Worldvision Song Contest 86 | OOC | Sign-ups CLOSED

by **Beepee** » Thu Oct 29, 2020 2:54 am

Kal asked [Do you have any particular visions in mind regarding the day-to-day operations of the server? Any things you would like to change? Any ideas on how you would approach working alongside the two non-WVC administrators, in addition to your fellow Committee members?

The Discord seems well run to me...and there's nothing I'd like to change (perhaps renaming the Greatest Hits to Beepee's Best Bits) ...

How would I like to work alongside Brit and you?

With a large glass of red wine and a slice of chocolate cake... but in all seriousness I think you and Brit do an awesome job and I think I we'd work well together.

by **North Alezia** » Thu Oct 29, 2020 6:00 am

....ALEZIAN BROADCASTING AUTHORITY PRESENTS....

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WELCOME BACK! I'm Andi Ainii Irqimaza Novogrody for those who joined us recently. You can listen to all six songs at the link above to give a glimpse of what a show we had. HAHA. Anyway, we have the results in. Are you REAADDEEEH!

(Pyalivostokians roared the Rosvinsk Kyalvisankova Ice Rink)

I believe nobody can wait any longer, including me! Okay. Since North Alezians are stereotyped to sometimes be quite straightforward, we can do that.

In sixth place, with no 12 points and the total of 32 points, I sadly, have to give the last place to....

I'm so sorry to tell you this, but Aramna got last place this season. Better luck next time... Very sad.

(The scene changes to Diego holding his heart as if he's saying "it's okay. It's okay...")

That gotta hurt. Anyway, let's see... Our 5th place with 37 points and with one 12 points from Elejamie, it's....
]

Sorry Basna, but better luck next time. It was a very hard decision to make this season.

(The scene changes to Azla sitting on her chair. Accepting defeat.)

I can't believe it myself... Let's move on. For 3rd and 4th place... We have.. A TIE! We worked it around with the ABA Committee. Let's see. In 4th place with 41 points and no 12 points, is.... Uh oh.

(The Venue is riddled with gasps and angry noises from the audience)

It's... It's Pyalivostok! I'm... Surprised! They're actually the ones tipped to win! Well, that's Alezimania. Anything and I mean ANYTHING can change things.

(The scene changes to SHESTER swearing (although the viewer can't hear the words) and shouting at the big screen)

That was a very unexpected result! *ahem* okay, for 3rd place with one 12 points from Caryton. Well, that goes to... Too bad that the third placer almost got the ticket. Just too bad.

Oof! Too bad. Samira almost got it!

(The scene changes to Samira feeling content relaxing with her glass of orange juice)

Nearly everything can change now.
Only two regions remaining.

....BRISTOL or TEL HADIV....
....OPAL or IDRESH....
....ONLY ONE WAY TO DECIDE....

(The screen shows two feeds where each have either OPAL or IDRESH supporters. Who'll get it?)

(The screen then changes to show two faces on opposite sides, OPAL with her wine and Idresh with his hand raised like he is praying.

This is scary... Well, in second place... with 44 points and one 12 points from Waisnor. This. Is. Truly. Scary. But, this person would represent us in the incoming ORCHESTRAL version of the World Hit Festival held in the winning country of the current edition. Well. Here I go. NORTH ALEZIA'S REPRESENTATION FOR WHF IS...

(The screen shows two people sitting at opposite sides, both turned their head downwards....)

OPAL YOU'RE REPRESENTING NORTH ALEZIA IN THE NEXT WORLD HIT FESTIVAL!!!

(Opal raised her two hands in happiness)

AND ONE POINT AWAY WITH 45 POINTS BUT WITH TWO TWELVE POINTS FROM BEEPEE AND BRITONISEA. THE WINNER OF ALEZIMANIA SEASON FOUR AND NORTH ALEZIAN REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE 86TH WORLDVISION SONG CONTEST IS OBVIOUSLY,

Congratulations Idresh Noam Khaled of Tel Hadiv, YOU'RE THE ALEZIMANIAC!

(Idresh jumped up and down in happiness, hugged OPAL who congratulated him, and Idresh ran to the stage still jumping. OPAL followed afterwards and both reprised their songs.)

That concludes the Alezimania this season, see you next season, who knows? YOU might be the one who continue the line after this! See you from Rosvinsk, Pyalivostok, and have a good night!

(The two winners stands there delighted while the media walks to their direction and start taking photos, while confetti falls from the sky. It's over. North Alezia got their entry for both WV and WHF.)

Nation Name: North Alezia
Official Broadcaster: ABA (Alezian Broadcasting Authority)
Song Title: Bevakasha (You Are Welcome)
Artist(s) Name(s): Idresh Noam-Khaled

Tune: Tom Gregory - Fingertips

by **Polkopia** » Thu Oct 29, 2020 6:40 am

World, stop voting now!

Semi Finals 1 & 2 for the Landa vy Polkopiya have both concluded, meaning that it's time to reveal who will be qualifying to the Grand Final for a chance to win one of Polkopia's biggest annual music award shows in the country. The winner of the Landa vy Polkopiya will have the opportunity to represent Polkopia at the Worldvision Song Contest - the largest music competition in the multiverse! This edition, the Landa vy Polkopiya drew interest from eight different nations, with each of them sending a team of music experts to vote on who was to qualify for the Grand Final. The two qualifying acts from each semi-final are decided in this matter, whereas the Wildcard spot is awarded to a non-qualifying entry that the Polkopian jury feels as if though it deserves a place in the Grand Final. With the four qualifiers and one Wildcard spot, there are to be five acts competing in the Grand Final, each of them vying for the top spot in the competition.

Semi Final 1 Votes:

The following scoreboard shows the results for Semi Final 1. Juries from Antahbrantahstan, Beepee, Elejamie, and Scotatrova have all voted in this semi-final.

Semi Final 2 Votes:

The following scoreboard shows the results for Semi Final 2. Juries from the Achaean Republic, Britonisea, Ertzei Kishim, and Waisnor have all voted in this semi-final.

Congratulations to all of the qualifiers for this edition's Grand Final, set to be held 24 hours from now. Once the Grand Final is finished, we will have a clear and distinct winner as to who will be representing Polkopia at the upcoming Worldvision Song Contest. As always, the PNB thanks the participating nations' broadcasters for sharing interest in the Polkopian music scene, and your contribution is well-regarded. The lineup for the Grand Final has been revealed and you can listen to all of the qualifiers' songs below:

Landa vy Polkopiya Grand Final:

Mooriya - Double Take
Language: English
Tune: Kim Petras - Heart To Break

Volya Leps - Teleshou
Language: Polkopian
Title Translation Television Show
Tune: Arcadian - Petit à Petit

Rena Lorak - Dikhana
Language: Polkopian
Title Translation: Breath
Tune: LOBODA - Твои глаза

Stas Lisa - Ne
Language: Polkopian
Title Translation: No
Tune: Agoney - MÁS

V1ktorious - Reputation
Language: Polkopian, English
Tune: CLC - Helicpoter

Reminder: Voting has closed. The winner of the Landa vy Polkopiya will be revealed in 24 hours.

by **Elejamie** » Thu Oct 29, 2020 7:03 am

Todlichebujoku wrote:I noticed in Elejamie's response where he mentioned that a contest could be so weak that one's 12 points in jury could just be 8 in televote. And that's the cool bit of this televote system - you can actually send votes that are a much better reflection of how you feel about the songs, like if you have one clear winner or if everyone in your top 10 are all about the same to you. If you thought all the entries were a 5-6, then why should you be forced to give one an 8? As I said earlier, the total points number is equalized, which preserves the televote proportions while making them equal to the jury points. Sorry Elejamie if it sounded like I was coming at you, there's just not much to work with on this question.

You actually didn't come at me because in all honesty I admitted that that idea wasn't perfect and I only really wanted to get a proper answer out for this question, where I can also agree that there wasn't much to work with. Then again, in all honesty, the only televotey thing I'd do is input results onto the sheet and maybe fix any errors that crop up (such as me apparently giving Natanya a 9 instead of the 5 I really gave him) and I'd rather leave the calculations in the hands of people who have an idea of what they're doing.

Also, because a new question popped up, I'm going to answer it anyway:

Kalosia wrote:Do you have any particular visions in mind regarding the day-to-day operations of the server? Any things you would like to change? Any ideas on how you would approach working alongside the two non-WVC administrators, in addition to your fellow Committee members?

To answer the first question, I don't really have much in the way of particular visions but I do think more should be done to cut down on spam (such as keyboard mashing and other such garbage that provides nothing to the conversation and just clogs up space) and more should be done to try and cut down on the nastiness that can sometimes pop up (arguments are fine if they're simply calm and respectful but if everyone's getting at each others' throats or people are just acting belligerent for no real reason then something should be done). After all, we've had people leave the server temporarily and probably even permanently due to massive slanging matches and that's the sort of environment that would just turn newcomers away. Not to mention all that spam kind of runs the risk of making important information hard to find unless you know exactly what to search for, which is why any and all important changes should be discussed and voted on here instead of on Discord.

As for working with the non-WVC admins? While I'd leave all the WorldVision-related stuff with the Committee, if there are any issues that require some extra help then I won't be afraid to communicate with them. Even if there aren't I'll be more than happy to work alongside them if there are any things that need to be discussed or any suggestions on how to improve the server. Although I'll admit that I don't have a good relationship with one of them, I would happily put aside our differences and work without complaints (or sin rencor, if you will) if it means providing a fun, fair and safe contest for everyone.

by **Peoples Republic of Joyea** » Fri Oct 30, 2020 5:16 pm

Nation Name: Peoples Republic of Joyea
Official Broadcaster: Don Sokolov of the Joyean State News Service
Song Title: Stranger of Tomorrow
Artist(s) Name(s): 2077

by **Scotatrova** » Fri Oct 30, 2020 10:24 pm

Who will it be? You choose!

Your Votes Are In!

The Semi Finals of this edition's Ll'acteade Scotatrofina eu Cançis have finished and the votes are counted, time to find out which six of our ten acts will be making it to the final! The three highest places in each semi get an automatic ticket to the Grand Final, where all six will compete to become Scotatrova's entry for WorldVision 86. The final will conclude on Monday, November 2, where the winner will be announced.

Semi Final 1

Artist	Points
Ximena	48
Sofia Beldad	44
Valeria Sarmiento, Catarina Aguayo	38
Eva Tassis, Alan Moya	28
Françisque Cazalla, Elisa Correa	22

Semi Final 2

Artist	Points
Luca Barrios	42
Manuel Flauirnse	38
Lí Pertheres	36
Alonso Soliure	36
Alexander Elvira	28

by **Antahbrantahstan** » Sat Oct 31, 2020 12:59 am

Margaret Rumkorem, actress, TV personality, and host of this MGP Anta edition

"Good evening, everyone! Ladies, gentleman, and nonbinaries across Antahbrantahstan and the world! I'm pretty sure you are all excited to see the result of this edition's MGP Anta, by the way, in order to avoid any upsets from any of you fanatic WorldVision fans, the results of the five superfinalists are determined by combining the vote of an international jury panel across the world, and to quell your upsets, we can definitely assure you that the votes have been counted and verified by an independent accountant, which is not in anyway affiliated with the MGP Anta organizers, RR, or the participants. But, before i announce the results, i am going to announce the 3 songs, in no particular order, which are the top 3, of this edition's MGP Anta contest, are you ready? Here we go."

"The first song that places in the top 3 is..."

"Up next is another magnificient song, which is no other than..."

"And the last top 3 placement goes to..."

"Another big, big congratulations to our top 3! And, i can safely reveal that the winner gets 43 points, the runner-up received 42 points, and the third place got 40 points from our international jurors, Phew! A very, very close call between the international jurors, i assume they had a very hard time judging, huh? And to cut the time, i'm going to reveal the 2nd place, which will either represent us in the upcoming World Hit Festival or in the 87th WorldVision Song Contest, or both, or neither, on the broadcaster's discretion, which goes to..."

"Finally, the time has come, to reveal the winner of this year's MGP Anta, could it be song 4? or song 3? Let's open this envelope.

And the winner, of MGP Anta is..."
SONG 3!!!!

by **Malta Comino Gozo** » Sun Nov 01, 2020 6:07 am

My answers

Do you believe that WorldVision currently has voting bias? If so, what are they and how do you intend to fix/moderate this?

I don't believe there is a voting bias based on the fact that 3/4 of the last editions a new country has won the contest. I believe that if people feel an individual etc is voting politically and or in a bias manner that person should be spoken to privately and maybe given a reminder that we should be voting for the song/rp/lyrics etc rather than the person behind said entry.

Do you think semi-finals would be a viable and fun addition to WorldVision?

This is a very hard question, one which again would cause friction I believe and divide many people. On one hand, introductions of the semi finals would be a great incentive and add a lot of excitement just like the real Eurovision Song Contest and would encourage a lot more hard work from people to ensure they qualify where as it would whittle down the joke entries leaving a more professional Final. On the other hand, I feel like again bias COULD come into play and or an entry just not doing well, despite the person believing its a good entry and with many good entries maybe missing out on a spot in the final in a tough semi which may discourage people from entering again. I believe Semi finals are up for debate and could maybe be trialled. Maybe with enough interest it could be implemented into the competition.

by **Antahbrantahstan** » Sun Nov 01, 2020 6:29 am

WORLDVISION 86 CANDIDATE CITY | OREO CITY

Inspired by the lush, green forests that roams a significant part of Antahbrantahstan's land, and our ancestor's tradition of revering a variety of plants with differing reasons, whether it's for a food staple, as an aromatic, a medicinal herb, or simply for their somewhat supranatural properties. Antahbrantahstan has decided to put its bid, centered around the colour green that represents the lush gardens that becomes an integral part of the Anturian community as a whole, and with a subtitle of "Permata Tropika", which means "Tropical Jewel" in English, this subtitle solidifies the Anturian bid as a bid that is geared towards promoting Antahbrantahstan as a wonderful tropical nation, like a jewel that is treasured by everyone on this multiverse.

As a city that can be described as a skillful mixture of traditional and modernity. Oreo City would certainly not disappoint you, with a plethora of culinary delights, ranging from traditional comforting Indonesian-style cuisine, to extravagant Western and Oriental haute cuisine, to a more relaxed and laid-back coffeeshop establishments, will satisfy even the most picky eaters visiting us! For your entertainment, our city is full of colourful sights and landmarks, whether you simply want to appreciate fine arts in our finest museums and theatres, or go on a shopping spree in traditional markets or luxurious shopping malls, to a melange of waterparks, theme parks and escape rooms (yes!) for the thrill-seekers, there is no such thing as the word "boredom" in Antahbrantahstan, and of course, to help you move between your place of residence to all that kinds of places, we have a variety of transportation method available, such as taxis and subways, to ridesharing motorcycles (which is an integral part in this country).

Of course, it's not WorldVision without a venue, so, we decided to hold WorldVision 86 in the amazing Mountbatten Arena, some of you might have recognized this venue from our WorldVision 70 candidacy bid, but, the venue has underwent renovations in order to give the audience maximum comfort when entering the venue. In case some of you are bored and need some toilet break, there are a significant amount of toilets located across the venue, and if you guys got some hunger pangs going on, a variety of food trucks and stalls will be provided outside and inside the venue in order to nourish your stomach with food, because who can't function without one? And to ensure the safety of the audience, staff, and participants, the venue will be disinfected and sanitized before and after rehearsals, and before the finale starts, that way, the audience can get a sense of peace knowing they won't get infected (It is still compulsory to use your masks and wash your hands! Or use hand sanitizer).

The stage, inspired by the ripple effect which results from a falling waterdrop, is designed to minimalize the amount of staff needed to construct the stage in light of the pandemic affecting countries across the world, while ensuring that each and every single representative will still get the chance to showcase their entries with much extravagance and flair like they usually do. The LED screens are eliminated from the stage, replaced by an array of chandelier-style strobe light and LED panels attached to the top of the venue, which can be moved upwards, arched, or flexibly move like an octopus' tentacle at the broadcasters' discretion, however, the floor panels will be equipped with LED screens to complement the entrants. As usual, the broadcasters are also free to use a variety of special effects which has been a longstanding tradition, such as fire, rain, smoke, winds, snow, bubbles, laser lights, and even holographic effects.

Our host is no other than the wonderful Margaret Rumkorem. Known for her long experience in hosting, comedic talent and superb hosting skills that can adapt to any events, whether a formal discussion or a comedic event, she'll surely become a hit for viewers, both live and from the TV screen. Margaret herself believes that a host should never be a cause of toilet break for her audience, and she further believes that a fun event like WorldVision Song Contest should be hosted by a person with a vibrant and electric personality on stage, which makes us, the organizers believe that she is a perfect choice for hosting the contest.

In order to keep a sense of uniformity for the entries, and to complement the nature theme. The postcard itself is simplistic, featuring a leafy green background and the entrant's running order, song title, artist name, and finally, the nation's name, that way, it allows minimal distraction for the audience watching from the TV or gadget screens after watching the flashy postcards that has been the norm since several editions ago, and put a sense of calm in the audience (thanks to the colour green being a restful colour according to psychological studies) and keep the audience focus on the upcoming entrants, because after all, the spotlight should be on the nations, and not the postcards.

We look forward to welcome each and every one of you in Antahbrantahstan, The Jewel of the Tropics.

by **Elejamie** » Sun Nov 01, 2020 7:56 am

Another ElejamieVision came and went and the nation finally got its next two extrants. One of them will represent Elejamie in either Caryton or Antahbrantahstan or maybe another nation should they choose to bid, the other will have to settle for the competition after. A third will move on to the third-placers edition. Who were the lucky two and the less lucky one? Let's find out! Also, even though it's not really canon, here are the semi-final results.

by **Polkopia** » Sun Nov 01, 2020 4:47 pm

RENA LORAK WINS THE LANDA VY POLKOPIYA

The most recent edition of the Landa vy Polkopiya has come to an end, and with it, Polkopia's entry to the next Worldvision Song Contest has been chosen. It has been decided that Rena Lorak would represent the nation of Polkopia at Worldvision with her song, Dikhana! Her and her song finished second in the international jury votes, and first in the domestic televote, earning her 111 points, only 8 points ahead of the second-place song, Reputation, sung my girl group V1ktorious. Rumors have already circulated that her song, Dikhana, would have alterations to the lyrics prior to the Grand Final, however these rumors have yet to be confirmed by the PNB, or Rena Lorak herself. If these rumors are to be correct, the song is to remain entirely in Polkopian, but the title of the song may change.

Host voting for Worldvision opens up on Monday, November 2nd at 20:00 BST and the show is set to begin on November 9th. Details about the Polkopian entry can be found below:

Rena Lorak - Dikhana
Language: Polkopian
Title Translation: Breath
Tune: LOBODA - Твои глаза

by **Scotatrova** » Sun Nov 01, 2020 6:00 pm

Who will it be? You choose!

Voting has finally commenced for the final of this edition of Ll'acteade Scotatrofina eu Cançis, and here are the total points for the six finalists.

Artist	Jury Votes	Televote	Total
Ximena	48	158	206
Valeria Sarmiento ft. Catarina Aguayo	38	154	192
Luca Barrios	42	142	184
Manuel Flauirnse	44	136	180
Sofia Beldad	44	122	166
Lí Pertheres	36	118	163

Congratulations to Ximena, who will be representing Scotatrova in WorldVision 86!

Nation Name: Scotatrova
Official Broadcaster: SSTR
Song Title: TBD (Will be up with IC)
Artist(s) Name(s): Ximena

Tune: Sasha Lopez, Misha Miller - Smoke Me

by **Mister X** » Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:30 am

Wow, OK, those are some brilliant questions. Let's get to it.

1) How would you deal with a complaint that involves a member of the committee without leaking it to them?

This is a very good question and one that I have agreement with Elejamie on for the main part. For me, a separate group TG / DM should be created that omits that particular person. This would ensure that, barring any leaks from other committee members, confidentiality is maintained at all times. If the complainant is concerned that one of the other committee members would leak it to them, then they should still contact the other committee members and ask for however many people to be excluded. All complaints should be investigated seriously, and not dismissed out of hand as vague paranoia, or shot down in flames disrespectfully for having a genuine concern. In addition, I would also propose an anonymous complaints forum, private to each committee user. This way, people can send a complaint to a particular member of the committee without fear of prejudicial bias. Indeed, as I pointed out in my manifesto, this would go some way to placating the complaints that I have received in my DMs about this: "[redacted] was first dismissed, and then blamed for not being always active" and "(I feel like that's happening a lot as well [...] you make a point its dismissed)". These two comments, to my mind, show that people are afraid of speaking out because of the tendency of current committee members to favour certain players. I have spent two separate periods on the WorldVision Committee, totalling more than 25 editions, and I have always prided myself on acting fairly and without bias to everyone involved in WorldVision. But what is very clear is that we can't go on like this, with people afraid to call out burning injustices because of character biases of certain members of the committee. But you can only do that if you vote for change and fix WorldVision.

2) There have been many arguments in the past on the Discord Chat between groups of people. How would you handle a burning argument if you were the only one online at the time?

We need a robust plan so that arguments like these cannot happen, rather than simply "reacting" to them. I believe that Discord chat should be subjected to the same regulations as forum chat, particularly those around flaming and spam. I've just watched the Countdown community implode like this, not least because there is only one person in charge and they were not online at the time. This is not a problem that is limited to Discord as an application - any and all online chatrooms would be subject to burning arguments like this, including IRC or even (if you want to go back 15-20 years) MSN. With instant messaging people will often send things that aren't really thought through and took about 3 seconds to write, without even having bothered to proofread it. When an argument breaks out, some people just spam the conversation so that it goes away, which I find a ridiculous state of affairs. The forum is much better at handling this, for constant, 10-three-word-posts-a-minute are completely outlawed. If I were the only one online, then I would turn the slow button on to 30 seconds or even 1 minute. This allows for more careful, forum-like replies that allow people to edit their posts and think about them before they hit that "send" button, and would also deal with the spam problem in one fell swoop. The Discord server is a key part of WorldVision, of course, with the listenalongs being more or less the sole reason it was set up, a fantastic addition to the entire contest for sure. But like an uneaten sandwich, it has been allowed to fester and grow mouldy into something that is now, arguably, worse than not having it at all. There is no doubt in my mind that major changes are needed to the Discord server, but this is something that is talked about at every election and never actioned. I will make that difference. I will fix this broken server. Vote for change, and let's fix it.

3) Do you believe that WorldVision currently has voting bias? If so, what are they and how do you intend to fix/moderate this?
8) How would you handle a case in which somebody has been accused of unfair voting?

I'm not sure I completely understand question three, and looking at some of the other responses I'm not sure that many of the other candidates understand it either, so I have merged it with question eight.

If we're talking about particular proclivities for certain genres, then I would say that, as I have often said with regard to my commentary and my labelling of one-star entries as "viscerally sick" (which I personally thought was a rather underrated and unappreciated joke; incidentally, Todlichebojoku should not make thinly-veiled character slurs about me about extremely menial things in their manifesto), you cannot force people to like entries. You cannot force people to like certain songs. If we get a contest where the standard of entries is really poor in someone's eyes, then that's all you can say about it. You can't force people to go with the "hive mind". One person's joke act is another person's favourite entry. You also cannot police how people vote and people are entitled to vote whatever way they like. Or, if you're a committee member, you cannot force someone to change their televotes just because they have given you a 1 when they have always voted this way in the televote. However, if we are talking about allegations and suggestions of unfair and bloc voting, of which I have seen some evidence but haven't taken this to the committee because of the points I have laid out above (and indeed, looking down the list of questions, will be laid out again later): it'd be me who complained and they would dismiss my concerns out of hand just because it is I who actually bothered to complain about it, as well as this evidence potentially surrounding a committee member and I would not have confidence in the other current committee members to act in fairness.

My WorldVision Excel book goes back to WorldVision 29 and (if I can find the time) I intend to further backdate it. It is now very easy for me to pick out patterns of voting between nations, both positively and negatively. Should someone wish to complain about this, I would not dismiss the claim outright, as I have said earlier, but would ask as a starting point that they need to provide evidence to substantiate it. Then I would certainly look at the numbers on the strength of the evidence provided. The other committee members would, of course, come to their own conclusions, but that is how I would judge any evidence, as to whether or not there are numbers there to substantiate it.

4) Many of the manifestos have proposed additional rules or modifications to existing rules. Given that we are a relatively small group compared to other communities on NS, do you find it necessary to have this many written rules? What do you think about alternatives such as unspoken rules, best practices, trusting the community to self-regulate, etc?

I have always felt that simpler is better. The rules are now incredibly complicated because of the intentions of some former and current committee members prioritising leniency over and above effectiveness whilst at the same time coming down like a ton of bricks on some users selectively who transgress rules that have been slipped in under the radar. This is why transparency is important. The televote's rules are needlessly complicated and even now people are unclear about the rules of them. Even for me, Mr Spreadsheet, it took three entire editions to fully understand them. Not to mention that the rules around doubling up the votes with puppets were changed for WorldVision 85 without anyone noticing. Or the rules around the committee voting process being changed - never ever posted on the forum, but apparently one, unpinned Discord message in the #suggestions chat, not even the #announcements chat, is sufficient according to Ertzei Kishim. Rule changes must - MUST - be announced on the forum. Regardless of any views I have on these changes in and of themselves, the ends do not justify the means and the process in which these things were done was nothing short of appalling. This is why we need to vote for change. Rule changes need to be tentatively suggested, reviewed, announced on the forum - on the FORUM - and made clear not just to those who are constantly active but also those who cannot watch Discord 24/7. Only asking Discord and running everything on the Discord side has consequences that extend far beyond any thoughts to begin with. The small guys must not be left behind with rule changes. Indeed, with the "special editions" introduction, the committee openly admitted, with no remorse, that they gerrymandered the entire discussion solely to focus on those who are in the Discord bubble. The committee should not make up rules with only the input of who they choose. They should not endorse some users' opinions over and another: all points of view should be treated equally. This also, perhaps, provides an answer as to why you believe we are a "relatively small group": without more posts in the OOC thread we are not attracting newer members and as older members slowly dwindle and find better things to do, they are not being replaced. WorldVision 85 featured no debutants at all; some editions in the past have had over 40 entries. We have got to fix these problems that are at the heart of the contest's structure. Because it just will not survive otherwise. WorldVision is broken. This committee election is a turning point which will have consequences that go way beyond the next five editions. We've got to get this one right. We have got to vote for change.

5) In the event that you find yourself unable to continue your duties as a WVC member and for whatever reason become inactive, what do you plan to do to mitigate the effect of your absence from the WVC?

I think this question can be answered in two ways:

- in the event of a formal resignation (which, sadly, I have done so myself in the past but do not envisage this happening over the next five editions), then there ought to be a by-election that the outgoing member should, if still active, be involved in as their final swansong. This way, the transition would be seamless and there would not be a lull where the committee is subquorate. I believe that by-elections are already in place (unless, again, this was changed under the radar), but these usually wait until after the member's resignation has taken effect, slowing down the process.
- if a member becomes inactive enough to neglect their duties as a WorldVision Committee member, then the users should have the power to agree that they should be yeeted from the committee. This "recall" device would only be done if a committee member becomes inactive, rather than an expression of displeasure with a committee member. There would, of course, have to be formalities involved with the "recall" device, namely that the system would be reset after every edition and a quota required for enough users to back the motion. Whether this is 50%, 67%, 75%, or some other measure, the specifics do not need to be discussed now.

The big problem with members of the committee becoming inactive, however, is not about the actual member in question, but moreover the power grab that the rest of the committee have, especially if we get to a situation where only one person or two closely-aligned people are in charge. They get unlimited powers with no accountability. This is why the word "committee" is important, and why there must be five active members at all possible times.

6) While the televote has certainly bought some interesting results to the WorldVision Song Contest, I feel as though the televote can be tweaked. Each nation does not have the same amount of say as another and somebody's 10 in the televote in most cases won't equal a 12 in the Jury. How would you change this to make sure the Jury and Televote is truly equal?

The televote, in my view, is completely flawed at present and any and all options around it must be on the table. Nothing should be left out of the discussion. I have tried my best to make the televote better and tried to get on board with it. But with every single edition more and more problems are found with it. This is not something that can be answered now. I firmly believe it should be scrapped, but this would, of course, have to be a community decision. What is abundantly clear, however, that it is fundamentally flawed in its current form and this must be changed. Suggestions could include, but are not limited to, removing the concept of minus points, a flatter curve, allowing hosts to not have a televote if they so wish... but I maintain that it is more trouble than it's worth, and a two-phases system could be delivered in other ways which would keep the one positive of the televote, in generating excitement. Apparently giving middling entries a huge boost is a positive as well, but I see this as a negative. The televote should not reward mediocrity. This is why we have to vote for change - many candidates are saying that we don't need to change anything and the televote is perfect. No. The televote is broken. Vote for change.

7) Who should have access to the calculation of the televote?

I think it should be governed in the same way jury votes are. The host and the committee should have the power to officially to calculate it. I would also for posting the televotes per nation in with the jury votes in the OOC thread but behind spoiler tags so that those that wish to calculate it independently can do so. There is no obligation on people to calculate the jury votes prior to them being announced, so why force the televote behind closed doors? Why not do the same? It would also remove the complex and often misused Google Docs form, which only one person can see, and thus removes all transparency and accountability from it. To this date, the full WorldVision 82 televote has never been revealed. That is simply unacceptable and must change now. To improve transparency and accountability we cannot just say we're going to do it, we have to action it, rather than the "more of the same" pledges laid out by some of the other candidates. You can only get that if you vote for change.

9) Do you think semi-finals would be a viable and fun addition to WorldVision?

The short answer is no. Like the televote, this is just bulking the contest for the sake of it. It would also end up lengthening the contest and result in a situation where many will just be sitting on their hands for 4-5 weeks if they're knocked out in the first semi final and have to wait for voting in the final to open. Not fun at all.

1) Given your poor relationship with many members of the server, and your belligerent attitude towards the current committee, why should people trust you to act fairly and professionally?

I pride myself on acting professionally and without bias. I have had over 20 editions on and off as a committee member. I also have a track record as a committee member of which I am very proud. I have always, and will always, act fairly and give everyone the same level of respect. I certainly wouldn't, and never have, pushed a vendetta against others which someone else is accusing me of, an accusation which is not only unfounded but is also an unfair slight on my character. Yes, I can be brutish and short at times, but as far as I'm concerned that's not relevant: the suggestion I favour anyone unfairly and improperly is something I will not tolerate. What we should talk about, however, is the pot calling the kettle black on this one. As I pointed out in my manifesto, the complaints that I have received in my DMs are the key pieces of evidence here. There is more than circumstantial evidence, however, of the committee changing and bending the rules to suit certain players and punishing others. I certainly wouldn't change the rules just to go after someone's puppet for not voting with the hive mind, as happened to me in the last edition. I reiterate: Missus X has always televoted non-seriously, a point I specifically make out of transparency every edition, but now it seems we want to punish transparency and fun. That is not right. People should be entitled to vote how they want. This is not a police state. We don't need to corral every joke puppet and go "how did it come to its votes" at gunpoint. What is the point of that? Isn't this meant to be fun? This is why "more of the same" doesn't work. Waging war on a single player because of some disagreements is not sustainable: as I say, on the televote, I have evidence suggesting a conspiracy on the Missus X televotes, but as it'd be me who complained, the committee would dismiss my concerns out of hand just because it is me. And as I highlighted in my manifesto, I am not the only one who feels I am being singled out here. And yet, unlike someone else's manifesto, I wouldn't be petty. I would, and have proven on countless occasions, that I would and will always act with the highest degree of fairness. No favouritism. That is why I am standing in this election. Because we need to vote for change. We can't go on like this.

2) What mandate do you have to reverse the televote referendum [...] ?

I don't think I made this clear enough: I would never do anything on this without the support of the community. But any and all options around it must be on the table. Nothing should be left out of the discussion on the televote. I will campaign for it to be abolished, as I say, but I will never go against the community on this, because the committee should not be a power grab. It needs to be a force for good, a lesson I have learnt both on the "inside" and "outside" of the committee. The problems with the televote are more than it is worth. I believe it is completely fucked beyond all recognition and needs to go, but at the bare minimum it needs to have major reforms, or, more reasonably, make the televote optional for the host rather than compulsory. If we can do this for something as fundamental as a deadline, why can't we do it for something less fundamental? The problems with the televote I have explained on multiple occasions and I do not need to go through them again now. But other, better options that retain the televote's excitement are available and have not even been discussed, merely dismissed out of hand. But you can only do that if you vote for change, because "more of the same" means more of the broken televote system. WorldVision is broken. Let's fix it.

Vote for change.

X

by **Natanya** » Mon Nov 02, 2020 12:20 pm

I am here and I am in! yooooote

by **Natanya** » Mon Nov 02, 2020 12:31 pm

Natanya For Committee – Focus on the Fun

Good morning, afternoon, evening or night everyone, I am Natanya and I have decided to run for a position on the WorldVision Committee.

I debuted way back at WV 21 and have had an interesting WorldVision journey since then. Entries and dry spells, highs, lows, and a lot of in the middle. Fair to say I’ve been round the WorldVision block a few times. Recently, WorldVision has suffered from quite the bit of turbulence and division, making this election one that I definitely feel like I had to get involved with, and I know I’m not alone in that thought.
I wouldn’t say that WorldVision is necessarily beyond repair, however I do believe changes need to be made if this community is going to be prevented from tearing itself apart. When the only thing that seems to manage to bring us (somewhat) together is a video game only a portion of the community plays, and even less are still regularly active on, it’s a depressing situation. Which carries over into my main philosophy in this bid for committee, focusing on what brought us all together in the first place, fun. At the heart of it, we all started doing this contest, and NS on a wider scale, for fun. We don’t gain anything from winning this song writing contest other than a personal sense of achievement, the reason we stick by it? The fun!

So, moving on from the blabbering introduction, what actual policies I am proposing to achieve this concept of focusing back on the fun? Well, I have a few in mind.

More Freedom from More Control
My first idea is a two-step plan. While the title may sound a tad contradictory, basically the concept of this is to allow people more freedom to chat by giving the Discord server proper moderation. While in past elections the inclusion of Discord has be advised against, it is undeniable that taking up the role of Committee member now also includes taking the role of a Discord moderator, due to the way the Discord is set up. This leads into the idea; I believe we should use our status as Discord mods to be Discord mods. We should have a proper, clear set of rules and guidelines for conduct in the server and should not shy from using disciplinary action like muting. In the past the committee has been extremely conservative on using their moderation powers, which has allowed some situations to descend into hatred. However, despite how it may sound, I definitely do not want the server to become an authoritarian dictatorship. I would much prefer for the rules to be more relaxed and based just on common sense, allowing people to feel comfortable in the server and to have fun talking as well as competing, after all, this is a hobby, not a company.

The Televote
Definitely the hot button topic of this election, my opinions on this are mixed. At heart I am pro-televote, in practice I am much more doubtful. I still enjoy the concept and the excitement it would bring to the contest; however, I am sceptical to how much “excitement” it has really brought to the contest, and whether it’s just ended up being an overly complicated and time consuming procedure for very little pay-off. Personally, I think there should be a sort of committee review into the televote and its actual effectiveness, and at least weigh up possible alternative systems. My personal preference would be for a somewhat simpler system and for the implementation to be up to the host discretion. Ideas for reforms, alternatives and any final decisions should be discussed with and confirmed by the community at large.

The Forum and Discord
Another, albeit slightly less touchy, “hot button topic” of this election cycle is the neglect of the actual forums, in relation to the use of Discord in particular. I believe this is an issue that is routed far beyond the last committee, with a lack of OP updates seemingly being a longstanding problem that never truly gets fixed. I’m not completely sure why this is so often a problem for 5 people when an update for the OP shouldn’t really even take 5 minutes, but I can assure that on the committee, at I will try to take daily checks and updates throughout the sign up period, and keep the OP truly up to date and in line with the reality of what is happening. When it comes to the forum vs the discord server, I don’t believe we should go back to using the OOC thread as the sole discussion room, and to be honest I don’t think anyone is really proposing that, however I do believe that we need to ensure the importance of the thread, this is a NS competition after all. All announcements and major decisions should be posted to the forum, preferably before they get posted to the server.

The Treatment of Joke Entries
If I’m honest, I am not really a fan of joke entries, however I recognise their history and status in the contest and obviously, the fun in making them for many users. I believe while it is a shame that sometimes genuine entries will fall below some less than stellar attempts at humour, and I have experienced that myself, I do believe joke nations should be allowed to enter relatively unrestricted and are a part of the contest that is here to stay. For an idea on how to prevent the aforementioned issue, there could be some restrictions on how the joke puppet can vote (shitpost nation #1 can’t just give shitpost nation #2, #3 and #4 it’s top points) but I believe this would only really needs to be implemented or even discussed if there is enough genuine will for such a change within the community.

General Sassiness and Rivalries
A bit of sass is common in the community, and I think joking sass is fun and should be allowed to continue, especially considered some members have made it so much a part of their personality I don’t think they could continue without it. I do though believe that an unfair amount of unwarranted sass should be called out, no matter who it is coming from. Similarly, while I don’t expect everyone to get along, bringing up rivalries and being too unfair to specific member repeatedly is something I’d rather avoid.

Size of the Committee
This is likely to be a less popular idea but is one that has floated around in my head for a while. Personally I feel like the committee could do with being slightly smaller, preferable 3 people, as it is my opinion that the contest really does not need 5 people to run it, and that having 5 has allowed committee members to become somewhat complacent in what they actually have to do. This however is only a minor proposition and would only be something I would push if I saw others wanted to also have such a discussion.

Transparency of the Committee
I do believe transparency is an important aspect of a ruling committee. As such, I think that all votes should be made public on both the forum and server and all reasonings for decisions should also be made public. Furthermore, as I have mentioned before, any major decisions should be at least ran by the community first, if not openly voted on too.

To wrap this all up, it’s been quite sad to see WorldVision get into such a difficult and divisive position, and I don’t believe that I can magically make everyone get along super well, that’s not likely to ever happen. But I do believe that if we open ourselves up to cooperation, the potential of changes and tweaks and focus on the basics of why we’re all here, to have fun, we can start to have that fun once again without having feel like being a member of this community is a draining experience. The contest should be functioning, fair and most of all, fun! That’s my philosophy for the committee, and if you agree in said philosophy, then a high(ly) rank(ed) would be greatly appreciated.

~ Natanya

by **Teesdexxia** » Mon Nov 02, 2020 12:44 pm

Also here lol

by **WorldVision Committee** » Mon Nov 02, 2020 1:35 pm

Voting for Host-Bids and Committee Members is now open! You have a week, until 9th November, 20:00 GMT to vote. You can vote for both Host-Bids and Committee, or just one or the other. Please send your votes via TG to the WorldVision Committee account!

HOST VOTING

Host voting has begun! Please TG your favorite choice to the WorldVision Committee, preferably on the same TG as your committee election votes.

The two bids we have this edition are:

Judith County, Spiritual Rep. Caryton | "Trick or Treat, Caryton!"

Oreo City, Antahbrantahstan | "Permata Tropika"

Reminder: Host bidders are not allowed to vote for their own bid.

COMMITTEE ELECTIONS

Committee Elections have commenced! We have changed since the last election to an average rank system, so please rank all of your candidates and send it to the WorldVision Committee, preferably on the same TG as your host votes. You can no longer vote for yourself in the committee elections (as per a committee vote), however if you are a candidate, you can still rank all the other candidates (and this will not affect your average).

There are eleven users looking to fill five spots, and they are

Again, rank your candidates in order from favorite to least favorite and send via TG:

Code: Select all: #1. Favorite 2. Second best 3. Third best, etc 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. (ignore if you are one of the candidates)

Sign-ups remain open until the announcement of the host and new committee
Good luck to all bidders and committee candidates!

~Kish

by **Ertzei Kishim** » Mon Nov 02, 2020 2:31 pm

Hey guys, so given we are having elections now, I personally wanted to run through all the things we’ve achieved as a committee in the past five terms. I’d also like to say a big thank you to all my fellow committee members for working hard together to implement a lot of big changes in the contest. I know some people have made it an issue during this election season to distance themselves from the committee, but I can say that I am proud of everything we have achieved. I am also looking forward to the new committee, and to see what they’re going to do and implement. In the meantime, here is a rundown on everything we have done (this is also so we can have the rules updated with the precedents and votes that we have taken in this current committee, by the new committee). So, in chronological order we have:

06/04/2020 – Changed committee voting from STV to a simple average (5-0 vote)

09/04/2020 – Added a new rule which allows an entry to be reviewed by the committee if three separate players request it, for being either extremely low-effort, plagiarised, or containing unacceptable themes. (5-0 vote)

18/04/2020 – Created the idea for a “WorldVision: Teams” special edition (4-0 vote)
- Subsequently held a public consultation for those who participated as to whether they would like the specials to continue (83% said yes).
- Now implemented regular special editions which are due to happen every 10 editions starting from WorldVision 90.

17/05/2020 – Opened a vote for a televoting trial in WorldVision 82, which was passed and implemented for the first time.
- Then hosted another consultation for improvements to the system to be put to a vote.
- Conducted a public vote on the improved televote, which was passed 69%-31%.

24/05/2020 – The WorldVision Directory is drafted, creating a comprehensive database for all things WorldVision Song Contest. The full directory was published on the 8th June and contains up to date information about every contest.

24/06/2020 – Created a new Discord role for special edition winners (3-0 Voted)

07/07/2020 – Enacted an impeachment process which requires 5 people to formally request a committee member to be impeached, for it to then be put to a public vote. (4-0 Voted)

07/07/2020 – WorldVision logo was updated

WV83/84 – Stepped in to reveal the voting when the hosts failed to do so, and host the listenalong for WV84.

29/07/2020 – Puppets only needed to be confirmed the first time they are signed up. (3-0 Voted)

29/07/2020 – OP is rewritten as a “WorldVision FAQ”

19/10/2020 – Clarification on unfair voting (Voted 3-0)

21/10/2020 – Candidates cannot rank themselves on committee elections (Voted 3-0).

by **Kyritakia** » Wed Nov 04, 2020 3:46 am

Forgot to mark that Nekoni's surprisingly lucky bitch-ass puppet is in.

by **Mercedini** » Thu Nov 05, 2020 6:46 am

Thought you’d seen the last of me? Announcing our provisional return to the contest, subject to availability.

Nation Name: Mercedini
Official Broadcaster: ENM
Song Title: The Places We've Missed
Artist(s) Name(s): Evangeline Venrahma

Tune: Becky Hill — I Could Get Used To This

Best of luck to all of the Committee Candidates and Competing Nations!

by **Axuva** » Sun Nov 08, 2020 10:26 am

Nation Name: Axuva
Official Broadcaster: TPNB-X
Song Title: Are You Listening
Artist(s) Name(s): Miras Abdullayev

Tune: Qairan Elim — Dimash Kudaibergen

by **Antenovaria** » Sun Nov 08, 2020 11:14 am

by **Yaakovistan** » Sun Nov 08, 2020 12:03 pm

Sign up

by **WorldVision Committee** » Mon Nov 09, 2020 1:10 pm

We have the RESULTS! Firstly I would like to thank everyone who voted in what has been one of the most engaging voting periods in WorldVision history. Whatever side you fall on, we all in the committee appreciate the passion and drive! Firstly, we will reveal the host voting:

Now, we move onto the elections for the committee. We had a total of 20 voters in total, however only 18 eligible votes (those who voted incorrectly were contacted, however they did not send amended votes and so their votes were not counted). With that said, I am also pleased to announce that every candidate was ranked at least five members of the community, so whatever the results, you all did well and convinced many people! Now, the results are as follows (name of candidate, and average rank):

Congrats to those who were elected, and commiserations to those who lost out. The handover process will be managed by Kalosia (I believe), so look out for when that happens!

Good luck to all who were elected!

And congratulations to Antahbrantahstan, who can now open the IC thread!

And as of now, SIGN-UPS ARE CLOSED

~Kish, signing off!

by **Antahbrantahstan** » Mon Nov 09, 2020 9:14 pm

World, start posting now! The IC thread is live right here.

Worldvision Song Contest 86 | OOC | Sign-ups CLOSED

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