Before I start, please do not participate in this discussion if you want to be hateful/disrespectful.
In the past year or so, Episode has come out with new rules or new systems, etc. that only damaged the app and infuriated the community. I donāt remember the specific order, but first, they started taking an eternity to approve bg/overlays, which makes it harder for authors to publish as regularly as they want to and as quickly, since most of the time, their episodes are done, but approvals are all thatās left. Second, the new ranking system they made that completely unbalanced the rankings and enhanced rumors about them not wanting to pay authors as much. And third, the new rule on not being able to share edited bgs/overlays, which makes years of hard work (by editors) go to waste.
I donāt know whatās happening, but I feel like Episode are doing the same as youtube rewind 2018. I know Iāve said this on another thread before, but it feels like Episode is starting to do the same promoting ā what they want to be famous and not giving the community what they really want, while pretending that is in fact what the community wants ā that youtube did. Same goes for the repetitive featured/original stories they keep coming out with. I donāt know what theyāre trying to do, but I love Episode so much and itās starting to really make me doubt their intentions now. Maybe their well-intentioned, but they keep repeating the same mistakes. I donāt know what to believe anymore. And itās even starting to create a fuss in the community, because now small authors/users are starting to go against big authors.
What do you think?
EDIT: Concerning the ānew ruleā, I think this post made below by @Clover-Ross should be read:
I think it has an explanation for a lot and thereās a good lesson to take from this post, so please give it your most well-intentioned attention. Thank you
Another post to read made below by @EliseC (same goes for her):
Also, thanks for informing and correcting me @kheyrwrites
Moved to Episode Fan Community since this is related to Episode. Make sure to check out our Forum Tutorial for more info about where to correctly create topics, and feel to PM me if there are any questions.
I agree. Everyone has the right to have their own opinions and especially explain why they think the way they do (if they want to). Honestly, I donāt understand why people get so worked up over āhatredā to authors. Before you attack me, hear me out. Episode is an InTeRaCtIvE and public app, right? That means that if you publish something, youāre bound to get hate at some point anyway because people will be people. The same with like Instagram and stuff because when you post something you are agreeing to the possibility of receiving hate. This is the real world, people, and the real world is tough. Now, whether or not people were actually hating on the author if this story, I do not know. However, I do know that āher moment being ruinedā should not be based on whether she feels hated on, but on whether or not she can recognize that her accomplishment goes beyond anything anyone thinks. Boom, quote me on anything, itās my birthday, so I aināt scared (with that being said please donāt come at me tomorrow )
And from then on (mostly Metteās and QueenIvyās replies).
We came to the conclusion (me and queenivy) that we misunderstood Metteās instagram story. And I think Iāve mislead others into that too. Iāll be editing that out right on.
Ah, I see. Just wanted to clarify that it is not a new rule and has always been there. There seems to be this misconception going around that this is a new rule, Episode is imposing because they are āagainstā the community. Iām sure you can find some way to edit this in!
People are now complaining because there is an email circulating. I personally cannot say what exactly Episodeās reasonings are for the sudden need to impose this, but I can say that I do know for a fact that this was addressed several times in their TOS. Liz has also attached this in her thread. Would you like a link?
I think the issue actually comes down to communication.
If that really has been the rule since the beginning, then why ignore it for so long? They knew that people were sharing edited background on drives and even followed some of these creators. Iād be extremely surprised if they didnāt know about episodelife.com where plenty of creators had their backgrounds on display.
Why only enforce this two years later? Why not nip it in the bud earlier on?
This isnāt just backgrounds. In general, I feel like Episode has some pretty poor communication skills. There have been several times where an issue has popped up that could easily be addressed (e.g how the contest winners are determined) and it either goes unanswered or it takes almost a year for some sort of reply.
As for the rankings issue, Iām still convinced that that was a glitch, and not a way to ācheatā people out of income lol.