Frequently Asked Questions - Online Talent Contest FAQs

General

How do I join YOBI.tv?: Just fill out our short registration form and click Submit.

How much does it cost to join YOBI.tv?: Nothing at all. YOBI.tv is free.

How much does it cost to enter the YOBI.tv contests?: All YOBI contests are free to enter.

How much does it cost to vote in the YOBI.tv contests?: Voting for entries in the YOBI contests is free.

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Joining YOBI.tv

What should I do if I don't receive a verification email?: The verification email might have gone into your spam box. If you can't find it, though, that's no problem. Simply send a blank email message to verify@yobi.tv from the email account you registered with. You should then be able to login.

Why does it say my email address is already in use?: This message is displayed after you've registered with YOBI.tv but before you've verified your email account. Verify your email account by replying to our verification email (you may have to check your spam box) or by sending a blank email message to verify@yobi.tv

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YOBI.tv Webseries

How can I get cast as a co-star in a webseries?: Our webseries co-stars are cast directly from our YOBIAct contests, so your best shot at landing a co-starring role is to enter and win one of our YOBIAct contests.

How can I be featured in a webseries?: The people featured in our webseries are discovered via our YOBI talent contests, so your best shot at being featured is to enter and win one of our talent contests.

How can I be part of the crew of a webseries?: We post calls for crew members on Facebook and Twitter, as well as on the Michigan Film Office website. Watch for these calls and take action accordingly.

How can I get cast as an extra in a webseries?: We post calls for extras on Facebook and Twitter, as well as on the Michigan Film Office website. Watch for these calls and take action accordingly.

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Entering the Contests

How do I enter a contest?: Follow the Enter Contest link, complete the short contest entry form, and click Submit.

Can I enter more than one contest?: Absolutely!

Can I upload multiple entries into a contest?: Yes. You are allowed 15 entries into each contest for YOBIAct, YOBISing, YOBIFilm, and YOBILaugh. You are allowed 40 entries into the YOBIPics contest.

Do I have to be from the United States to enter a contest?: Nope. YOBI welcomes participants from across the globe, except where prohibited by law and from countries without diplomatic relations with the United States.

Do I have to be a certain age to enter a contest?: Yes. We have two separate sets of contests. Our YOBI Contests are for contestants 18 and older. Our YOBI Teen Contests are for contestants aged 13-17.

What video formats are supported on YOBI.tv?: Our video encoder supports all formats, but .m4a and .mp4 seem to work the best for our members. If you're having trouble uploading, try one of those formats.

What video and audio specifications will result in the best quality on YOBI.tv?: We have no particular audio recommendation, but do recommend a video resolution of at least 320x240.

Should I upload my entry again if I don't see a thumbnail?: It can take up to 15 minutes for our system to encode your contest entry. If after 15 minutes you still don't see your entry, you can either try your upload again or email support@yobi.tv for assistance

What should I do if I accidentally entered the wrong contest?: Go to the Contest Entry page and click the Unpublish button to remove the entry from the incorrect contest. Then reupload the entry into the correct contest.

Do I need to resubmit my entries to each contest every month?: No. Once submitted, a contest entry is eligible for the current and for future contests.

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Contest Entries

Does my entry video have to be a certain length?: The maximum length a video contest entry can be is 5 minutes and 59 seconds.

Are there restrictions on what content my entry video can contain?: Yes there are. As stipulated in the contest rules, contest entries may not contain trademarks, logos, or copyrighted material; extreme profanity, sexual content that would warrant a strong R rating, or pornographic content; or any material containing the name, likeness, or logo of any person or persons without permission. Contest entries may not promote hateful content of any kind; violence or harm to another person or creature; obscene or offensive behavior; tobacco, firearms, weapons, or illegal drugs; or alcohol if you are under legal drinking age. Contest entries may not reveal personal information about another person or persons, nor may they defame or misrepresent another person, persons, or entity.

Do I have to own the copyright to the music that I use in my contest entry?: You do not have to own the copyright to the music you use, but you must have permission to use the music. For more information, please see our copyright resource page.

Why did my contest entry disappear?: The most common reason for an entry to be removed from our contest pages is because the entry was flagged for a rule violation by our Contest Officials.

Why did my contest entry get flagged?: Flags are explained on the My Entry page of the contest entry in question as well as by email from the YOBI Legal Team. The most common reason for an entry to be flagged is for a copyright violation. Flags are issued for a variety of other rule violations as well.

Where can I learn more about copyright issues?: Copyright issues can be complex and difficult to understand. Our help page is a good place to start, though.

How do I report an entry that I think violates the contest rules?: Send an email to our contest officials at reportabuse@yobi.tv Be sure to tell us which contest the entry is in, either the name or the url of the contest entry, and what about the video you feel is in violation of the contest rules.

How do I edit the video content of my contest entry?: Editing or changing the video content of contest entries is not allowed. Because YOBI members may have already voted for your existing entry, changing the content of the entry would be unfair. If you like, however, you can delete the existing entry and upload a new one.

How can I delete my contest entry?: You can delete a contest entry by clicking the Unpublish button on the Contest Entry page.

How do I edit the title or description of my contest entry?: You may edit the title and description of your entry by clicking the Edit link on your Contest Entry page.

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Voting in the Contests

How do I vote for a contest entry?: Just click the Vote for this Contestant button to cast a vote.

Can I vote for my own entry?: Absolutely! In fact, you should vote for your own contest entry every day.

Can I create multiple accounts to vote for myself?: No. Section 4 of the YOBI.tv Terms of Service prohibits members from having more than one account. We scan frequently for suspicious accounts and voting activity. If we determine that a YOBI member is in violation of our Terms of Service, we disable all of that member's accounts, reverse all of that member's votes, and permanently ban that member from the YOBI community.

Can I ask my friends to vote for me?: Actually, that is exactly what we recommend you do! Recruiting votes from your friends, family, and acquaintances is the best way to secure a pool of steady voters for your entries.

How can I attract more attention and votes to my entries?: We highly recommend that you use the Sharing links, Vote for Me buttons, and embeddable Entry URLs on your My Entry pages.

How may entries can I vote for?: There is no limit to the total number of votes a YOBI member may cast. The only stipulation is that voting for any single entry is limited to one vote per member per day.

Who is eligible to vote?: Every member of the YOBI community is eligible to vote.

Is there an easy way to keep track of the entries I want to vote for?: Yes. Designating an entry as a Favorite will save the entry to your My YOBI.tv Favorites page.

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Profiles

How do I create or edit my profile?: Click on Profile in the My YOBI.tv menu and follow the editing links.

Why can't I upload a profile picture?: Currently, profile pictures must be at least 100px wide. Please make sure the picture you are uploading fits this requirement.

Why won't my bio video upload?: Our video encoder supports all formats, but .m4a and .mp4 seem to work the best for our members. If you're having trouble uploading a bio video, try one of those formats.

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Premium Memberships

What does a gold star emblem mean?: The gold star emblem designates our YOBI.tv Premium Members.

Where do I purchase a Premium Membership?: Premium Memberships can be purchased here. http://yobi.tv/premium_subscriptions/purchase

What are the benefits of becoming a Premium Member?: Premium Members are eligible for monthly Member Appreciation prize drawings. We will continue to add Premium Member benefits in the weeks and months to come.

What types of prizes can I win in the drawings?: The drawings will typically feature a Gift Card prize.

What is the Premium Membership length?: We offer three different Premium Membership lengths: 30 days for $0.99, 90 days for $2.79, and 365 days for $9.99. A portion of each Premium Membership helps support our YOBI Gives charity partner.

Is this a one-time purchase or can I do a subscription?: Your choice. PayPal will give you both options to choose from.

How do I pay?: Transactions are handled via PayPal.

How do the Member Appreciation prize drawings work?: Once a month, we pull a winning entry out of a hat...virtually speaking.

How many entries does a Premium Member get for each weekly drawing?: Each Premium Member gets one entry per day that they were a Premium Member during the past 7 days. Each Premium Member also gets an additional entry per day that they engaged in one of our entry-earning activities.

What are the 'entry-earning' activities?: These activities include: uploading an entry into one of our contests, voting for contest entries, commenting on contest entries, writing a blog post, and uploading a vlog.

What's the catch?: The only catch is that you must be a Premium Member on the day of a drawing in order to be eligible for that particular drawing.

Why is my Premium Membership gold star emblem not appearing on my profile?: It can take a few minutes for the emblem to appear. If it's still missing after 15 minutes, send an email to support@yobi.tv and we'll investigate.

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YOBIAct Contest Entries

What kind of entry is eligible for YOBIAct?: All YOBIAct entries must feature the contestant in some way and must be submitted under the appropriate gender category. Entries may not contain copyrighted musical or visual material.

What should I put in my YOBIAct entry?: Tell us who you are and why the YOBI community should vote for you. Your entry should ideally show off both your dramatic and your comedic acting talents.

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YOBIFilm Contest Entries

What kind of entry is eligible for YOBIFilm?: All YOBIFilm entries must be shorts or trailers and must have some sort of storyline in which at least one character participates. Entries may not contain copyrighted musical or visual material.

What if more than one film maker worked on a film?: Only the primary film maker involved in the filming, directing, and editing of the film should submit the entry to the contest. Groups of film makers will have to decide who the primary film maker is.

Can more than one film maker upload the same film into YOBIFilm?: No. Each YOBIFilm contest entry can only be associated with a single film maker.

Can the film maker be in the film?: Absolutely.

Can I enter my funny film into both YOBIFilm and YOBILaugh?: Yes, provided that you are the primary film maker of the film and are featured as one of the primary characters in the film itself.

Can I submit a music video to YOBIFilm?: No. YOBIFilm entries should be either shorts or trailers.

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YOBILaugh Contest Entries

What kind of entry is eligible for YOBILaugh?: All YOBILaugh entries must be either skits or stand-up performances and must feature the person who uploaded the contest entry. No copyrighted musical or visual material is allowed.

Can my comedy troupe submit entries to YOBILaugh?: Yes. The person who uploaded the entry, however, must be the main character or one of the main characters in the skit, and also must indicate in the description of the entry which character or part they are playing, as YOBI voters will be voting on the performance of that particular individual.

Can more than one person upload the same entry to YOBILaugh?: Yes. The person who uploaded the entry, however, must be the main character or one of the main characters in the skit, and also must indicate in the description of the entry which character or part they are playing, as YOBI voters will be voting on the performance of that particular individual.

Can I enter my funny film into YOBILaugh?: Only if you are also featured in the film. Comedy film makers who are not featured in their film may only enter the YOBIFilm Contest.

Can I enter my funny film into both YOBILaugh and YOBIFilm?: Yes, provided that you are the primary film maker of the film and are featured as one of the primary characters in the film itself.

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YOBIPics Contest Entries

What kind of entry is eligible for YOBIPics?: All YOBIPics entries must be original photographs. No copyrighted visual material is allowed.

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YOBISing Contest Entries

What kind of entry is eligible for YOBISing?: All YOBISing entries must be vocal performances of original songs or of songs that are in the public domain. No copyrighted musical or visual material is allowed.

If I write original music but don't sing, can I still enter YOBISing?: YOBISing contest entries must have a vocal component.

Can I submit a cover into YOBISing?: No. Covers and other remakes of copyrighted songs will be flagged for copyright violation and removed from the contest pages.

Can I enter my band into YOBISing?: Only if you are the main vocalist in the band, as voters will be judging the vocal component of the contest entry.

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Winning and Prizes

What can I win in the YOBI Contests?: Our contest winners have the opportunity to be involved in original webseries that star some of today's hottest media personalities. These opportunities are designed both to maximize the exposure of our winners' talents and to provide our winners with unique career opportunities that are available nowhere else.

Where can I find prize listings for each contest?: The prizes for each contest will be announced on the individual contest channels.

How can I increase my chances of winning?: The most successful YOBI contestants utilize the features available on their YOBI profiles and the sharing tools available on their contest entry pages to network and promote their entry across the web.

Why is the YOBI.tv Legal Team asking for a photo of my ID?: We must verify the identity of all contest winners for legal reasons. If you do not wish to send us your verification materials, you will unfortunately become ineligible to collect your prize.

Why is the YOBI.tv Legal Team asking me to authorize a background check?: We are required to conduct a criminal background check on individuals who win prizes that include travel and/or direct interaction with the cast and crew of YOBI, LLC Productions. If you do not wish to authorize the background check or if you fail the background check, you will unfortunately become ineligible to collect your prize.

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Miscellaneous

Is YOBI.tv accepting resumes?: We will post announcements when we are. Unsolicited resumes or requests for employment will generally not be responded to.

How do I delete my YOBI.tv account?: You may deactivate your account.

I want to enter one of my YouTube videos into a YOBI contest, but don't have the original video file. Is there a way to download the file from YouTube?: Search "YouTube download tool" in your favorite search engine to see your options.

Your ads intermittently invade my computer. Is this a virus? How do I remove YOBI.tv from my laptop?: You do not have a virus or anything invading your computer, and we are not in your laptop in any way. For more info, visit http://yobi.tv/pages/how-to-delete-yobitv

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Entering the Contests

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Voting in the Contests

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YOBIFilm Contest Entries

YOBILaugh Contest Entries

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