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Strange asset store decline reason

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by QFSW, Jul 28, 2016.

  1. QFSW

    QFSW

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    Got an email about my asset being declined (not complaining here) and it included
    The first or main reason is what really confuses me
    "We are concerned about the level of your professional appearance online. We ask that you provide a link to a professional portfolio site to show your experience on your publisher page. This is beneficial to establish yourself as a trustworthy seller to your user base.
    If you're a student or a start up publisher and don't have a ready website yet, please provide a Linkedin profile, or Github account."
    I honestly have no idea what this has to do with my asset. To add to the confusion I already have an asset on the store, so surely it should have been more of an issue then? Has anyone else ever had a reason like this?

    The second reason was to include a demo file that I forgot, that seems like a very reasonable reason and I personally believe that's the reason it was rejected

    If you need more info on my "unprofessional appearance" ask away

    Thanks if anyone else has ever had a response like this
     
  2. QFSW

    QFSW

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    "We would like you to provide a simple demo scene to quickly show off your product. Demo scenes give your users a quick way to see your product in action and to learn from how it is set up." the way its worded makes me feel like the professionalism was main concern

    Again not arguing or being but hurt. just confused. Im willing to accept im uprofessional if others deem i am, im not stubborn. Their email just left me rather confuzzled, mainly because my other asset got on just fine (March)
     
  3. GarBenjamin

    GarBenjamin

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    This could just be them trying to improve their feedback during the rejection process. They probably are just trying to help. Like you may very well know that some kind of demo is a tremendous help to the end user but many people might not. So it is probably a generic statement (as in for everyone) yet specific in describing the exact issue.

    Just my guess.
     
  4. QFSW

    QFSW

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    Yeah I'd really like it if they moved towards more useful help but their name point on lack of professionalism just seems to confuse me more than help me given its too generic, but yeah you might be right
     
  5. neginfinity

    neginfinity

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    I think someone is trying to perform an equivalent of applying lithium to forums. Only on asset store.

    Sigh.
     
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  6. QFSW

    QFSW

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    Oh dear lord please no
    And GitHub account? I don't understand this notion that you need to be an open source activist to provide a product
     
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  7. JamesLeeNZ

    JamesLeeNZ

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    That's the kind of reply I might expect because I can be an internet jerk at times.

    lol.
     
  8. QFSW

    QFSW

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    I really hope this is just some weird case and not a degradation of the vetting quality
     
  9. Kiwasi

    Kiwasi

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    Lol. Unity has a bigger identity crisis then a photon.

    They are struggling between being a professional engine used by big studios, the indie engine used by small studios, and the amateur engine used by students.

    I'm guessing your reviewer got the professional engine speech this morning.
     
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  10. QFSW

    QFSW

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    I partially want to resubmit it just to see what happens but that would be a waste of both my and Unity's time
    So other than a demo scene im not really too sure what to make of their, errm, 'feedback'
     
  11. QFSW

    QFSW

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    Electron analogy works quite nicely too. We can never really understand where they are at and where they are going at the same time
     
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  12. Kiwasi

    Kiwasi

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    Yeah, choose your favourite sub atomic particle. They all have the same thing going on. With such unstable building blocks, its a wonder* the world hasn't exploded in a giant fireball of chaos.

    * Actually it isn't. Any world that would exploded into subatomic instability would not last long enough to evolve intelligent life to ask the question. We are not lucky to be living in a stable universe, rather the stable universe is the only one with conditions for us to exist in. But its still a nice meta physical question to ponder for a few seconds.
     
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  13. neginfinity

    neginfinity

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    It is a sort of a cargo cult.

    There are people who believe that having github account is absolutely important to be a programmer and that you are not a real programmer if you don't have a github account. Basically, they treat github account, number of repos/submissions/commits as sort of a status symbol.

    It is pure insanity, in my opinion.

    Which is why it is worrying to see this kind of response from someone who is dealing with asset store submissions. Also, linkedLn is a website that has been pestering me about people (I never heard of) who wanted to "connect" with me. Yeah, right, totally the "best" way to "maintain professional presence".

    Wouldn't it make sense for unity to make sure that people would "maintain professional presence" by using their unity id and profiles on unity network instead of trying to push them elsewhere?

    Either way, the response you got is very strange and looks like a big warning flag similar to lithium shenanigans... and I'd rather not see any more warning flags. Let's hope that it was one time freak accident and nothing more than that.
     
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  14. QFSW

    QFSW

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    I sure hope so. My past experiences with the asset store team were very positive, dont ruin that
     
  15. Kiwasi

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    Maybe this is an poorly planned attempt to push unity certification? I can show I'm a professional because I am on the list of professionals maintained by your site... o_Oo_Oo_O
     
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  16. iamthwee

    iamthwee

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    The only way to become pro is to buy unity 'pro' lol joking aside, what is the asset in terms of context, you mentioned a demo scene so I'm guessing it not similar to your unity build asset?
     
  17. GarBenjamin

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    This actually could be the case in time. Any code asset may need to be by a certified person. Or at least if submitted by a certified person there may be some kind of symbol, ya know a shining star or something, indicating this is a professional person not just a nobody. lol
     
  18. Kiwasi

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    Yeah. They need to up the test first. Currently a trained monkey can pass it after a few months with Unity. So the test proves
    • I've opened the editor
    • I've paid a fee
    • I live in a location near a certification centre
     
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  19. orb

    orb

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    I get job offers from simply having an account. Not sure how, but they find the quality of what little code I have on there high enough to stick out.

    This worries me if I have to work with people who didn't.

    LinkedIn is absurdly creepy. SOMEBODY I know (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!) let LinkedIn use their mail login to harvest addresses. This caused it to spam all those contacts. I can't imagine anybody doing that without having some sort of brain damage! I had to sign up to LinkedIn just so I could stop the bloody constant spam about signing up, and set e-mail preferences to not pester me with contacts who want to "link in".

    I thought "linking in" was a special sort of activity at very special parties.

    Nothing makes sense anymore. Somebody higher up got the idea everybody has to be on every type of social media, and won't listen to sane reasoning anymore.

    These are all the most important things in this modern world - the ability to follow written instructions, having money and being reachable at any time. WHAT ELSE COULD AN EMPLOYER POSSIBLY WANT‽
     
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  20. MV10

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    In the early 90s, Microsoft developer support and documentation went from world-class (for that era) straight into the toilet. In the 80s and 90s you could simply pick up a phone and ask a question. The (paper!) docs you got with dev products were well written, extensive, and had relevant working examples. Compare that to today's MSDN crapfest reference (ThreadPriorityLevel: Specifies the priority level of a thread... no sh*t?).

    In that exact same timeframe, Microsoft marketing exploded into shiny-glossy pro-level output and marketing has basically driven every company decision since then. (I had quite a few friends, contacts, and former co-workers at MS who confirmed this and/or complained about the same.)

    This + The Lithium Incident feels eerily similar.
     
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  21. Ostwind

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    I think It's a recent change as I've seen others mentioning about it recently. Having a professional/decent site is not specific to the asset that you submitted but it sure has to do with you being a seller.

    I've used asset store a lot past few years and there has been a lot of sellers with non existing site and even no contact emails at one point. When I expect some kind of future support for my purchase I always check the seller info before buying (site, forum thread, etc.) to see the credibility. In your case clicking the support link opens a gaming Youtube channel, or that's what I'm seeing first. Not a good thing.

    What I'm expecting to see is a portfolio or a site with info about the products you have done in the past and possibly help/documentation for the products you have in Asset store. At minimum there should be a twitter account that has been running for several months with possibly tweets about some of the products and not a wall of meme pic re-tweets like some have had :)

    What they suggested to you in the email is perfectly valid and a good change if they will suggest/enforce it in the future.

    edit: I think I've even complained about missing/bad support sites/emails to them few times somewhere a year or two ago
     
  22. Kiwasi

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    Okay. I change my stance. Linking to a YouTube channel for your support website is not very professional, and should be changed. Heck even a link back to an asset store forum thread would be more professional.

    Fortunately this is an easy one to rectify. Just link your support back to, you know, somewhere one can actually get support.
     
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  23. Player7

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    "LinkedIn use their mail login to harvest addresses. This caused it to spam all those contacts."

    That's classic facebook man, if you want to compete with big corruption rat platforms you gotta do whatever it takes. Bent dirt water morals to the bank, user privacy and ethics out the F***ing window, legal garbage all the way.
     
  24. Billy4184

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    @QFSW that kind of response sounds to me like a 'polite rejection' - i.e. there was something either confusing or negative about the asset and the reviewer looked for the best way to give you a soft 'no'.

    If I had to guess, it's one of two things (I had a look at your one product on the store so I assume that's the one in question):

    1. The reviewer wasn't sure how to test it/didn't know how to use it, or couldn't get it to work and didn't feel competent enough to give a clear reason why;

    2. Unity aren't quite sure what benefit it provides over their own functionality.

    I'd guess the first one. And from my point of view, from what I can see in the screenshots, there is absolutely no way to know if all you've done is made an empty script with some public variables. I certainly wouldn't buy it if all I saw was a screenshot of an inspector.

    If I were you, I'd do a number of things:

    - Give a better explanation on the asset store page emphasizing what it does beyond what Unity does already - what's your selling point?

    - Make a video of you using it from start to finish, so people know what to expect, or -

    - Link to a text document or website that goes in-depth on how it functions;

    - Raise the price. If your code really does something substantially enough above what Unity does already, it's probably not going to be worth only $5 and it looks like you're lowballing, which Unity probably don't like either - especially if they're trying to look more professional on the store.

    Basically at the moment, if I happened onto the asset while browsing the store I'd categorise it as slightly shady due to the very low price and lack of information. You need to make it look more valuable.

    Just my 2c.
     
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  25. iamthwee

    iamthwee

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    Why would the OP be questioning an asset he/she has already published on the store?
     
  26. Billy4184

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    @iamthwee, for some reason I got the idea that it was an asset that was being updated, which wouldn't make much sense come to think of it! :D But maybe then it has been presented in a similar way? I definitely think that the first asset has a severe marketing issue and if the tone of Unity's reply is anything to go by, it's something similar.

    If I was the OP, I would focus on trying to make myself look more professional, like someone who is not simply uploading code that they think might be useful, but is actually trying to make a marketable product and maintain it. The former belongs on the wiki or something.

    Don't forget, Unity are a brand with a public image, and more than ever lately they seem to be trying to raise it up a bit, and I'm sure they don't want stuff associated with them that appears to be 'ad-hoc'.
     
  27. da_st

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    When i was starting out on the asset store (about a year ago) i got the same email for my first asset submission, basically what i had to do was add a link to my portfolio and a contact form/email for customer support, and then it got accepted :)
     
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  28. iamthwee

    iamthwee

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    Well, I'd personally disagree, IMO and yes this is just an opinion, but the first asset the OP submitted was a code or build based plugin, so the need to show a demo or pretty images is not as greatly needed if say he was submitting an art based asset, which is why I asked what the context of it was and perhaps why the reviewer asked for a link to an online portfolio.

    Of course, you do have a point in that he could have done a better job to market that even so, but I guess this is veering on the side of opinions now.
     
  29. Billy4184

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    @iamthwee if anything, that makes it more important to link to a portfolio or otherwise demonstrate you know what you're doing. With art, what you see is what you get (or rather, all that matters) so you can assess it in a screenshot, but code is something you probably have to put more effort into showing the value of, and people are always taking a pretty high risk with code when you don't have a lot of ratings and feedback.

    The quote the OP gave from the email:

    "We are concerned about the level of your professional appearance online. We ask that you provide a link to a professional portfolio site to show your experience on your publisher page. This is beneficial to establish yourself as a trustworthy seller to your user base."

    makes it pretty clear to me that they think the marketing is not up to scratch. I tend to agree based on the first asset. Whether or not that's the main or only reason it got rejected is something the OP will have to find out once they do something about it.

    Also, I would say to the OP, don't take it too literally - you obviously got your first asset through the door. IMO just improve the pitch on the asset page, add a video if you haven't already, really try to peddle the benefits, and try again. It's like a job interview, if you walk in with your tie upside down, you'll get told you're simply not up to the level of professionalism they're looking for, but really often it's just the tie. Welcome to selling online, the hardest place to make a good impression :rolleyes:
     
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  30. QFSW

    QFSW

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    That would definitely be it, and yeah I agree 'tis unprofessional. I think i had it as a placeholder whilst setting up my account then forgot to do it properly or something but I digress it needs to be changed and it likely the cause. Thank you for pointing it out.

    Yup I certainly agree. How would doing a support thread as a link work given its for your whole publisher?

    It's an object pooling solution to make it as easy as possible to change a project to use object pooling. I was on the fence of if a demo was really necessary or not but now I guess i know i should do one :)

    Hey, I think you're looking at my Build Automator asset, but I'll respond anyway because the same mistakes are probably present in my new asset

    -The point of it is an automation thing to save time. Intead of building platform, switching, building platform for how many platforms you have then doing extra stuff you can set it all up with my asset and some batch scripts so you dont have to do it all every time. What did the description come off like to you?

    -I was contemplating that, but i wasnt sure if it would have any point, it would simply be watching me tick a few platforms then watching a progress bar. I will probably aim to get one done for this and my new asset when I'm back though

    -so essentially have a public link to the included documentation?

    -Raising the price? It doesnt add any new functionality per se but uses the functionality of Unity and automates the process. If i was to raise the price what price do you think would be appropriate?


    of course i still agree with you theres room for improvement and i could definitely be more professional, the email jsut wasnt very specific what was unprofessional which would have saved this whole forum thread, but i guess it could be valuable to others. What would you take as screenshots for a scripting asset like that? Given you wouldnt be able to visually see its being used

    What did you use for your portfolio?

    Y
    Yup, not gonna give up or anything, just wanted some more specific direction and this thread gave it. Thanks :)
     
  31. Billy4184

    Billy4184

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    Well I wasn't really sure at first what your Build Automator did above what Unity did already. I guess it's kind of there but it wasn't clear to me at first - I kept thinking, but Unity already does that with the click of a button? Now that I think about the fact that it might take a long time to build, and I might want to go somewhere else, it kind of makes more sense.

    One thing to keep in mind, I've seen a couple of threads over the years from people who've had assets rejected, and one of them looked pretty handy (can't remember what it was exactly) and Unity refused it because they thought it wasn't complex or useful enough. If you're doing fairly simple stuff they might not be keen on it, I think the key is to really pack in stuff that people would otherwise spend days or weeks doing themselves.

    As for visual advertisement, make a video ... screenshots don't tell much about code. If you show it in action that's the best way to advertise it imo.
     
  32. QFSW

    QFSW

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    Okay thanks, I'll do it when I can
     
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  33. da_st

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    @QFSW I used a portfolio template i found on the envato market, and web hosting from godaddy, but im pretty sure you can use like a facebook or linkedin page, as long as your customers can contact you through it
     
  34. QFSW

    QFSW

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    I don't have either so id probably be better of using something actually for portfolios
     
  35. Eric5h5

    Eric5h5

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    It's not worrying; they stated upfront that they want you to have a website. Linkedin etc. are listed as less-desirable alternatives (note wording "don't have a ready website yet") because I'm sure you can imagine the outcry that would happen if they required a website. Though maybe they should do that anyway.

    --Eric
     
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  36. derf

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    LinkedIn is a failure of creating a Facebook for the business world, nothing more. I have used it once to find the info of a past employer's business address for my resume.
     
  37. Socrates

    Socrates

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    This is my opposition to LinkedIn. Someone from quite a while back was selling assets for Unity here that turned out to be *ahem* used without permission. I was on that person's e-mail list because I had bought a small package (then gotten a refund fortunately). To this day, I get requests to friend/like/whatever from various services to this person. When I approached LinkedIn support to stop the spam, they told me they could not help me because I was not a customer and they had no control over how many invites their users were sending out.

    Is Github the new Gmail? At one point, you were nothing in the tech world if you couldn't get a Gmail account. Of course, that was back when you had to know someone with a Gmail account in order to get an invitation.
     
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  38. orb

    orb

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  39. Buhlaine

    Buhlaine

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    The Asset Store team looks for publisher websites in order to create a better level of trust between the publisher and their perspective customers. Having some sort of landing page for a customer to look at helps show them as well as our team that the content your submitting is your own! The website can be most anything that shows you have a presence established online or a history of doing similar work. A Facebook page, Weebly, ArtStation, Wordpress or really anything that shows the work you do and has some contact information will work perfectly.

    Don't forget you can always reply directly to the rejection email to speak with the team member who worked with your package. Hopefully this helps!
     
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  40. QFSW

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    Thanks for chiming in, its always nice to have an official response
    Is this something new the asset store is doing? The only reason I ask is that my previous asset didnt have this concern
     
  41. QFSW

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    I dont think my twitter would be a good idea due to me using it for other things as well, what would anyone reccomend I use in the mean time as i cant get my own website done right now
     
  42. neginfinity

    neginfinity

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    I can understand that, but it is one thing when you can check out someone's code, and a completely different thing when you have a github cultist who insists that a commit history must also be believable ("a code can't just appear out of nowhere all at once!" - there are people who think this way).

    I started programming before github existed. So what, am I supposed to upload every single piece of junk I've ever written and deal with nutcases who worry about "believability" of commits? It is supposed to be a version control repo tool, not some social network nonsense.
     
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  43. Buhlaine

    Buhlaine

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    Over the last year or so we have become much more strict on the issue. All assets are also vetted manually so if your package got through the first time without an issue it might have just been an oversight. The Asset Store vetting team is probably a lot smaller than most people realize. They do their best though!

    Many publishers use twitter, but they more often have a separate twitter specifically for Asset Store related content. Facebook pages can serve the same purpose, just make a page and keep it to Asset Store content! I'm sure you don't want all of your customers to be adding you as a friend. :p
     
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  44. QFSW

    QFSW

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    My last asset was published this March so it must have been an oversight then
    Just asset store or unity dev too? Given they are both developer things got to do with unity
     
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  45. Buhlaine

    Buhlaine

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    Any development/creative content works perfectly and is more than welcome!
     
  46. orb

    orb

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    Now I'm pondering doing just that and restocking my popcorn supply.

    Thank goodness!

    Yeah, if you're serious about running a small business, there are services which quickly set up a somewhat professional site with mere minutes of effort (get some good logos and other art, stick 'em in sections, done).

    Impress.ly and SquareSpace are a couple of services worth investigating for people lacking design skills/time. Just avoid a blog site! That's just horrible. You want a portfolio-style layout with a well-made gallery, not article after article of text with cut-off previews. I hate it when artists do that.
     
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  47. neginfinity

    neginfinity

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    :D:D:D
    Gotta admit this is a fun option to consider.
    Bonus fun points if it results in job offer.
     
  48. orb

    orb

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    Already got two, but they were serious. The fun ones will roll in if I increase the amount of crap on there!
     
  49. QFSW

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    I don't think im anywhere near that point yet but I would like to develop over time, so I'll definitely check them out
    Also I contacted the Asset Store team and they said that my twitter would be just fine so i'll use that for the time being

    Do you think keeping a GitHub going is worth it? I only have one thing that I'd put on at the moment (it is something I actually wanted to share publicly once done) but other than that not much
     
  50. orb

    orb

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    Well, a recruitment company which specialises in code-analysis contacted me about two jobs. I only have a few things in various languages on there, and now those recruiters have me on their list. It may not always lead to work, but it won't make life worse :)
     
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