The Everyone's A Winner Challenge/Showcase Thingy is open to all. New challenge themes are announced by 6pm on Tuesday. The new thread for each challenge can be found in the challenges folder on the message board at those times. Or just click the link above.
The challenge is not a contest. There is no judging. It's just talented folks sharing music and friendship. We also have our own Everyone's A Winner Chat Room which is open to all. All of the recordings here have been recorded live in our EAW chat room.
The Everyone's A Winner Challenge/Showcase Thingy FAQ
Answers to your questions about the challenge can be found here.
II. HOW DO YOU POST A SONG IN THE EVERYONE'S A WINNER CHALLENGE?
III. HOW DO I POST A HOT LINK IN THE THREAD (MAKE MY SONG TITLE CLICKABLE)?
IV. HOW DO I ADJUST COLORS AND OTHER ATTRIBUTES OF MY PRINT?
Again, in the thread, you use the BBCodes.
[color=red]Text goes here[/color] Makes text Red. You can choose any color.
[i]Text goes here[/i] Text will be italicized
[b]Text goes here[/b] Text will be bolded
V. HOW CAN I PUT A HOT LINK TO THE CHALLENGE ON MY SONG'S PAGE?
To add a hot link (clickable) from your song's page to the challenge thread, do the following.
Put the URL link from the top of page one of the challenges into the following code and paste the whole thing in the description box on your song's page. Because html typed here is executable, I need to add a few extra characters to show you the code. I have added these things --->*. DO NOT USE THE * THAT ARE PRINTED IN THE CODE BELOW.
*<*a href="URL GOES HERE"*>*TITLE OF CHALLENGE GOES HERE*<*/a>*
It might look like this
This song is for the
*<*a href="http://www.singsnap.com/snap/forum/topic/ae2fb88"*>*Everyone's A Winner Challenge/Showcase Thingy XIX*<*/a>*
Come join us! No judging. Just good singers sharing songs with other good singers.
If you type it like that (remember, do not reproduce the *asterisks), "Everyone's A Winner Challenge/Showcase Thingy XIX" will appear in blue and by clicking on it, a person will come right to the challenge. The code will not be seen. Be sure to enter the URL for the current challenge.
VI. HOW DO I QUOTE SOMEONE?
If you want to reprint what someone said, all you have to do is go to their comment and click on "Quote" which is found in the lower right corner of each post.
The comment will be reprinted in your comment box and all you have to do is add your comment. The other person's quote will be preceded by [quote=the person's name]. An end quote [/quote] will be at the end of their quote. Hit return twice then type your comments after the end quote. Then press submit and you're done.
If you do that then the person's quote will appear in a dashed box at the top of your post and your comment will follow outside the box. If for any reason your post doesn't look like this, you can hit EDIT and look to see if everything's in its proper place. Make sure the opening tag [quote=the person's name] and the end tag [/quote] are in their proper place.
VII. CAN YOU TELL US ANYTHING MORE ON QUOTING? CAN WE PARTIALLY QUOTE SOMEONE?
Whatever is between the opening quote tag [quote=someone's name] and the end quote [/quote] will appear inside a box in your final result. So, yes, after you hit the QUOTE button, you can just move those around and put them before and after whatever you want to show inside your comment box.
Of course, you can also delete any of the comment you don't want to quote. In fact, it's a good idea (and a great space saver) to delete anything that doesn't directly concern your response.
VIII. WHAT SHOULD WE NOT QUOTE? Please do not repost people's song links. It makes the thread more difficult to read. If you quote someone and the quote contains their song link, please delete the song link before hitting Submit. See VII above.
IX. WHAT ABOUT GOOD MANNERS?
Basically, have fun! But be courteous to others.
Typing in ALL CAPS is considered shouting and is discouraged.
Spamming (multiple posts in a row that say the same thing) is also discouraged. It makes the thread harder to read and is considered discourteous.
Use the EDIT button in the event you want to change your post. You have up to 30 minutes after you post to edit your post. This is better than to post immediately after to correct or add to what you just said.
Please do not leave glitter or large graphics as feedback or in the thread. Smaller graphics are fine.
If you're entering a song that you had entered in another challenge, remove any text mention of the other challenge just out of respect. Or if you have the song entered in more than one challenge, display our name next to the other. But to enter a song in our challenge that says it's for something else is a bit tacky.
Do not start arguments in the thread. If you have something specific to discuss with someone PM them rather than laying it out for all to see.
Listen to the other people and leave feedback. That's the most important thing of all. If you just post a song and vanish, over time people will wise up to you.
This is not a competition, so revel in each other's talents. There's no need for jealousy. There's plenty of room for friendship.
X. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE - WHY DO WE DO IT THE WAY WE DO IT??
Our main purpose is to give people a forum from which their songs can be heard. Many challenges ask that you visit others and say hello. We ask that you listen. We prefer that you listen to the whole song. This is a bit more demanding but that's why we're here. To hear others and to be heard by others.
It's also why we discourage folks from leaving generic glitter. Certainly no one objects to a little graphic accompanying your personal comments. We're not here to discourage you from having fun. But some of the glitter stamped on songs can be very large, impersonal, distracting and can actually carry viruses. We ask for restraint and for a more personal touch.
WHY NO JUDGING?
Personally, I do not wish to judge others nor do I wish to be judged by them. I don't believe art should be a competition. That’s not to knock the other challenges and contests on here. Some people like to be in a position to rate others and some like to win a contest every now and then. I say terrific for them. For me? NO JUDGING. That’s my mantra.
I want to hear others entertain me and I want to entertain them. So all that matters to me is to listen and to be listened to. Therefore, there are no winners selected in this challenge.
If you need to win an award, you'll have to look elsewhere. If you do enter a contest, please do it for fun only. If you're looking for artistic gain or validation, you may ask yourself, is the person judging me qualified to make that decision? Are they more talented than me? Or even, as talented as me? Do they have a background in discovering talent? Can they, in any way, guide me to become a better performer? If not, don't let the results impact you in a negative way.
Here we celebrate good singers and find no need to put one ahead of another. We cherish talent and friendship and do not seek to number it. Our award here is the music itself. Thus, everyone is a winner! Thanks so much for joining us. We are awarded by your presence.
HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN I EXPECT WILL COME LISTEN TO ME?
First, it is suggested that you post early in the challenge. Many people wait until the last second, and certainly if you post only hours before the end of the challenge, you shouldn't expect a ton of feedback.
Second, the more people you visit, the more people will likely visit you in return. But there is no guarantee of such a quid pro quo relationship to the feedback you get.
We will continue to grow as word spreads that this is a safe and rewarding place to be and as more people find that they would like meaningful listens and others find they don't need to be in a competition to be appreciated. We have a very warm and supportive group of singers here. People will come and go and we expect our members to take a break or to partake in other challenges. Our main goal is quality, not quantity. But we expect to have both.
To hear Mike's Everyone's A Winner Chat Room Theme Song, pause the player at the top of this page and click play on the player to the left.
XI. EVERYONE'S A WINNER LIVE - OUR CHAT ROOM
Everyone's A Winner has our own chat room where members can come mingle, chat and sing for each other live! This room is open for your use 24/7 provided you follow the guidelines below. You do not have to enter the challenge to use the room. The entrance to the room is at the bottom of this page.
CHAT ROOM GUIDELINES
1. When in the chat room, be courteous and listen to others when they are singing.
2. Wait your turn. There will be a list maintained by the room moderator if one is present. If a moderator is not present, decide amongst yourselves who will keep the list.
3. Maintain a list. The first people to arrive in the room should go on the list to sing first. And so forth. Do not "grab the microphone" or attempt to pass someone in line. As people arrive in the room, add them to the back of the list. The back of the list is marked by the person who just sang before the person who is currently singing.
4. No lewd behavior will be tolerated.
5. Be courteous to others but have fun. We are not going to scrutinize everything you do.
6. “Special” use of the chatroom. Certain gatherings will be scheduled in the room for “challenges” and such. At those times, whatever had been going on in the room will have to stop. These, for the most part, will be pre-scheduled and announced during the challenge. Also you can check below, at the end of this FAQ, for the Chat Room schedule updates.
GETTING TO THE ROOM
Use the login window on the bottom of this page. Enter your userplane ID and password, click "login" and you're in! If you don't have an ID and password, you can set one up quickly and free by clicking on "Sign up."
INSIDE THE ROOM - HOW TO LISTEN TO OTHERS
There is a list on the upper left. That is a list of all the people who are in the room and how long they've been there. You will see your name on the list. IF anyone on the list has a green "A" next to their name, they are singing. If they have a green "V" next to their name, they are on web cam and can be seen. To hear or see a person, merely click on their name.
USING THE DOCK
When you click on a name in the list (DO NOT click on your own name), you will see a box appear on the lower left, below the list. That box will contain live video or audio or both of the person singing. If you don't hear them, make sure all your audio equipment, speakers, etc. are turned up. Then look under the picture of the person singing and make sure their "A" is clicked on. The "A" will be green when activated.
Also below their name in that box and to the right is the word "Dock." Click on Dock to move that person into your dock on the far right. You can keep 2 people active in the dock, thereby allowing you to view other people while listening to a 3rd person.
TO SING
When your turn comes, first call up a song as you would normally on Snap to sing. You can play a pre-recorded song if you like, but live singing is what it's about. If you have a mixer, make sure everything is turned on as it would be for you to record.
Next, you must activate your audio to sing. On the left of the dock, under the word ME is your picture or live video if you're on cam. Underneath the box with your picture in it are 2 letters. Click once on the "A" to activate your audio. To make sure it activates properly, it is often helpful to talk into your mic as you click on the "A." Click once on the "V" to activate your video, if you choose to. The "A" or "V" will be green when activated.
Once your audio is on, hit the play button in the snap player and sing. That's it. Everyone will hear you sing live!
When you are done, immediately click off your "A" button so the next person can sing.
Only one person can be on audio at a time.
HOW TO GET RID OF ADS ON USERPLANE PAGE
Many people have complained that the pop-up ads on the Userplane page will bump them from the room from time to time. Since advertising is one way Userplane supports itself, it's best to leave the ads where they are BUT if they are causing you to not be able to enjoy your experience in the chat room, there is a way to eliminate them. Here's how to do it.
If you don't already have the Firefox Browser, go to any of these pages and download it --> Download Firefox Here or Download Firefox Here. Once you have installed Firefox, open the browser and download the Adblock plug in here --> Download Adblock Here.
Once you've installed Adblock, restart your browser. The next time you open the chat room you will see the word Adblock in the lower right hand corner of the Userplane window. Click on it. This will bring up a new window where there will be a space for you to add filters. Add the following filter --> http://subtracts.userplane.com/* and click OK. This should eliminate the space that holds the banner ads at the bottom of the window. If it doesn't completely block ads, you can open the filter window again and select anything else that looks like it refers to ads, replace everything after the / with "*" and hit OK.
EVERYONE'S A WINNER LIVE CHAT ROOM SCHEDULE
Thursday we usually begin around 7PM EST. Daniela (Daniela4Luv) is your host.
Friday we usually start at 6PM EST. Janet (Cerebraljam) is your host.
Friday we also have a late gathering starting around 11PM or Midnight EST.
Saturday we usually start at 8:30PM EST. Eliza (Ragandbone) is your host.
**NEW! Sunday afternoon we start at 1PM EST. Cynthia (Cynthiacog) is your host.
To figure out your time zone - subtract 3 hours for Pacific, subtract 2 hours for Mountain, subtract 1 hour for Central and add 5 hours for GMT.
More times will be announced shortly.
You can organize your own gathering at other times by posting a note in the current challenge thread and asking people to meet you.
You can enter the chat room by filling in the form below. Enter your Userplane ID and password and click "login" or, if you don't have an ID yet, click "sign up" to sign up for free. PLEASE BE SURE TO READ THE ROOM GUIDELINES AND HOW THE ROOM WORKS IN ITEM XI ABOVE.
Chat room entrance below may take a few minutes to load.
