Wow... I missed so much... I was busy all day Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day, and then worked Black Friday from 10pm on Thanksgiving to 6:30am on Friday... then came home and slept til 4pm I am so exhausted. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
Quote:
Originally posted by boyonce
In the battle between Rihanna and Ke$ha, I'll choose Fergie everytime.
I could not agree more.
Quote:
Originally posted by collin
Did Michael release remixes featuring random black people, too? And did he make his singles 69 cents on iTunes? Iconic.
Quote:
Warning Received
to whoever warned this!
Quote:
Originally posted by SyntaxError
Edge already stans for Gaga. Go for Xinta or Kelly C. or Nicki :kaite:
He stans hard for Kelly C. too... sorry, just had to point this out
Quote:
Originally posted by team zune XD
This is the closest I've seen to someone selecting the top 4
I am amazing. One flop in my "who to save" list and 4 flops in my "who to off" list...
I'm stuck in between two of my threads Matty is suffering the indecisiveness.
The best part is that I'm having fun with both of them so either way this challenge was good for me
No... just the results of the poll, which you can already see, and a recap of some of the challenges. It's easier to make a big post here and send a link to the judges.
Before you drag me for being overly simplistic - hear me out.
Is the thread simple? Absolutely. Kinda basic? Yup! Did it reinvent the wheel? Not at all.
But nor did it need to.
Matty asked for longevity, and that's what I delivered. In two days, the thread has gained over 200 replies. I wanted to show that one of my strengths is understanding how to create different kinds of threads for different kinds of goals. Check out my thread history and see that I've got many long lasting threads that bring original ideas, high post quality, and require some deeper thought. However, my thread skills go beyond that. I also have the ability (as evidenced here) to create fun, simple threads that get the gerls rushing in at a record pace. Thread creation is something I do well, and unlike some people I'm able to create a variety of thread types as they are needed. This challenge didn't call for the "best idea", but rather longevity. While my competitor's threads were busy being swiftly closed, mine were raking in replies. Let me tell you why...
I made the obvious choice to create a thread with a rotating title/theme. In creating a thread with only one question or topic, you run the risk of having people stop coming in after they've answered - and once everyone's chimed in, your thread dies. By changing themes (and being conscious of including the many favs of ATRL) I ensured that all stanbases would have moments where they wanted to enter my thread, and therefore the life of my thread would (and will!) last longer. I also consciously chose a "smiley" speak idea. My GIF reaction thread (from the Base King challenge) still is kicking today with over 800 replies. Obviously I was onto something here, so I chose to create a thread in a similar, but not exactly the same vein. And it's not as basic as it seems - it gets users looking closer at our smilies, and perhaps discovering uses for ones they didn't even know existed before! As well, the most popular and long-lasting threads are always the ones that require less thought. Sure, some of us will go in threads and write essays, but the typical poster is more apt to reply if it only takes a few seconds and they can move onto the next one. While my thread appears basic on the surface, I hope you now see how much thought was behind me doing what I did. The art of thread creation is something I understand.
So yes, I created a simple thread. Nowhere did Matty say the thread had to be ground breaking and life changing. He wanted longevity, and the staggering amount of replies still happening there show that. As a poster, I have many thread making skills that I can use at different times. I've got some threads that are a year old still collecting 700-4000+ replies. I can make thoughtful threads. I can make compassionate threads. I can make creative threads. I can make silly threads. But here, I made what was asked of me - something long lasting. As evidenced by my thread creation I know understand ATRL wants, and I know how to keep their attention in a thread. That's just one of the many qualities that make me a Top Member.
Quote:
Originally posted by collin
I have to go with my Recreate An Era thread.
It's a perfect example of why I love ATRL and came to it in the first place.
Additionally, it fits the criteria of "longevity" much better because it can be switched up.
cuz my first one got closed. But I'm actually gonna submit my first thread that got closed. It had all the makings of a hit thread: funny, gay oriented and it would go through all the major pop stars bringing in just about everyone to bring their shading game which atrl is about. It had about 48 members in there when the thread got closed. And in true atrl fashion, it got reported by an offended member and got closed. I'll go with my first attempt. Lol
ATRL's Next TOP MEMBER Cycle 8 | Finale: Challenge Flashback
ATRL's Next topmember Cycle 8
EPISODE 12 // FINALE
CHALLENGE FLASHBACK:
AVATAR
Quote:
Originally posted by collin
This is the original of the photo I use in my avatar
My friend Rachael loves to take millions of out-of-focus, useless photos that I grow to adore
I find my avatar to quite unique on ATRL; most users don't use themselves in their avatar.
I'm not really sure why, but I also don't mind too much - I've always just felt I should use myself.
My avatar standard showcase of me for so many reasons.
It's not a big enough showcase to draw attention, but still not small enough to be lost in the crowd.
It not only showcases me pictorially, but it also portrays my personality. I love photos like this.
Though in the picture you can't even tell what I look like, it's me. It's random and bizarre, like me.
Here's an out-take from the shoot (feat. USB cord)
Quote:
Originally posted by EdgeOfAddiction
*Puts on "The Edge of Glory" instrumental and clears throat*
"In this sea of moving pictures I strive
To stand out, yea baby! (Forever distinctive.)
So I plead Andre to help me make an unique avi..."
And this is why, for every Sias and Ester Deans we have, we also have Rebecca Blacks and EdgeOfAddictions.
Anyways, minus the rare instances where I switch to Base uniforms to promote, my avatars on ATRL are always one of a kind. I like to not only be recognized instantly by my name, but also by my avi choices. When I choose a video to make an avi, I make sure that no one has any scenes from that video, and by extension, the concert, if my avi happened to come from a live performance. And with that rationale, my babies were born.
For this challenge, I chose this avi
(Courtesy of Andre. Love you.)
created from snippets of GaGa running along the Brooklyn Bridge from the Google Chrome commercial, aka what should have been the original Edge Of Glory video. You see an amazing view of downtown Manhattan juxtaposed with chic, athletic GaGa breathing in and enjoying the freedom of who she is and what she has become. The song and the actual commercial, more specifically, my avi, sort of became a mantra for me. You see her running and dancing for her hopes and dreams and blows a kiss at the end, symbolizing that she knew perseverance and hard work will pay off. What sort of underdog victory? Rising all the way from living amongst rats in the sewers to the penthouse suite in Narnia with just hope and Cheerios?!
As a recently graduated student living in NYC, that same hope and box of Cheerios is everything to me.
Sorry for all the cheese. Here's a Shamwow to wipe your faces with.
Quote:
Originally posted by boyonce
Feet stomp, fists punch, shoulders punctuate. With this simple movement, so much is conveyed. Strength, power, ferocity - but most of all, CONFIDENCE.
It should come as no surprise that I admire so much about Beyonce. Above all else I admire her unwavering confidence. The gif I use as my avatar is from the music video for Diva, and the walk she does in it screams "I've got this". I struggle some times with confidence because while I believe that I am good at what I do, I'm constantly afraid of coming across as cocky. Beyonce's confident attitude in my avatar serves as a personal reminder that it's ok to be bold, assured, and confident. As I get older I remind myself that confident and cocky don't necessarily mean the same thing, and my animated avatar reflects this.
Unlike some users, I keep the same avatar rather than changing it often. I spoke in last week's entry about looking at one's reputation as "branding". Keeping my avatar the same is a personal, conscious choice to strengthen the recognizability of my posts.
Besides, if you don't like my avatar, at least it's not my cat's face...I draw the line of identity theft at that.
The most heart-warming treasure of GIFs on ATRL is learning to throw shade with them.
The first that come to my mind (or the most iconic, persay) are the following:
"Mariah/I Don't Know Her": http://dramadaily.net/forum/images/smilies/QcjxJ.gif
"Britney on ET": http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4...io2_r4_250.gif
Though overused, they never age - this is easily the highlight of GIFs for me.
I took this as a challenge: find one just as good, but only... without a celeb
The ending result is one that can be perfectly attached to many shade opportunities.
One might say it catalyzes a sharp 'stop' to the doings of haters and company
This multi-purpose not only provides a good response to ignorant basics, but
to pop-culture basics. Let's face it, some people just really need to STOP
Here are some in-the-action examples of opportune times to use this GIF:
"Discussion: Lady Gaga is male, a part of the illuminati, and praises Lucifer"
"Poll: Who is the new ICONIC queen of pop???"
"Music News: Nicki to release Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded: The Re-Up: Martha's Madness: Va Va Voom Version, featuring 8 new songs produced by Dr. Luke and Cirkut"
"Music News: Katy to release 90th single off of 1998 album, Teenage Dream"
It could even work in the game section, i.e. Musical Chairs! Need to quickly end a round?
Most simply and traditionally, it can be used in an argument. Delusional stan? Rude lessor? Solution:
There are also symbolic deeper meanings within the GIF that require deep thought.
Don't worry, I've done all the thinking and would love to share the secrets.
I, myself, like to pretend the recipient of the GIF is the news reporter herself.
The gusts in the background could be a continuation of this iconic GIF: http://cdn.littlemonsters.com/4fc06d...014233_700.gif
This opens up yet another door. In essence, 'whoever think they iconic can STOP'.
The mic shown in the GIF could easily be used as secret shade
If I knew how, I'd even add a "Your Fave" in place of "Holly Ellenbogen".
Maybe even a photo-shopped head of (insert star here) [playing it safe ].
This shows the ability for the GIF to branch into its' own viral, wait for it, MEME.
Let me guess what you're thinking about my hypothesis:
This GIF would easily add the the language of GIFs, especially in ATRL.
Plus, it's a refreshing way to enable everyone, regardless of stanbase, to shade
Quote:
Originally posted by boyonce
ATRL is home to an abundance of gifs that manage to make a strong and clear (yet wordless) point. Gifs enhance our posts by providing a visual clue to the tone of voice we wish the post to be read in, or to the emotions behind what we are saying.
Annoyed? We've got a gif for that. Laughing out loud? We've got a gif for that. Popping your booty? You better believe we've got a (couple of) gif(s) for that.
But what about that moment?
You know the one... You find a post or an ATRL user that is, in every sense of the word, exhausting. I'm not talking simply "yawn at the screen" exhausting. I'm talking "log off your computer-walk far, far away from it-flop directly onto your face and lay there undisturbed for hours because the absolute banality of a completely inane and over-done post has effectively sucked your will to go on any further" exhausted. Phew.
For those moments, I present you with this...
Let's see it in action...
Quote:
Originally posted by Stan4SoAndSo
Hi y'all! My fave's new single just came out on iTunes 3 minutes ago. Already it's sold two copies, and it's skyrocketing up my personal 25 Most Played iTunes chart. The question is, IS IT ICONIC?!?!?
Quote:
Originally posted by SignedUpForATRLTwoMonthsAgo
Hey guys, I hate to say it, but ATRL is just not what it used to be. Have you noticed? I miss how things used to be here when I first signed up. Also, I think the rules are way too tight. We should probably have a thread where we can discuss what the reporting rules should be. I'm sure the mods would be ok with that, right? It's not like anybody has ever suggested it before. Anyway, I just hope things can go back to how they were in the good old days. Who agrees???
Quote:
Originally posted by Stan4SoAndSo
Hey all. Me again. My fave's single has now been out for a week. It's #362 on the US iTunes chart, but it hit #5 in Norway for a whole four minutes before dropping off the charts. But like, that number 5 peak is pretty good right??? I already know the answer is a yes, but I wanna hear from you...IS IT ICONIC?!?!?
Quote:
Originally posted by FormerANTMCompetitor
So, I wanna start this off by saying that I don't really care that I got voted off. Like, not at all. I swear, I don't care at all. But I do wanna say that ... (insert 15 page essay of ranting here, including links to two separate blog entries on the topic) ... But yeah, like I said at the start, I don't really care. At all.
Quote:
Originally posted by Stan4SoAndSo
Ok guys. It's been a year since my fave's song came out. In that time it was used in a local cable commercial for lawn care, appeared briefly on Billboard's Bubbling Under the Bubbling Under chart, and obviously inspired every single song that's on the radio today. I already know the answer (basically that my fave is basically on level with Elvis Presley and The Beatles after this song performed so well), but I wanna hear it from you all...IS IT ICONIC?!?!?
It can also be used in any variation of the following Poll threads:
Quote:
Britney vs Beyonce, Beyonce vs Rihanna, Rihanna vs Ke$ha, Ke$ha vs Katy, Katy vs Gaga, Gaga vs Adele, Adele vs. Kelly, Kelly vs Christina, Rihanna vs Britney, Christina vs Britney, Britney vs Gaga, Beyonce vs Gaga, Beyonce vs Rihanna and Katy, Britney and Ke$ha and Adele and Christina vs Katy and Marina and Taylor Swift, Beyonce vs Sasha Fierce, Beyonce vs Beyonce, Beyonce vs Matthew Knowles, ATRL vs UKMIX, Gifs vs Smilies, A Grammy vs A Teen Choice Award, Ciara vs the whole industry, LeToya vs LaTavia, Ke$ha vs Michael Jackson, Adele vs A Chair, Katy vs A slow and painful death, Me vs The Music, Me vs You, This vs That, Something vs Something, Anything vs Anything, Everything vs Everything
Quote:
Originally posted by EdgeOfAddiction
Gifs as responses, which up till recently have been warned for pointless by the sometimes vindictive mods if no text was attached, is sometimes the ONLY suitable response to certain posts. That being said, my gif of choice is my favorite gif ever and is saved on my iPhone (courtesy of iOS6) so I am able to send that as a response in appropriate situations. Circumstances that illicit this response includes:
This gif is almost as versatile as Beyonce's ability to sing every genre from Pop, Pop/R&B, Pop/Christian, Pop/Mariachi Band, Pop/African Tribal Dance, Pop/"Insert random genre of music" cuz Beyonce is KING.
MUSIC TASTE
Quote:
Originally posted by boyonce
♫♫♫
I proudly present my girls, my divas, my legends...
If you will, my songbirds.
Eva Cassidy - Songbird (Fleetwood Mac cover)
♫♫♫
The 80s:
Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)
♫♫♫
The 90s:
Celine Dion - It's All Coming Back To Me Now
♫♫♫
The 2000s:
Beyonce - Flaws and All
♫♫♫
The 2010s:
Janelle Monae - Cold War
♫♫♫
Quote:
Originally posted by collin
Collin's Taste
The 5 songs I have chosen each encompass one main facet of my music taste.
They each act as an example for one of the 5 levels of my relationship with music.
These 5 feelings/moods that I have encompassed successfully describe not only my taste,
but me, and the ways I overall feel and act. I hope you all enjoyed my playlist
Quote:
Originally posted by EdgeOfAddiction
Quote:
Originally posted by EdgeOfAddiction
The time my father left for America without turning back
The time I found out my friend got diagnosed with HIV
The time I forever cut off all communications with my mother
The time the only guy I have ever said I love you to moved to Europe
The time I realized no other song can perfectly sum up my life experiences
the entries... boyonce wrote an essay, collin wrote practically NOTHING, and Edge submitted a thread that got closed after two pages for a challenge about longevity.
I am so exhausted. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
I could not agree more.
I am amazing. One flop in my "who to save" list and 4 flops in my "who to off" list...
Matty is suffering the indecisiveness.
.
The time my father left for America without turning back
