New Rules and February Specifics

It's that time again for the VSD. We have a few "changes" to make, so please read the following carefully.

Using the reference image:

• This group centers around a reference image each month. While we are definitely open to different interpretations, it should be clear that you began with the reference image.
• For instance, if the reference image is a red flower, you may not post a painting of any red flower you come across, it should be clear that you began with the specific red flower in the image.
  

Posting the reference image:

• It is best to just link to the reference image in your own post.
  
• However, if you choose to include the actual reference image, please be sure to credit the artist who took the photo.

Adding to the Flickr Group:

• VSD continues to grow, which is a lovely problem to have. However, it does mean we are outgrowing some of our procedures. We created the Flickr group last month, which was successful and has added to our popularity. Jeanette also graciously spent the time to create a list of 59 blog posts. While that is admirable, there are precious few who actually click on every link.
  
• If the number of participants continues to rise, we may have to abandon the list of links. We haven't decided to do that yet, but it is a possibility. Therefore, we'd like to institute a new way to see all of the images for a given month.
  
• We are asking that you add a tag to your photo when you upload to Flickr, then when you are on the group page in Flickr you can just search on that tag and see all of the thumbnails for a given month. As well, you can leave the link to your blog post in the comments for your photo - that way people can follow it back easily.

February Specifics:

• The reference image will be posted on Friday, February 20th.
• Post your image by Saturday, February 28th.
• Upload your photo to Flickr with the tag VSD_FEB2009 and add it to the VSD group.
• Send an email to virtualsketchdate@gmail.com with your name as you want it displayed and the link to your post with the VSD entry.
• The link list will go up late Saturday the 28th or early Sunday March 1st.
  

We are still planning to do a link list of all the posts, however, we do reserve the right to not do it if the participation numbers are too high. Our subscriber numbers are nearing 300, so we do have to think about practicalities. The Flickr group (with tags) should make it easy to see a thumbnail of all the entries. If we don't do the link list, we'll post a link to the Flickr group page on Saturday or Sunday.

Hope that is clear for everyone. Thank you all for making this group a success.