btw the best euro theme section is like a which sites i promote list. i think theres maybe one in there i dont promote. my loyalties in that one are a bit divided lol
Printable View
btw the best euro theme section is like a which sites i promote list. i think theres maybe one in there i dont promote. my loyalties in that one are a bit divided lol
Will I say one thing about all those awards, it really does show how small the gay side of this industry really is. In some way I really wish I was in a bigger pond, but I have never been one to want to be a big fish anyway.
oh, for goodness sake!
i didn't say everyone nominated themselves. what's more, if i thought people here had done so, i'm polite enough not to have brought it up even if i did think so. i like the people at this board.
there are some good sites listed on those nominations, but how does it validate the hard work, time, money and tons of creativity of those good sites when other sites listed include gallery and a site with no videos and less pics than a premium avs site? and there are more sites there like that.
imo awards should mean something. why should a unique and excellent site chance losing to a half assed and below par site?
i know what voting means but seems like people are nominating and voting not for the sites but for the owners.
Patti,
Dont fret it, we know that isnt what you meant.
Im just glad people are happy being put on the same level of quality as a site like this.. http://www.fathairycocks.com
I mean wow, what a compliment, id sure be happy if my site was compared to a below-par free site also.
Regards,
Lee
:catfight:
:shock: *munching on popcorn*
People - no offence, but it's just a fucking award "show" - who really gives a shit! When done one way some will complain, and when done another way others will complain.
Not trying to take anything from the winners (if this is thing is finally over) or those nominated, but is it really all that important that some risk ruining relationships over something truly adolescent?
I stopped caring about "awards" when I was in junior high, and am surprised that others hold them in such high regard.
We all know what we've actually accomplished: for some it's been working hard in front of their PC (all the power to them), for others it's been promoting their product, or campaigning (all the power to them).
At the end of the day "this" was not done for the accolades (not to be confused with acknowledgement from others), rather it was all done for :cash: ... :moneybags: ... you know MOOLAH (unless your loans officer, bookie, dealer, hooker, mule, lift attendant or WHOMEVER accepts awards), or so I hope.
(again, sorry if the following offends, because it is not meant to)
Maybe I am truly different from all or many of you, but at absolutely no point in time do I care for these, nor do I bother to specifically look for sites that bother to display their badges and awards. As a matter of fact, I've AdBlocked them out of my life!
They mean nothing but the popular opinion of 'X', like the Oscars & Grammys.
As for the garbage about the past feud between the two boards ... what is this the north vs. the south? (I wanted to use that classic American family feud between the clampids and the wha_cha_ma_calls_em, but could not remember their actual names.)
I was once nominated as The Nicest Guy at Office Depot. It did not matter to me that I did not win, but does it mean I am no longer a nice person?
Best say yah, or I'll grab the bottom of your mouth, crank down before I hork a loogie down your throat!
Ok Squirt breathe... in one two out one two in one two.... exhale slowly... shake it out ok ok... now visualize patti
http://www.staggerin.com/image-cache...pg_255_255.jpg
ok good good... now breathe.. relax.. visualize Lee
http://www.drunkdwarves.com/images/ddmail/crybaby.jpg
No no no! Now focus.. breathe... in one two out one two... exhale slowly... shake it out.. now try it again... visualize Lee
http://www.sallyminker.com/art/2-d/i...apes-print.jpg
.
LOL ... BAH HAH HAH - nice find, Tom!
Lee, I am not laughing at you, I am busting-up over the image of the sour grapes!
Paco,
You are spot on with your reply.
Another thing to consider is this, i havent used Epoch as a processor yet but, i have used CCBill, what right do i have to say that CCBill is a better processor and deserves to win an award more than Epoch does?
Likewise, i have never been inside the members area of CorbinFisher, does that give me a right to say that that site doesnt deserve an award whilst another in the same category that i may have been inside does?
Lets just give every webmaster who uses 'content' a nomination, that way, everyone can be special and, at the same time, nobody can be.
Without meaning to offend anyone who did get nominated, most award shows, not just the Cybersocket ones, do nothing more than celebrate mediocrity, anyone can submit their own site for nomination or, one of their friends, ultimately, the people who win will be the ones who got the most votes.. Based on what criteria? How many friends they have? How much content they use? Ease of site use? Site design?
What makes a site special to you, might not make a site special to me and, very rarely have i seen people or companies get awarded who truly deserved it... That being said, sure, it is nice to win something but ultimately why even bother when you dont know what you did right in order to get nominated or win in the first place? How does that help you or your site?
Regards,
Lee
I like the idea of an awards show where a select panal of judges - people experienced and respected in the industry - are the ones that come up with both nominees and winners.
The judges' own sites would be excluded from candidacy. Nominations would be solicited from the public, and the judges would review the nominations to trim them down to the best, say, 10 among the publicly submitted nominees.
At that point, they select the winners from those nominees. Hell, you could even have a different group of judges. One to narrow the nominees down, another group to actual vote on final winners.
Of course, were that to be the case, then some people would complain about the judges all having an agenda, i.e. "Everyone knows that judge never liked me. There was no way I was going to win." But at least there would be some transparency on who was making the decisions and what individuals the votes came down to.
So really, there's no way to ever make everyone happy.
Cybersocket, I get the feeling, has chosen to take a very hands off approach to the whole process. They've done this because, in the past, people were certain the results were fixed. So now, they leave it completely up to the numbers that come in on nominations and votes. That leads to an entire lack of quality control. Hell, last year CorbinFisher won Best Megasite and... we're not even a megasite! lol. An outcome of Cybersocket being completely objective throughout the whole process is sites that really shouldn't be nominated get nominated. If they were to cull the heard of nominees, then they'd end up getting thrashed for doing that. It's a lose/lose situation.
A cybersocket award and $5 will get you a frappucino. However, it is sorta fun to show up on the list. I was happy that menwithcams.com (amateur webcam site) and diesellive.com (black themed site) were both nominated this year.
The benefit so far has been some traffic from the nomination page and some new affiliate signups. I'm guessing about half of the traffic is coming from website owners checking out the sites on the list. Any time there is a popularity contest, someone will get their panties in a bunch. Its really not worth losing sleep over.
I can't say that I would ever post anything on my site about being nominated or even winning. Do surfers even know what a cybersocket web award is? probably not. Would I ask a new visitor to my site to vote for my site by visiting a page with a gazillion other pay sites that they can click on and decide they like better? Definitely not.
I think the industry related categories are more likely to be of value to a site than the surfer categories. Luke can get some new clients, Jacob can use it as another reason to add Live Twinks to a site. But from a surfer's perspective and the the impact on the bottom line? Nada.
Greetings Everyone!
First off I would like to congratulate all of the nominees who are up for a Cybersocket Web Award. :thumbsup:
After reading all of the various opinions on this board, I just need to say two things:
All of the nominees are submitted by surfers, during the nomination process, choose to nominate their favorite website. In order to have a true Surfers Choice Award, we feel it would be hypocritical if we were to go in and veto what the surfers choose. Since the inception of the awards this has been the rumor, and perhaps now we may be able to put it to rest.
Additionally, the comment made by Lee regarding changing the winner of a category just minutes before the presentation of the award is completely false. After all of the votes are tallied, the awards manufacturer engraves and ships them back to us at least two weeks before the ceremony. We do not have the ability to change the winner of the award on the night of the show since we would be handing out an award with “previous winners” name on it.
Unfortunately, in the four years I have worked with Cybersocket and the awards, these issues and rumors fly around every year. I assume that this is just the nature of the beast, and will continue to happen, its inevitable.
Perhaps I am opening myself up to criticism since I generally avoid posting on the boards, but I really did feel that these two issues needed to be addressed. In the event you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at michelle@cybersocket.com and I will be happy to assist you.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and I look forward to seeing or meeting you all in Phoenix. Take care and have a wonderful day!
Sincerely,
Michelle Aragon
General Manager – Cybersocket
Thank you kindly, Michelle, for taking the time to post a reply - I do appreciate it!Quote:
Originally Posted by CuriousOne
Thank you very much Michelle!! Boom Snap! hehe :argue: :catfight:
I'd like to point out that at Fratmen we're dammned excited to be nominated, and the nominations were driven by our membership, not us.
The Fratmen also suggested that members nominate my personal site, and I'm happy as a pig in shit to be recognized for the work I've done there to encourage gay men to take up my sport of motorcycle riding.
anyway.. there we go.
And yes.. I really wanna win.. so VOTE FRATMEN AND VOTE JASUNMARK.COM
thanks.
:jasun:
I couldn't agree more! I am very happy to have LiveTwinksCam to be nominated as Best Voyeur Site.
I am very happy that CyberSocket puts in all of their hard work, efforts, resources and money into these awards for us! Thank you again CyberSocket!
Please Vote for LiveTwinksCam under Best Voyeur Site, if you think we are the best. I really want to win this year! We have done a lot of hard work this year, to bring the surfer and our webmasters the best voyeur experience possible! Also thanks to those that nominated us! Thank you!
Awards season always brings with it a backlash. The ones who are nominated are happy, while the ones who are not bitch and moan about there being a conspiracy or how unimportant the awards are. Blah blah blah.
The integrity of awards shows has always been called into question -- again, usually by those who are not recognized by the awards, which says a lot about where they are REALLY coming from.
My friends used to be really down on the Oscar awards, saying they were nothing more than a popularity contest. Still, who else but members of Hollywood should be able to vote on movies, since as actors, filmmakers, cinematographers, etc., who else is more qualified to vote on filmmaking achievement? Sure, some ridiculous winners have emerged over the years (I'm still smarting over Crash), and the Oscars have traditionally singled out studio films over independent ones, but in recent years I've seen a shift in the Oscars that makes me hopeful that they really are trying to honor excellence.
You can bitch and moan all you want about the relevance of awards, but it is still quite a thrill to be recognized for your work.
That said, I pretty much agree with Patti. WIth all due respect to those who put so much time and effort into putting the awards together, some of the sites nominated this year frankly do not deserve to be nominated, which does call into question the merits of the nominations process and, of course, the relevance of what it means to nominated or win.
But in a way, that's really beside the point. I mean, in the end, how much relevance should really be given to awards? Take them with a grain of salt, but still take them. And be thankful for them. They are essentially meant to stroke the egos of those who are nominated and/or win, sure. But don't we ALL need a little bit of ego-stroking now and then? The Cybersocket Web Awards do serve a very important function in our community. They provide visibility and promotion for those who are nominated, and they make the webmasters behind those sites feel like their work is being noticed.
In the end, what's not to be thankful for?
Thanx to Cybersocket for putting the awards together, and congrats to all who are nominated!
I am also totally stoked over chilihost being nominated. I have personally worked my ass off over the last 5 years to make it the company it is today. And I did not nomite myself nor did I ask anyone to nominate chilihost. Its a true honour to be recognized with the other webhosts on that ballot.
cheers,
Luke
Sheesh. Sometimes you really worry me, Squirt. You REALLY do.Quote:
Originally Posted by Squirt
Me too! UKnakedmen.com is in some amazing company on that ballot. And I still haven't found anyone who will admit to nominating it. So just to be nominated by an anonymous person is truly an honor.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chilihost
you do not need me to tell you this, BUT, awesome work, Luke!Quote:
Originally Posted by Chilihost
I've heard plenty about you & Chilihost, and from what I gather you deserve the nom.
I am going to pop the cork of a nice #4 Riesling, and am going to force myself to ingest a glass or two ... just for you :innocent:
Cheers!
I beg to differ on this theory because I nominated several sites and they did not appear on the list. My theory is you pay $$ for advertising with Cybersocket you're pretty much always gonna be on their list. At least it would appear that way.Quote:
Originally Posted by LiveTwinksCam
Quote:
Originally Posted by dwaynered
We at Fratmen ran one print ad. last year. And we didn't get nominated at the last awards, so there goes that theory.
And Jasunmark.com has NEVER taken out a print ad in ANYTHING.
But my podcast is in the top 20 in iTunes, and I have a RABID following all over the world.... so that might explain it.
That cant be right, Michelle posted a few pages ago saying that nominations were made by individuals.. Not their company... Hmmm...Quote:
Originally Posted by dwaynered
Regards,
Lee
I will bust that theory. I have never paid for advertisement on CyberSocket and I don't personally know anyone at CyberSocket and we won Best Voyeur site last year and got nominated this year. Try again Dwayne.
But you do promote them heavily on the various message boards.Quote:
Originally Posted by LiveTwinksCam
Whether you realize that is what you do or not, it is true. Therefore, it would stand to reason that you would be nominated and, will probably win whatever category you are nominated in so that you continue to brand and send them traffic $0.02
Regards,
Lee
So when do conspiracy theories begin? :confused:
And the rest of us?
We are just anomolies?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lee
I promote them Lee? How do I do this? Other boards? I am on this board and unity360.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lee
Only thing you could get this from is in my signature that says Voted Best Voyeur site. That isn't promoting cybersocket but stating we are a quality website which also put us #1 on Badpuppy this year and also ranks us #1 on almost all of our clients sites.
The only place I have ever advertised is on here. So I guess I promote GWW now, huh?
Thanks for offending me by stating that's how we got nominated and won.
Sorry you have a beef with CyberSocket but don't take it out on everyone else!
not to mention I really DO think that Fratpad IS the best Reality site out there, I think it's the best Voyeur site and it's the best new site this year, no contest.
I'm also very proud of the Live shows we have on Fratmen.TV and it makes sense to me how we would get nominated for Best Amateur Web Cams when we have the hottest models doing nightly live chats/jack off shows from their dorm rooms. We do remote shows from locations when we're shooting new movies and we've done all sorts of crazy stuff including the famous show where the model was late, so I did the first half of the show for him and when he got there, I hauled out my clippers and punished him for being late by shaving his head on cam and then sending him into the shower to jack off.
(And I'm also proud of the huge fan following I get on Jasunmark.com. I can't go to a fetish fair like Folsom Street or Dore Alley without people recognizing me and taking their picture with me... I really DO have a great personal site)
And as someone who works in Operatons for Instigator Magazine, I'll tell you that we didn't do any promotion either.. we're a different audience all together. But we got nominated for best Fetish Site. Rightfully so.
Jacob,Quote:
Originally Posted by LiveTwinksCam
This has nothing to do with any 'beef' with Cybersocket, GWW was also nominated for an award so, its not a case of sour grapes like someone else suggested.
The fact of the matter is, if it wasnt for these 'awards' nobody would know who Cybersocket was and, nobody would be talking about them.. Period.
Yes you have promoted them on the boards, for a start, you created this thread, also, as i recall, last year your sig had something along the lines of 'cybersocket winner' plastered in it and, i beleive you were even considering mentioning them on some banners you were going to get created.
What this comes down to is this, Cybersocket are running a business, they are trying to make money and, if they didnt have these awards ceremonies, they couldnt charge their sponsors for the parties how much they charge them and, i guarantee the amount they get in sponsorship is nowhere near what they pay for the parties.. Trust me on this... We actually returned funds to the sponsors of our GWB events because our sponsorships pulled in more money than we could physically spend in 3 hours.
Anyone who thinks that Cybersocket, Xbiz, ANV, or any other type of 'awards' organizer is doing it because they want people to feel good about their accomplishments quite frankly, are crazy. These companies have awards for one reason, to grow their business, either in traffic, branding or financially.
Regards,
Lee
What they are doing is called marketing and advertising. Just like you do! If we weren't here you couldn't charge $850 dollars for a one month ad. You do the same thing, so what! Tv commercials do the same thing! It's a business! How many thousands a month do you rack up from advertisers?Quote:
Originally Posted by Lee
Regarding me promoting them, that's bullshit. I started this post as a congratulations to those that won, not to promote CyberSocket other then they are the one and only doing the awards at the moment.
I have the signature as advertisement that we won! Just like any other company that wins an award. Not for CyberSocket.
Are you sure you aren't upset with CyberSocket from the post Morgan Sommer wrote on TGB recently about you?
I don't remember last years nominations that were posted on GWW going through all of this.
You sure you don't have a beef with CyberSocket? Only thing that makes any sense out of your reaction to all of this.
Now look at you Lee... trying to make a company look bad for making money... oh the irony :p
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lee
Exactly my point.Quote:
Originally Posted by LiveTwinksCam
They are marketing themselves, thus, the awards mean absolutely nothing.
Again, exactly my point.Quote:
I have the signature as advertisement that we won! Just like any other company that wins an award.
He posted about me? Cool..Quote:
Are you sure you aren't upset with CyberSocket from the post Morgan Sommer wrote on TGB recently about you?
You are right they didnt, because last year Cybersocket was a banned words and they never got discussed :)Quote:
I don't remember last years nominations that were posted on GWW going through all of this.
Regards,
Lee
Thats not what im trying to do at all.Quote:
Originally Posted by Squirt
Im simply trying to point out to some of you that the awards mean absolutely nothing at all except to the person that 'wins' or the awards company... Yet many of you dont seem to be understanding that any award is worthless if you dont know...
1) Why you were nominated
2) Who nominated you
3) What the judging criteria is for the nomination
4) How it can help your business
As it stands right now, i dont think any of you are able to answer any of those 4 questions therefore, the award nomination (or possibe win) are worthless.
Regards,
Lee
I actually agree with Lee on this....
These awards are a joke and just a way to create buzz and make money in the industry.
Can someone tell me where this site will put its winning banner?
http://www.gayboyjapan.com/
And do you want to really be assciated with a company that may elect this site
http://www.strokemycock.net/
as best new themed site? What theme is that? Taking photoshop and making them look as young as possible.
Just because someone receives money from advertising doesn't make them unethical. Almost every single award is sponsored by an advertiser. American Idol is sposored by Coke and Ford, so the millions of people that call in to vote, that is rigged to, huh? By Coke and Ford.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lee
So last year no one posted about the CyberSocket awards on here, it was banned?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lee
Lee. You are absolutely right.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LiveTwinksCam
I think what Lee is trying to say is that there is more going on behind any awards show than simply altruistic reasons. I don't think it's a question of ethics, Jacob. It's also business. That's all Lee is pointing out, from what I gather. Whether or not that detracts from the pride of being nominated, however, is up to you.
Just because a company puts on an awards show to boost their brand recognition does not automatically discount their intentions. We've all gathered by now that Lee is pretty much a cynic who is skeptical about everything. Meanwhile, as a businessman, he recognizes the efforts of others to increase their own presence and profitability. However, the thing that is wrong with that scenario is that not all business folk think the same way. For one business person to claim they know the motives and intentions behind the efforts of others is rather arrogant and presumptuous.
As I said before, I think it's best to take the awards with a grain of salt. I think Lee is trying to point out that the awards do not measure with any accuracy the supposed excellence of any site nominated. And both he and Patti have a point on that. But that doesn't mean that you can't still take pride in being recognized by somebody.
So, don't let the nay-sayers and the pessimists get you down, Jacob. It's not worth it. :)
uh oh here we go again :cop:Quote:
Originally Posted by realtoughbear
Ken, thats exactly my and i presume Patti's point.Quote:
Originally Posted by XXXWriterDude
When you win something (or get nominated for something) without knowing what the criteria for nomination / winning are, the award or nomination is of no value but, like you also said, the fact that an award is worthless doesnt mean you cant celebrate being nominated or winning the award, however mediocre it may ultimately be.
Regards,
Lee