Hey there,

I have a suggestion about rejected layouts. I understand you have a certain quality you have to meet for which layouts you accept, and that you have only a certain amount of server space so not every one can be accepted.

Buut. What about if Createblog had a "Rejected Layouts" section. Where you can maybe keep the last 50 layouts, and people can go and see them and maybe comment on them. That way..it gives the members of CB a chance to get a say in which layouts get on the site. Like, if a layout gets enough positive feedback..it can be accepted afterwards. It might also solve some of the issues people have when they question the standards the mods accept/reject with.

If the layout doesnt get enough good feedback by the time the Rejected section is full..then it gets dropped. But it seems fair, doesnt it? Let me know what you all think. ^_^

I love that idea. It would at least help people to understand what there layout may need. It also may help new people who have a realy bad layout know how to improve next time.

and for the people who don't want others to see if the layout they made was rejected, maybe there could be an option where they could state whether or not they want their skin to go into the rejected section when they submit their skin?

i like this idea.

I'm glad you guys like the idea. ^_^

I think that'd be a good add on..An option to chose if your layout will go there or not. It just gives so much more freedom, without taking away the mods' control.

It seems a bit pointless to me, really.

The mods are more than capable of deciding what layouts are worthy of being accepted. If someone sends a good layout and it doesn't get accepted, they can PM a moderator and solve the problem. However, most rejected layouts are truly crappy.

The process already in effect seems a lot easier to me than your idea.

It's just so the the members of CB can interact with the whole layout accepting process. o.o' I'm not saying the mods aren't capable, I mean..they still get to accept/reject the layouts. But it would allow us to have a bit of a say in what gets added, since..in most cases..we're the ones who use the layouts in the end, aren't we? Well, for the most part.

And as drilotedahl said, it'll help people learn what they need to improve on.

Well actually if the person DID spend time on the layout (i.e. NOT defaultish), he/she can post it in the showcase section. People can just give comments there.

^ I agree - and sometimes when a layout is rejected and the designer corrects it, it is then accepted.. so what would be done with the bad one? It's just too much work for the mods - if anything like this would happen, you would have to keep the original image hosting and not upload it to the cB server.

It'd be too messy... cB's mission is to provide great xanga layouts (and myspace, blogger, etc.) so let's stick to that.

... and there are rejected skins that aren't even a script. Just some nonsense like: "blah".

They were rejected for a reason.

And I totally agree with ermfermoo. He makes more sense than this idea.

agreed. if someone really feels that their layout should have been accepted, they can take it up with a mod. mods were hired because they have good judgement on accepting layouts.

I actually like this idea.

I've had skins get rejected before, and I've pmed the mod who rejected it asking what I could do to fix it, and never got a reply.

Edit//
Look at my next post...
Actually... I decided it's not a good idea.

This is not a good idea.

1. Imagine a subforum called "Rejected Layouts" and your skin showed up on it. Now everyone knows you got rejected. THEN they have to hear from a bunch of people insult their rejected skin. Even if a post is helpful, it still hurts the submitter. It will destroy the submitter's confidence and he/she will probably stop making layouts to better themselves.

2. If the submitter got rejected and cared enough to know why, they'd PM the mod to know why.

3. It takes away the effect that only approved skins are shown. And once again, if we made a "rejected layouts" forum everyone would just see it as the "recycle bin" of cB layouts. How negative, right??

4. If they want critisicm, they can put it in the Showcase forums, right?

There are layoutters who say it's a great idea, but please remember that most submitters don't post much on cB, but only submit. We have to remember that it's just not posters who are the submitters, but also those who don't post (the actual majority); if we made this forum it would create much grief for the majority of submitters. Are you going to look highly upon someone when you view a user's topic history and it only shows rejected skins?

To be honest, the thought that some of the members don't trust us to make decisions is a little insulting to me. Ahhh, I kid.. But still. Ouch.

I don't like the idea mainly because of what Jeff said. It's embarrassing (at least I would be embarrased) to have something that was rejected posted up with your name on it. If someone thinks that their layout should have been accepted, he or she can post in the appropriate showcase forum - 9 times out of 10, you'll get the same feedback from the members as you did from the moderator who rejected your layout. But hey, if something is met with overwhelming popularity in the showcase forum, by all means let one of us know and we'll give you permission to resubmit it.

i think it's a good idea.

provided it's well moderated to ensure there isn't any straight criticism, then it'd help people see what they need to change.

i mean, when people get rejected (at anything), they usually want a reason. i mean, sure, they could PM mods, but some don't and then it's a lot of extra work for mods.

and i mean; you can opt out of it.

probably it should be made opt-in first, and see how it goes.

That's why je like french mentioned the checkbox idea. You check the box if you want it showed up. Like, have the default off, that way if you don't see it for some reason, it doesn't show up.

Besides, not everyone wants to put up their layout on their xanga(as an example) to show everyone, or even show everyone their xanga. I know I don't.

I also assumed that most mods were using the new "reason for rejection" feature.. *shrug* It's not like it wouldn't be possible, the layouts are still available for view (just not for download) indefinitely.. I just don't see it as necessary.

And by the way, I always happily answer my PMs.

^2x checkbox will work so mods aren't responsible for people.

but I feel really sorry for the mods.

If a submitter checked it, and is rejected, and then bunches of people pummel the layout w/ critisism and the submitter just can't take it, they'll PM the mod to delete/close it. This will happen I assure you.

So then I feel sorry for the design staff. I think this thing is just more blubber on cB...

^x2 Hmm, well yes, but it's also nice to see what other people think, and what they would like for you to change. Though the mods are quite capable of giving reasons, I know sometimes they just don't feel like it. I wouldn't want to explain in full detail what was wrong and what's something good to add to make it even better to every layout that got rejected. It's kinda unpractical if you think about it. This way, you can get more details, and more than one opinion.

I have never submitted anything, so I hope I'm not out of my place here -
I would actually like to see the layouts that are rejected. I don't think of them as rejections, they just weren't selected. Yeah, perhaps that might mean the same thing to certain folks, I just don't see it as something exclusively negative.

Of course the mods are capable and trustworthy to make those decisions, I don't think anyone has questioned that. However, the collective decision making of the mods might differ from different audiences. I would love to see them all though (if the designer is so willing).

I agree that a level of maturity must be practiced though. If you choose to have your layout out in the open, then you have to be open to criticism (you may be complemented as well).

Anyway, that's my 25 cents.

The problem is, how many of us active members are actually willing to go into that forum and looking at layouts that are obviously not up to cB-standards?


I still stick with people posting in the showcase sections.

^Yeah, I agree. Although the topic starter makes a good point about rejected layouts, I still think the whole thing would be pointless. Layouts that have been rejected should (if the layout maker wanted) be posted in the showcases.

This is why we have showcase section. o__o

^Actually, yeah, I agree now... I don't think it's a good idea either... mods are perfectly capible of giving advice, and if you really want it excepted, you can post it in the showcases section(for whatever kind of layout/skin you have)... Get advice there...