Introducing Our New Submissions System

[SlowPokemon]

I'm so glad someone else said that because now I can just agree without having to be the person who always brings up the negative aspects

[Maelstrom]

I could be wrong, but this all still seems to be at the whim on when the updaters will actually be able to do some updating.

Yes it does. But now it will be easier to go over the sheets one at a time, and it will be easier for the arranger to know there is feedback available.

[Olimar12345]

Question, though: when you say you can submit more sheets after your existing submissions are accepted, does this mean that they apply (or are able to apply) to the same update, or does this just mean getting a head start on the next one?

Just two per person until the update.

[Sebastian]

I agree with Fierce on the VA thing
Nice Speech

[SlowPokemon]

Still though this system is very nice and eliminates the hassle of the giant submission thread. I just don't see what it's good for besides that.

[Olimar12345]

Well for one discussing arrangements will be much easier for staff and arrangers.

[The Deku Trombonist]

Checking sheets was always at the whim of the updaters, a problem that, of course, will always remain.

[Sebastian]

Checking sheets was always at the whim of the updaters, a problem that, of course, will always remain.

True, but having Bloop and Fierce look over them too will take a load off of the updaters shoulders.

[tallonmetroid]

Hey, so I uploaded a sheet using the new system, but I am having a problem. I made a small change to the end of the sheet, but when I go to nsm panel --> edit, and I try to submit my updated files, I keep getting a database error. Any ideas why? It also appears to have removed the original links, so I had to post ones from dropbox. What should I do about this? 

[The Deku Trombonist]

It happens every time, they all become blueberries.

I'll look into it this evening. That'll teach me to try and fix things just before midnight...

[tallonmetroid]

Sweet thank you.

[The Deku Trombonist]

All fixed. I added the files from the dropbox links back into your submission as well.

[tallonmetroid]

Awesome! Thank you so much! 

[Jamaha]

Still though this system is very nice and eliminates the hassle of the giant submission thread. I just don't see what it's good for besides that.

Exactly, you don't see it as the majority of the benefits only appear on the updating side. Previously, an updater had to collect submissions to a topic, download all the files, type the info for the sheets in the uploader along with uploading the files and then collect all the arrangements to an update post. With the new system, all he has to do is click accept on the submitted arrangements and once enough arrangements have been accepted, hit the update button to publish everything with an automated news post generation. Different updaters can also check sheets separately without needing to figure out who uploads what. Also, all the submitted files are stored on our server, so there's no need to use Mediafire or anything. The links don't expire, so we don't have that problem anymore (more about that in the Abandoned Arrangements thread).

The maximum number of submissions is also something we can adjust. Right now it's a matter of figuring out what is a reasonable number. Leave it too low and people get frustrated that they cannot submit as much as they want. Set it too high and it might happen that the updaters cannot handle all the submitted arrangements in a reasonable time. Again, frustration. I'd like some patience from you guys as this whole thing stabilizes and we figure out how it's going to be.

So yeah, the new system has lots of benefits, even though they might not be that visible. However, as Olimar mentioned, the actual checking is still the more time-consuming process and no upload system can assist in that. Essentially, arrangers want to be able to get their arrangements on the site. People want to see frequent updates. Said updates also shouldn't contain incorrect sheets. There are the problems we should find the solutions to with the limited resources we have. We have tried several methods in the past, for example requiring multiple updaters to check an arrangement (as it turns out, not a good idea). Veteran Arrangers were one such solution.

So to touch on the Veteran Arranger issue and FierceDeity's post, giving up on VAs might defeat their purpose. However, do they even have a purpose at this point? If not, there are two options: Create a purpose, or scrap the idea. By giving veteran arrangers a larger limit, we might be able to increase the updating frequency by having relatively more "easier-to-check" arrangements at the cost of possibly frustrating other arrangers who don't get to submit as much. Having mandatory VA checks might result in problems, just like the multiple updaters policy did. If they do it voluntarily, then is there really a point to having a specific title, if they'd do it anyway?

The current notion among the staff seems to be that VAs were just a failed experiment that has lived past its purpose. Maybe removing the whole thing is the best solution. Or we could be wrong. Generally, I try to listen to the feedback posted on the forums and the in the staff discussions to figure something out. Sometimes I decide wrong, but that's life.

[SlowPokemon]

The thing I like about this system is that a user who isn't on the forums can still go to the submissions board to see sheets that might be on the site in the future. In that regard it's very nice.