

Once your whistle is repaired, your flags will actually make a difference, and you can help whistle abusive reviews and flash effectively.

Don't flag flashes that don't break the rules (stolen, malicious, or unsuitable), or your whistle will remain broken. The whistle is for stopping abuse, not an extra means of voting.

If you don't like something, go for it. The only time you should hesitate to vote zero on utter shit is if it appears to be gunning for Turd of the Week. Once the week's awards have been decided, have at it.

Just remember that a flash can't be deleted once it's passed judgment. Don't make the common newbie mistake of wasting your time voting zero on something every day under the impression that you can get them blammed.

Actually, I thought it was pretty bland, but it's been a couple weeks since I last checked it.

Ha, I don't own the concept. Go for it.

I agree that the ability to replace the .swf, especially after judgment, is a major problem. I can understand that sometimes people make a mistake and upload the wrong thing, but there's nothing stopping them from taking their damn time and making sure they get it right before submitting.

I wouldn't mind seeing a certain batting average requirement for the ability to swap .swf's, or some sort of limit on it. Of course, the ideal would be to have Portal Mods to approve/disapprove replacement uploads, but that may never happen.

sdfgsgf

That would only make people want to vote the "right direction" even more, and would punish people with different opinions of quality than the majority. For example, I do not care much for illwillpress, and a number of his flashes have received zeroes or ones from me. Similarly, I often enjoy the more creative and funny spam flashes, and often give them passing scores.

The only people who should be punished for how they vote are those with a clear pattern of "VOTE FIVE ON FUCKING EVERYTHING" or the less common "BLAM FUCKING EVERYTHING". Well, those are the most obvious, anyway. Wade's threatened to nerf (stat-nuke) accounts that voted for utter shit (like one-framers and fake loading screens) in the past, but that's too hard to monitor single-handedly.

...we need portal mods. But that's a different topic for a different time.

A serious, civil, and concrit-filled review can aggravate a spammer as much as getting no reviews at all. Reviewing is fine as long as you don't become abusive or butthurt. Ignoring spammers doesn't mean avoiding them entirely, it means avoid provoking them and/or giving them what they want---an overzealous reaction.

Indeed, a zero review that's civil, detailed, and offers constructive criticism is one of the best ways to fight spam.

You got it. And mucho congrats.

Very good.

Why's that?

Just because there are a lot of idiots on this site (and every site on the internet, for that matter) doesn't mean that smart people can't enjoy it, too.

Well then, I've lived. I just grew out of the raiding shit a long time ago.

There's nothing wrong with making abusive reviews as such, even if it helps a spam submission get an award. Hopefully the abusive reviewers will eventually learn the error of their ways and start reviewing properly.

Thank you muchly. I wonder why this post is getting so many comments today? Ah well, I ain't complaining.

You're quite welcome.

Fileswapping is a problem, but it's not the main problem. Only a few people (like Chris Beer) do it. Fileswaps break the rules, and thus get deleted if brought to Wade's attention, but the normal shit passes solely because Newgrounders ask for it with their savewhoring.

Indeed. Working to stop this shit from passing is an admirable goal, but turning it into a goddamn crusade is just idiocy. MST3K mantra applies for flash, too.

Fileswapping falls under rulebreaking flash and thus should be PM'ed to Wade. But the vast majority of shitty flash that passes judgment is not tampered with in any way, and is solely allowed in because morons want their protect points.

Yes, unfortunately most people are too dumb to realize that harmful spam will inevitably get deleted and the people who "missed out on the saves" by voting fairly will just get their blams later (many will attest to this after the recent FF purge).

Now, if only the system was tweaked a bit so that the people who voted in favor of the fake preloaders and such would LOSE their ill-gotten saves...

coughkeepyourbitchingoffmypageple ase

Yes, unfortunately I do have updating to do.

wow

its like you really think i wont see through the veneer

It's only got two right now, I suppose the others were deleted.

Simple, effective, and prevents high blood pressure.