How to OP: A Voting Thread Guide (Updated 2024!)

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tokki

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If you’re about to OP your first voting thread, you might be unsure where to start and what it all entails.. It might seem confusing at first, but once you know the basics, OPing a voting thread isn't as intimidating of a process as you might think.

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So, what is the first step once you become an OP? For a K-Pop / J-Pop / C-Pop group or artist thread, you will need to gather at least 2 keepers per badge. For all other badges, you will instead need to buy a form from our shop.

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With the first steps taken, you will next want to make yourself familiar with our badge guidelines as outlined in the Awards Guidelines & Approval thread. To ensure quality badges for our userbase, we have guidelines that all awards must adhere to and when OPing a thread, it's important you know these rules. Finally, you will want to decide a schedule. This is something all awards threads will need once they begin the suggestion process, though you can start it as soon as you start gathering keepers.

Here is a basic outline of what you will need when writing a schedule.
Keepers: The first part of any voting thread, while this is not option for artist badges, you don't necessarily need to write it into your schedule. Regardless, this will need to be the first step you take.

Suggestion Phase: I recommend at least 3 - 4 days to gather suggestions, this may take longer for larger groups.

Preliminary Voting: A recommendation of 3 - 4 days. This phase is optional and best used for groups that have a large number of suggestions.

Final Voting: A recommendation of 3 - 4 days. After the optional preliminary voting, you will want to have a final voting stage among the top badges from the preliminary results. You may skip straight to this stage if you do not need a preliminary voting period. IE: 3 - 5 badges would not need a preliminary voting stage.

Submission: Optional to add to your schedule, but the required final step for submitting badges to the system.

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Suggestion Phase
  • If you are unable to make mocks yourself, you can ask other users for help via our Request a Mock Thread.​
  • Voting threads for larger groups may want to split this period between multiple suggestion phases. IE: Your first suggestion phase may include the group badge and 3 members, where the second suggestion phase includes the remaining members.​
  • Require all users to submit original photos with their mocks. This will help if a mock needs to be redone and it is required to be submitted during submission for badges to be added to the system.​
  • Not required, but I recommend limiting the number of suggestions per user, per badge. If you only have a small number of users submitting, you may decide to omit this but for groups where multiple are suggesting badges, this will help allow for quality over quantity.​
  • Create an Imgur folder or something similar. This will make it easier to keep track of your badges.​
Voting
  • A preliminary voting period is recommended, if you have a small number of submissions you may instead choose to only hold a final voting stage. IE: 3 - 5 badges received would not need a preliminary voting period.​
  • Voting can be done via a poll or by copying and pasting a form into a post within the thread.​
  • For polls, all votes must be made public. This will help prevent cheating and other possible issues from leaving voting anonymous.​
  • If using a form, all voters must post it within the thread. Off-site voting is not allowed. Having users post their choices within the thread will make all votes public and will help eliminate the possibility of cheating.​
  • Double votes are allowed for keepers of badges. No more than one extra vote is allowed.​
  • Giving extra votes for anything other than being a keeper is not allowed. IE: Purchasing an awards form. If you are purchasing a form, it is because you want the badge but not to gain extra votes.​
  • To continue the above, offering Plus Coins or attempting to bribe with items is not accepted. As an OP you are expected to fairly bring users from the suggestion phase to final submission.​
Wild Card Round / Editing Round / Alternative Badge
  • A wildcard round is acceptable and can only be implemented after voting is finished if there is new material to be voted on. You must include the previous winning badge in the final wildcard voting. You may not hold a wildcard round if a majority of voting users do not wish for one.​
  • Editing rounds should only be done on winning badges and only minor adjustments should be made.​
  • For an alternative badge, the OP should first determine if voters are interested. You may decide between the runner-up from the original final voting or hold a new vote which includes only the badges from the original final vote pool. No new additions can be added. Alternative badges are only for the group badge.​

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When the voting process is finished, it is time to submit the winning badges for final approval. This is done in our Awards Guidelines & Approval thread. For those requiring keepers, 2 must quote your post before they will be approved.

Badges are also still subjected to adjustments needing to be made at this point - this is usually not necessary, but the Awards Team reserves the right to make any needed adjustments (sharpening, coloring, crop, etc) to the final badges before adding them to the system if they do not properly meet guidelines.

Assuming all badges have passed final approval and you receive all quotes needed, the submitted badges will be uploaded to our system and your job as OP is done!

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FAQ

What if I no longer wish to OP?
If you know you will be unable to keep an OP, you can have it transferred to someone else who is willing to run it instead.

What if the OP isn't doing their job?
If this is the case, an Awards Team member or another user may take over the thread. We will check all cases reported before deciding to hand the OP over to anyone.

I can't gather enough keepers, can I just buy the form?
Unfortunately, artist badges require the keeper system. The form is strictly for badges that are not K-Pop/C-Pop/J-Pop and cannot be used as an alternative to keepers. If the artist you are trying to gather for has an official thread, post there and try creating a general post in The Union to see if other users are willing to help with keeping the badge.

How many badge threads can I host at the same time?
A user is allowed to host up to five (5) badge threads max at the same time. This is to prevent users from creating a lot of threads and abandoning them before they are finished. If you want to host more please finish the ones you already started. Exceptions may be made during award season, but you will need permission from the Awards Team.

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Helpful Threads:
Ask the Awards Team
Awards Guidelines & Approval
Badge Making Tutorial (by @mocha)
The Request a Mock Badge Thread
 
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