[Mimie]

Originally posted by Matty

"Guest Judge"

The original 5 will still have their input, plus a sixth.

[MMMinaj]

Supaspaz . My reception seems better this week ( i think?) and criticisms have been taken into account

[Dancehall]

*conceal don't reveal*

[Matty]

---

EPISODE 2: BRANDING

Guest Judge: Red



THE COMMENTS

HUGAMARI

Originally posted by Supaspaz

A major disappointment after the brilliant entry from the last challenge. This one shows little effort and even less thought. Choosing three examples from a thread that was posted this past week? That could demonstrate a mood swing just as much as a brand.

Originally posted by Domino

Mess at you giving the same example twice. Shame on you and your purity.
Well, I do see enough purity in the two examples so it’s okay. You are not pure, though. Not when you fake your gender every five seconds.

Originally posted by EdgeOfAddiction

I’m just going to acknowledge something really quickly. Just because people expected you to be colorful doesn’t mean you should start posting in that obnoxious rainbow color…the font color that you chose after last week’s challenge and not because you thought the color scheme was necessarily you. Also, to be fair, you were before DripDrip so you shouldn’t have been concerned about that comparison. As for your entry, I was left unmoved. By “purity,” I’m guessing you meant a combination of wholesomeness and positivity but to be honest, I don’t get a pure vibe from your posts. In fact, all three of your posts were unremarkable, unconvincing and unnecessary in those threads. Had you brought some more substance to your posts, maybe I might have been convinced but those quick one liners aren’t doing it for me. I think “positive” or “optimistic” might have been a better brand for you than “purity.” This might also have something to do with me knowing some of your post history but we’ll see if you indeed have turned over a new lead as the competition progresses. I’ll be linking all future entries to everyone’s respective brands so always keep that in mind. Be consistent (the rainbow font missing in one of your examples really bugs me as well).

Originally posted by Red

Am I the only one getting Hilary Faye vibes here? "Be the positivity in which you want to be surrounded by!" Cue secret bitchiness and emotional breakdown. Also, I'm probably not the first person to mention this, but, um, you accidentally used the same post for two different examples. That made me think that you used the same exact post twice in different threads, which would have been a whole new level of Faye-ness. I think it's an interesting idea for a brand, if not a little creepy, but the use of one post for two different examples will definitely hurt you here.

Originally posted by Matty

First, let’s be real Hugo, you are not pure. You may be cute and be feminine, but I doubt you are this pure. Second, your first example isn’t an example of pure. Since you have been warned before means you have been exposed to getting warned, which isn’t pure. That’s giving me major Britney early years teas of her claiming to be a virgin though we knew she was ****ing Justin on the DL. Thirdly, that got damn rainbow font color scheme just screams give me points for annoying. Fourth, your second and third examples are the same. Lastly, that post doesn’t say ‘Pure’ to me. Based on your posts and you, your brand should be something like ‘Positive’, or, if you HAVE to use that rainbow color scheme, ‘Lightbright’. You like to make people happy and bring out the positive; that is more you than ‘Pure’.

BEYRIHSTAN

Originally posted by Supaspaz

This is a decent entry. The branding you chose isn't the most unique, but it's legitimate. You told more than you showed, but I believe you. The layout is basic as hell, but that's okay.

Originally posted by Domino

Well I see you plan a lot.
Just because you plan doesn’t mean you’ll be successful in those things.
I’d rather say it’s the „ambition“ one. Screw det success:

Originally posted by EdgeOfAddiction

Oh, Kaeli. You better work that barebones format. Anyways, you should have either selected “success” or “ambition” OR combined the words to form a hybrid like DOMINO did with “Slassy.” I know they’re similar words but giving us two choices shows me that maybe you aren’t at one with your brand as much as you think you are. Your third example was a throwaway. It was easy and it made sense. However, your second example was lackluster. I learned nothing new and a truly “ambitious” person would have gone on and elaborated what “entire life planned” meant to them, which is why I felt like your first example was a continuation of your second example and not really a whole different example. Instead of giving us examples of you saying you’re “ambitious,” why not show us by providing us with ambitious posts? And ambition does not have to stop at you discussing real life events. What would have really drawn me in is if you had provided a post that analyzed an era/artist/single release/MV in depth or you maybe going after a mod to clock them, something/anything a bit more shocking to show that your ambition knows no bounds. Remember that there is always more to your brand than the one definition you think of. Be sure to cover all facets of it to be really thorough aka Top Member worthy.

Originally posted by Red

Well...which one is it? Success...or ambition? Now, I'm not saying that they are not or cannot be related. Being ambitious can easily lead to success. My argument is that success and ambition are just different enough to work as two different brands. You could have easily went with just ambition and dropped success off at the curb. Ambition would have been an interesting way to go for you, and I think that your examples would have helped to accentuate that brand. Instead, you chose to try to have it both ways, and I don't know if it will work out for you.

Originally posted by Matty

First of all, I’m confused. Just by your brand and your name, I am getting multiple personality disorder teas here. When you post as your actual self, you are Success? When you post as Bey_Rih, you are ambition? Those two words are completely different and leaves me really wondering what is your brand right off the bat. Based on your posts, it feels like they were catered to your brands that you gave. You may be saying, well that was the assignment, but I say that negatively. All three of those posts are about you; I want to know who you are as a poster on ATRL, what your brand is for your common posts outside of your life.

JAKE

Originally posted by Supaspaz

You certainly took this in a unique direction, but that's a personality trait, not a brand. It doesn't tell me who you are as a contestant or who you'll be as a top member.

Originally posted by Domino

Mess. Wasn’t the whole points of this challenge to let the examples speak for your brand. Why the need to explain? That just tells me that you were insecure about this.. Hmm..

Originally posted by EdgeOfAddiction

“let me explain.” Why did you feel the need to defend and justify your brand? If that brand is you, your examples would have been more than enough proof. Also, I would have preferred “#Justice4…,” which would allow your overall brand to remain the same while creating spin-offs. Seeing “#JusticeForJake” switch into the other hastags irked me due to the lack of continuity. As for your actual brand and examples, I feel like they were all pretty one note. They all dealt with losing/being a failure in order for your brand to work. Also, because of the win/lose connotation of your brand, I can see most of that being side of you being limited to the Games sections, which was demonstrated by two out of three examples. In fact, I don’t see how you can use your brand any other way and is “#JusticeForJake” what you really want said in this competition? It already sounds like you gave up, lost and were eliminated. I just feel like your brand could have been reworked as “underdog.” That would have provided you with a plethora of options with both positive and negative posts available for your usage. I might be reading your vibe completely incorrectly but I would like you to stop coming from the angle and start competing and posting from the angle, if that makes sense.

Originally posted by Red

Well, like I said, I HATE when people use hashtags outside of Twitter. Okay, let's get the old man grumblings out of the picture and talk about the brand. I think that you could have shortened the brand name to #Justice and had the same effect. #JusticeForJake doesn't really have the same ring to it, nor does it roll off of the tongue as easily. I do see the intent, though. One thing: It's not a "part" of your brand. It has to BE your brand. It's what represents you, not something that is a PART of what represents you.

Originally posted by Matty

You are my little e-brother, I care about you, but I don’t get your brand. You say it’s “#JusticeForJake” but then with your examples you have Justice for Uncle and Justice for Taylor along with the actual brand name. Even with your post examples, they go along with the #Justice you gave it, but it doesn’t blend together overall. Knowing you since you became a member here, you are better than this, and there is a better brand for you. Twitter hastags may be a part of you, but that doesn’t mean that is the kind of brand for you. Also, I said not to explain but let your explanations do the talking.

MIMI

Originally posted by Supaspaz

Outrageous was a great choice for you and you backed it up well. If only your entry was a little less outrageously ugly. (The more I stare at it, the more it grows on me, though...)

Originally posted by Domino

Ouch. Well I guess you are staying true to yourself. I totally expected something with „Disney“ in your brand but that didn’t happen - it was all over your layout, though. I loved it, to be honest. The best entry this week, in my opinion.

Originally posted by EdgeOfAddiction

Gyal, I reFUSE to let go of my “outrageous” crown but you did a great job coming up with this brand for yourself. It fits. As for your examples, they were hilarious and “outrageous” and extra in all sorts of ways. Even the format was fitting for your brand. However, let’s get down to the nitty gritty here. While those examples were all “outrageous,” they also don’t follow forum guidelines. Examples two and three are guaranteed to get warned at any time and even example one borders on the abrasive, in my opinion. Also, all two of your posts indirectly came for members on this board. Is this how you want to be constantly regarded as? This begs the questions: is your “outrageous” humor limited to warnable insults and drags? Do you think it is possible to evolve your wording to not come off as abrasive? Do you think it is possible to extend your outrageousness to all of your forum posts from topics discussing music videos to an artist’s integrity? I would like you to explore what being “outrageous” means without having to insult anything. A ludicrous post just praising an artist or anything very sarcastic/delusional could have worked as “outrageous.” Just remember that a Top Member is more than a bag full of insults but other than that, your brand suits you very well.

Originally posted by Red

On one hand, the Disney stan in me loves the use of Ursula and those damn eels. On the other, Ursula...urgh. I have to admit, this is one of the better entries of the week for me. You not only picked a brand that can help to describe what your ATRL identity is, you went and picked posts that almost PERFECTLY describe your brand for you. That second example is nothing short of masterful. It works so well as an example of someone with the "Outrageous" brand, because I could totally see more uptight and snotty people being outraged by it. I'm not sure how far this brand will take you, but I enjoyed it as a one-off, if nothing else.

Originally posted by Matty

I’m going to keep this short. You deserved those warning points for those last two posts… but those examples were Outrageous. You do speak your mind even if it means a point or two are involved and you don’t give two ****s about it. It can be seen as troll brand, so for that I have take away points. There is a way to be outrageous without doing those two last examples. Think of Dancehall’s candid posts with Sam Jay’s brand title “Extra” and that should be your Outrageous.

JONE

Originally posted by Supaspaz

You fall prey to the same mistake as many other entries this week: Saying you hope for things doesn't necessarily make you a hopeful person. Your branding is vague and I'm not convinced.

Originally posted by Domino

I mean… there is nothing much to say about this entry. It’s simple. At the same time it gets the point across. I can see it. Well done.

Originally posted by EdgeOfAddiction

You seem nice and I don’t want to be mean but your entry took no more than 2 minutes to put together. Your brand is fine, whatever, but there was no sense of “hope” anywhere in your examples. It felt more like an empty gesture. Tell me this: did you search for “hope” and “hoping” and hope that you could piece together an entry? This would have been a great brand to find examples from Music News and/or Base where you could have talked about the chart performance of a single or about written about your anticipation for awards ceremony/awards performance/tour performance/etc. There is more to your brand than just saying the word “hope.” Also, you’ve been on ATRL for 6 years and all of your examples come from 2009 in the same countdown thread. This lack of variety doesn’t show the versatility of your brand and makes your posting style very limited. Venture out of your comfort zone and think about just how you bring or exude “hope” on ATRL. Then you’ll have a stronger, all-encompassing connection to your brand.

Originally posted by Red

I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I don't see how this would be an effective "brand", persay. I mean, sure, it sounds like a good representation of who you are on ATRL, but it doesn't really sound like a Top Member-esque brand. A lot of people hope for things. Hope is sometimes all you have in a sea of despair. Hope can, truly, be a lovely thing. But it's common, it's not something that can separate someone from the pack. Being hopeful is a nice trait, but it's not a Top Member brand.

Originally posted by Matty

Hope is a good brand to have, but your post examples do not cut it. Let me restate something I said in MMMinaj’s post… just because you have the word HOPE in your posts does not mean it’ll match your brand the way you would want it. Plus, all your examples were from the same MYX Discussion thread in the charts. Top Member’s should be more well-rounded. Is that the only place you find ‘Hope’ in?

HERMES

Originally posted by Supaspaz

Because I've seen you outside the context of this game, I understand why you would go for fancy. I'm sorry to say, it does not come through at all in that lackluster image you included with your entry.

Originally posted by Domino

You really are #fancy. All those layouts. DAMN.
I would have given you a better score than MiMiLamb if I wasn’t that confused with this particular layout. It’s a bit weird.

Originally posted by EdgeOfAddiction

Why yes, your OPs are fantastic and quite “fancy.” I do wish that you chose a brand that incorporated more of your everyday behavior on ATRL instead of the special occasions for which you create a lavish post. When someone reads your post, your brand should be instantaneously recognizable. With you, they see “fancy” OPs once in a while and the generic looking posts the other 90% of the time. That combination does not scream “fancy” to me. I feel like this brand that you’ve chosen for yourself is comparable to an Armani tux; beautiful when worn but forgotten in a closet until needed again. Had you submitted examples that included normal posts that were elegantly created, I might have thought differently. Hell, if your normal posts had some sort of formatting other than the centering effect, I might have thought differently. Complex verbiage in your posts could have also been translated as “fancy” but no evidence was to be seen. I think you’re a little too caught up in your new username, like you were with NICKIMINAJ when you first joined. I just want you to be down to earth and really think about how you present yourself and how you’re perceived on a more general basis, rather than picking out the times you fit into a category that you chose for yourself.

Originally posted by Red

First of all, love the added touch of the music clip, though I would have squealed like a teenager who loves One Direction if you had went with THIS clip instead. I feel like your layout and your examples helped show that you have good graphic skills, if nothing else, and to be fancy, you must be skillful. I wasn't wowed by your examples, The layout is strong, though, and I can still appreciate someone who puts a lot of work into EVERYTHING they do, not just something for Top Member.

Originally posted by Matty

Ugh, I’ve already been singing Fancy all day, this hasn’t helped get out of my brain. Not that I’m fully complaining, because I do love the song, I really do. First let me say that, your entry was Fancy. Your post examples were also Fancy. Having beautiful OP’s that are Fancy, is a great thing. My biggest issue with this brand, is that it ONLY pertains to Original Posts. I don’t expect that you would open Photoshop to make your posts as Fancy as your OPs; that would take up too much time! A better brand with the Fancy title would include OPs and edited reply posts to look nice.

In some minutes, we will find out who has been eliminated from the competition!




Fierce and Love
- Matty

[Bey_Rihstan]

I'm too scared to read mine

[MMMinaj]

Red's comments are just

[Mimie]

fffff.

[Bey_Rihstan]

Wait, the brand had to be obvious

[MMMinaj]

Judges (or just Matty), since EmRi is already out, may we ask what you thought of his entry?

[Mimie]

Originally posted by DOMINO

Before I grace my bed I will give you hints on my ranking (in order) :

1. I never thought I would place you as my number one. Never. You proved me wrong.

Wynaut, ho'?

[DripDrip]

Also, to be fair, you were before DripDrip

Are you implying I'm a homosexual.

[Dancehall]

Supa, I had a different word in mind and this queer sabotaged me.

Domino, thanks for the layout parts and I can see why @ the 60% part.

Edge. Agree on what you said and felt the same way at times and either way this one challenge was going to have a different layout. I might go back.

Red, I'm so happy you got it and yes, the third post is throw away.

Thanks, Matty!

http://atrl.net/forums/showthread.ph...7#post20402677

Was that post reported for abrasive?

[MMMinaj]

WAIT at Matty telling keri's#1fan<3 that tacky would of been a better brand. We done TOLD him

[Latch]

Can eye give mah critiques now?

[Mimie]

Bring back Red for the avi challenge

[MMMinaj]

I really hope i make it to the avi challenge I would kill it.

[DripDrip]

Originally posted by Dancehall Queen

Supa, I had a different word in mind and this queer sabotaged me.

Our wall post are open to the public so they can see how candid you are.



Maybe I want you to be in All Stars with me #Sabotage

[Latch]

It looks good. Of course I’m going to say this because it’s a yellow rip off of my entry from last cycle. However, I don’t see you as witty. Not with those examples. Edge is witty. I don't know about you.
And not the last example also being a rip off from ***Flawless.
If you fake something then make it your own. That’s my advice for you this week.


fghjkjl

Yass, DOMINO

SLass me good, bby

[MMMinaj]

DOMINO slassed me as well

[Matty]

About to start the big update now! Someone bout to be eliminated!

Originally posted by MMMinaj

Judges (or just Matty), since EmRi is already out, may we ask what you thought of his entry?

After I found out he had been banned, I PMed them saying to not worry about him.
Only Edge provided comments for his entry.

Originally posted by Emmy Del Rey

Are you implying I'm a homosexual.

You're more obvious than Hugo... if that says anything.

Originally posted by Latch

Can eye give mah critiques now?

Go 'head.