...is that you might end up being second.

Since the Giant Bomb database went up with the site launch a couple of days a go I've been enjoying experimenting with adding stuff to it. I like the tools provided for upload, and like the fact that I'm helping contribute to such a new and exciting community as this one. Mainly I've been looking at adding to various different parts of the site. I've added characters, a main article, images and linked games to locations, characters and franchises. I have also written an editorial-esque blog post and my first ever structured game review. Doing all these things have all had their own merit in one way or another, with some also adding to my points level, helping me slowly crawl ever closer to the elusive 1,000 points. The point at which I feel this site will really become a joy to help grow.

For now however, I've stopped with the submissions. I've played around with the system, started to get used to it's various methods for uploads and edits to the point where any more submissions won't particually help me in terms of getting a feel for the system. So instead submitting content would be purely for the benfit of the site, and points. I'm happy to admit that points do drive me somewhat, but only because I think reaching the 'trusted' status that 1,000 points bestows upon you will help me to do the former - benefit the site and its users. It's not that I feel like I'm 'too good' for moderation or am somehow insulted by the idea, but the current system does not encourage me to submit as much as I can. Obviously there has been a huge (giant?) number of submissions, and I take nothing away from Jeff, Ryan, Brad, Vinny and the rest of the team for not being able to process submissions at light speed. I applaud there dedication to this site launch and the moderation system, it does not sound easy! In it's current state though, I don't want to submit a main article (which takes a fair ammount of time and effort) when there is the possibility that someone already has and that it sits in the queue sevral pages before my own. I don't want to double up on work someone else may already have done.

I've heard talk, possibly on the forums, of the implementation of some kind of user viewable submission queue, which would go a long way to solving this problem. In the same way I don't want to waste my time and energy creating long articles, I don't want to waste the staff members' energy by submitting characters, locations, links between things etc.  that may well have been already submitted. This is only going to lead to further delay in the already drawn out process of moderation. The end result is me holding off on submitting content for now. As I point out in the title, by rushing to fill in a page first you may be second without realising - effectivly leaving you in last place as your submission is ignored due to it then being redundant. I'm hoping that by holding off for now it might even help (minutely) decrease the load on the staff to help them speed up the moderation process, and maybe even have a break!

If any of the Giant Bomb staff do read this, I do want to say congratulations on the site - the potential is huge. I can't wait to see it in a more 'mature' form as you continue to evolve it. As soon as a user vieable submissions queue is available, or moderation times decrease I'll be straight into submitting again, hopefully providing some good quality content.

As a final note to other users, I'm not saying everyone should stop submitting to help the site, the users or the staff. It's an exciting prospect and I know many of you love getting stuck in. Just be aware that you may find yourself dissapointed due to factors currently outside anyones control. On another note, I certainly won't be dissappearing from Giant Bomb; I'll just be focussing on trying to write some more 'editorial style' blog posts instead, maybe write another review or two (I've nearly completed Crisis Core) and maybe even venture into the forums...

Keep enjoying the site people, I know I will.