Saturday, July 01, 2006

ETA: One Week

The first prompt will be posted on THIS Sunday. If you would like to play, post a comment and I will send you an invitation. Read below for full details.

About Ongoing Onslaught

WHAT is this?

This is an ongoing community writing project. All of the players respond to the same prompt. At the end of the week, players and guests vote for their favorite responses. The ten most popular posts will be read in a podcast.

WHO can play?

Anyone! It does not matter if you do not have your own blog or if you have never participated in Onslaught before. It also does not matter when you find this game -- you may join at any time.

WHY should I play?

Everyone wishes they wrote more creative, fun things. It’s hard to push yourself and certainly hard to expose yourself too. OO provides you with a chance to get that feedback, achieve those goals, and learn from others too. All the contestants always say that it’s so much fun to read what they wrote and compare with others to see how they understood the prompt.

HOW do I play?

First, you must sign up. You may leave a comment on any of the posts with your name AND email address. I will email you an invitation so that you may join the blog.

Second, you must read the detailed rules post. This is your complete guide on what you must do as a player in the game. Please read them and be familiar with the game's operations.

Third, when you receive the invitation from blogger, follow the instructions in the email. You may choose any username that you would like. If you already have a blogger account, you don't have to get a new one.

Fourth, wait for the week's TKO to be posted on Sunday. Respond! Have fun!

WHEN does the game start/last?

The game is ongoing. This means you can join and quit whenever you would like to. Prompts are posted on Sundays and you have exactly one week to respond. You may choose to write some weeks and skip others.

WHERE can I learn more?

I began hosting this game because of the overwhelming response to the summer competitions called Online Onslaught. If you would like to read the archives of these contests, choose a link below. This will give you an idea of the kinds of prompts in the game and the different ways that players respond to those prompts.

Online Onslaught Four -- Summer 2006
Online Onslaught Three -- Summer 2005
Online Onslaught Two -- Summer 2004
Online Onslaught One -- Summer 2002

WHO is responsible for this game?

Ongoing Onslaught is hosted by Marie, the author of Modern Acropolis. The OOCast will be made possible with the ideas and technological help of Ian at Burning Light of Reason.

The Rules of Ongoing Onslaught

General: This is a creative writing blogging game. Every Sunday I will post a prompt and players will have exactly one week to respond. At the end of the week, all players and visitors will vote for their favorite contestants. I will read aloud the ten best posts for a podcast and post those results here.

The Specifics:

Posting

(1) I will post the week's TKO (total knock out) prompt every Sunday. The prompts will be selected by me but all players are strongly suggested to submit specific ideas to me.

(2) All players have exactly one week to post a response.

(3) There are only two limitations on what your post can be. It must be less than a thousand (1000) words and it must be a response to the TKO prompt.

Voting

(4) After the deadline to respond has passed, I will create an online survey so that players can vote for their favorite responses to that TKO prompt. I will post a link to that survey as well as the TKO prompt for the next week.

(5) All players will have four days to vote. Each player must vote for their four favorite responses to the TKO prompt. Additionally, all players must submit constructive feedback for two of the players they did not choose as their favorites. If players do not vote before the deadline, then they will be considered ineligible for the OOCast.

Results

(6) When the deadline to vote has passed, I will total the results and post a list of the most popular players that week on the blog. The ten most favorite'd responses will earn a spot in OOCast (or if there are less than ten players, then the best 2/3s). If there is a tie, I will not break it. Instead, I will adjust the number of posts for the OOCast that week as needed.

OOCast

(7) The OOCast is a podcast of the best TKO responses.

(8) Whichever player received the most favorite votes may if s/he chooses read the responses for the OOCast. If s/he does not want to, then I will do it myself.

(9) The OOCast will be uploaded here so that all players and guests may listen to the writing. Additionally, I will include OOCast in itunes database so strangers may also listen to your work.

Philosophy of Ongoing Onslaught

(10) This game is intended to be both encouraging and challenging. I will never tolerate anyone doing anything mean to other players. This includes excessively negative feedback or anything that I consider "gaming" the game to try to get an unfair advantage. After all, if you cheat, then your peers did not really like your writing and that is after all the point.

(11) In this spirit, I will never publically post the vote tallys. I will, however, tell you your totals each week but I do not think it is neccessary for other players to know how others are doing. I will also never ever tell anyone who voted for who. Therefore, you do not need to vote for your friends so they won't get upset. Unless you choose to tell them, nobody will know how chose them as their favorite.

Important Ways Ongoing Onslaught is Different Than the Online Onslaught Summer Games

* If you have not participated in Online Onslaught in the past, then you may ignore this section.

(12) Players will not be anonymous. You may use your real name or whatever handle you would like to identify yourself in the game. Because this game is not anonymous, you may also post your response on your own blog to share with your readers.

(13) Players will not be removed from the game no matter how few votes they receive. This is "Ongoing" Onslaught meaning that the posting and writing continues. Only the best players will be included in the OOCasts but all players will be able to post their response on the blog.

(14) If players fail to respond to a post there is also no penalty. You may choose to come and go as you choose. That being said, players should not choose to play only when they have a great idea for the TKO prompt. Instead, players should only skip weeks when they really do not have the time to participate.

One Month of Inactivity

(15) If you do not respond to four posts in a row, I will remove your permission to post. You may re-join, however, if you comment asking to sign up. I just do not want to leave players who have quit in the system.