Advanced YTMND Theory

This article exists to explain the mechanics behind what decides a site's average rating, if you actually care about the number of red stars on a website that not every person will see.

Foreword

First off, don't ever expect your site to get and maintain a rating. It's statistically impossible. You cannot please all people at once, and even if you do, users will vote lower than just because they can.

Onto the subject of downvoters, yes, downvoters are annoying. However, they're trying to get you pissed off over red-colored stars to get their kicks. The only thing worse than an anonymous downvoter is a person who gets their panties in a bunch over someone voting a on their site.

So, loosen up. It's YTMND. Have fun.

Humor

What YTMND is all about... or rather, what it should be. The majority of YTMND sites will try to score points based on how hard they can get users to laugh; an "lol factor." A few things factor into how much funny a site can generate:

Originality

Sites that are original are always good. Spinoffs of Picard doing Barrel Rolls to evade pursuit of sexual predator Brian Peppers can only be funny for so long... if at all.

Familiarity/In-Jokes

If you are going to reference an internet meme, a movie, a game, or a cartoon, make sure that the meme/movie/show is well-known, and not overused (especially with Family Guy, taking every single line and scene from the latest episode and making a ytmnd out of it will very like usher in 1's from various people). Making a reference to a fan-subbed anime that only you have heard of will result in users scratching their heads as they drop countless s on your site. On the same note, family/friend in-jokes tend not to fare very well either.

Fad Base

In direct contrast to the originality factor, most users vote based soley on what fad you're parodizing/recreating/paying tribute to. Not all fad spinoffs are bad, but when all you can do is make up humor based on existing humor, that's a bad thing.

Cleverness/Innovation

In your quest for making funnies, you may need think outside of the box. Sites like holy crap, a meteor!!! and Wipe Out are funny because the creators went and did something out of the ordinary to produce results. If the author of the meteor site simply put a meteorite into the picture instead of using the exploding text in a new way, the site wouldn't have been funny/amazing. Likewise, if the author of the Wipe Out site simply used the audio from the video instead of putting the cat's movements to the fast drums of Wipe Out, it wouldn't have the same effect.

Content

The choice of content can determine a rating. Here are some examples:

• Anime - According to max, he has made it clear that any sites that include anime and lack humor will be deleted (though you will find many high-rated sites). However, if you do make one, expect to see your sites bombarded with downvoters who hate anime and in rare instances, an angry message from max.
• World of Warcraft - Most WoW sites will instantly get downvoted. This was due to WoW ytmnds frequently dominating the top 15 viewed sites due to linkage to the WoW forums. Most of these are inside jokes and will anger the ytmnd community. Not even the usage of an original and different Dragonforce song can save it.
• News Articles - If you make a snapshot of a news article, your rating will depend on a few things. First, if it a current event, chances are that a ton will be made at once (example: Aftermath of Steve Irwin's death, where 10 stingrays were killed). If there are many sites based off one news article being made, it will be downvoted. However, if it is something different (example: article details a out-of-style event in a nearby coty), the site may garner a decent rating. Be noted though that the creation of news article ytmnds may be linked to the behavior of NARVs.
• Old-School VG sprite editing - for the most part, a huge amount of sites involve the placement of sprites from oldschool NES/SNES games. Most of these sites take in a good amount of ratings and rarely bring in trolls. The usage of advanced vg sprites from the N64 or PS1 may bring in even higher ratings since working with these graphics are very difficult.
• Fad Compilations/Short Faggy Films - for the most part, a well done fad compilation or short faggy film can give you a pretty good rating, but you will have to withstand a flurry of downvoters who despise one or both (PST elitists). As long as you do a decent job with the compilation/SFF, you should be in good hands.
• NARVish Fads - Mainly the fads that involve various songs accompanied by random images (this includes Epic Maneuver, Stop the Rock, Best Day Ever, Face Melter, Works It, Ualuealuealeuale, Spinning fad, etc...). The more sites that exist in that fad, the more prone it is to downvoters. However, the use of a popular movie/TV show/scene that hasn't been used may earn you some 5's, but you will very likely have to prepare for some nasty 1's and comments. Attempt at your own risk.
  • Epic Maneuver - according to MasterSitsu, the main problem with the fad is that the song Ghost Love Score can be used for any image and ruins any chances of a new fad. When finding an image of a "manuever", you might want to think carefully whether to really make the site an Epic Maneuver when you could set it to other music with a different title (this may give your site more views and may initiate a new fad. It may also bring in new fad music).
  • Myspace Suicide/any Emo site - Simple, don't even attempt it unless you are going to be original. If you are going to post a random image of a sad person set to Simple Plan, or a Myspace Suicide of a recent event that has already been done, you will not score a decent score. The song "Untitled" by Simple Plan has been the most overused song on ytmnd (over 3,000 sites use it...much more than the orginal YTMND clip).

Music

The type of music used in a site can also determine a rating. Using overused music (major examples include the Benny Hill Theme, The Hulk theme, Simple Plan's Untitled, Nightwish's Ghost Love Score, Requiem for a Tower, etc...) will hurt a fad.

Shock

Shock sites can either increase or decrease an average rating on a site, depending on timing, content, and method of shock. However, people tend to not like being tricked, and a rating of over might mean that your shock isn't all that bad, or that the voters are taking some wierd designer drug.

A shock site containing something like gay porn (Ridin' Spinnaz), a sudden, loud sound ("screamer" sites), or otherwise disurbing images (gore, for example), will get nuked with . If the shock is more clever/humorous than gross/overdone, you may get higher votes.

Abstract

Abstract sites tend not to get voted very highly. In order to appreciate an abstract site, one must think about what it is they're seeing and interpret it. Most users come to YTMND for quick laughs, and not to think.

Nostalgia

Trips down memory lane will often result in a higher site rating, as thanks for bringing back the good old days.

High Effort

A high effort site is one that may not be entirely funny, abstract or clever, yet shows an obviously high amount of work and time put into it and is able to stand on that merit alone. These sites attempt to gain a rating by wowing viewers. Some examples are The YTMND Nexus 2.0 or ARTMND.

The Mother Site

Basically where you got your image (and if you cited it) is also key in making a ytmnd.

The Sites that you shouldn't Hijack still images or gifs from

• 4chan
• Something Awful
• Funny Junk
• Ebaum's World (if you seriously submit and image from here you need to just quit life)
• Gif Dump (All images here are stolen from other websites and uploaded onto their server so you'd be basically double stealing an image)
• Any watermarked Image
• Any Mass Media Website

• In the event you feel you just have to "have" that picture for your YTMND glory remember this statement "Edit or GTFO"

The Voter

It's impossible to please everyone. While some people may love a certain kind of humor, others may detest it. Maybe the voter has a personal vendetta against you? Perhaps the voter is an anonymous up/downvoter? Or maybe, just maybe, your site is total crap. Whatever the reason, if the general consensus of a site is good or bad, that's what it is.

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