What is Pixnay?

Ever play “who’d-you-rather” with your friends? Of course you have and so have we. And, oh yea, people have played it with you in mind too.

Pixnay is a way to check out, judge, and voice your opinion on more people than you can cram into your college student center or local mall for a day of people watching; it’s a simple game where players face off in randomized (within the age/gender categories that you set) her-or-her/him-or-him battles of hotness. Real-time stats are shown, keeping players honest. Comments are made, keeping players humble (or inflating egos). It ain’t always pretty, but the competition can be beautiful, especially when the players are.

Wanna see how you’ll do? Think you have what it takes? Then you can climb into the ring and compete too. Ding, ding!

Does It Cost Money?

Nope. It is completely free to vote, play and compete.

How Do I Play?

Judging
There are two sets of battles on the Pixnay homepage, one for girls and one for guys. Pick the hottest photo, click it, and you’ve just chosen the winner of that battle. You’ll see your selection -- and the stats for those contenders -- on the resulting Head to Head page. But better still, you’ll have two new players competing for your attention. Pick. Click. Repeat. Enjoy.

Playing & Competing
To use the application to its fullest (posting comments, creating an alias, uploading images and doing battle) you must be a part of the Pixnay community -- to do this, all you need is an AIM/AOL screen name.

If you already have one, your login process and password is the same. Just click the “Sign in” link in the upper right of any Pixnay page and take it from there.

If you don’t have an AIM/AOL screen name, you can get one by clicking the “Get a screen name free” link in the upper right hand corner. You’ll be taken to a new page to create your own screen name and password. Fill out the form, and voila! You can join the Pixnay community.

Once you've signed in, you can comment, upload a picture, create your alias, write your bio and caption, view your stats and comments, adjust your settings and define your competing age. Remember to “Save Changes” before you go anywhere.

What Is Beta & Why Are You In It?

Because Everything Here Should Work…
The Pixnay product is a work in progress and, therefore, in beta. Some stuff might not function so well and other things could go wrong. We won’t break your machine or give you some rare tropical disease, but Pixnay may not necessarily behave as you (or we) expect.

Because We Refuse to Accept That Things Can’t Be Cooler…
We’re also using this beta period to incorporate some improvements and new features. While we’re confident in the site’s current state and introducing it to the world as it is, the awesomeness of potential shines through and we just can’t ignore that. We keep a running list of additional features we’re planning to bring in the coming months and we’re constantly thinking of ways for you to better enjoy and share the Pixnay experience. We welcome feedback and suggestions, so don’t be shy and don’t hold back!

How Do I See Different Pixnay Battles?

Click your favorite player in an existing battle on either Pixnay Home or Head to Head. A new battle will come up, and you’re set to choose again. If you just can’t pick from the two available, go to the Head to Head page, click the gray “next battle” button and we’ll toss in two new contestants.

How Often Can I Vote?

Choose winners to your heart’s content. Part of the beauty of random better-or-worse battles is you get to make a new judgment call every time.

How Do I See the Top Users of Pixnay?

You can click the “Hottest” button at the top of any page on the site to peruse some of our leading performers from the last two days, week or month (all sortable by win ratio, total wins and comments) by gender and age group.

On the Pixnay home page, you can also check Today’s Hotties (the top girl and guy by win ratio today) in the bottom right corner. It shows their picture, as well as their stats.

How Do I See Other Users’ Stats?

To see the stats of the players who just battled, check the lower right corner of the resulting page. Each user’s info (seven-day win ratio with total wins and comments) will come up in the “Last Battle” box. You can also click on any Pixnay Alias or picture to go to their profile; once there, you can check out more detailed stats, as well as their last 500 comments, their About Me info and more.

How Can I See My Own Pixnay Profile/Preferences/Settings?

After you’ve signed in, click the “My Pixnay” button at the top of any page or your screenname in the upper right. You’ll see your stats, comments and other info on the resulting page. Click “Change Photo/Preferences” and you can manage your settings.

How Do I Upload or Change My Photo?

Once you’re signed in, click the “My Pixnay” button at the top of the page, or your screenname in the upper right of any Pixnay screeen. At the bottom of your preferences summary, click the “Change Photo/Preferences” link. The first field in the resulting options is for your photo. Use the browse button to find your photo and open, click “Save Changes” and you’re done. Please note that replacing a photo will clear your stats.

Where Can I See My Own Stats?

You can watch your real-time stats by checking out the upper right side of any Pixnay page after you’ve signed in. Your recent wins, win ratio, comments, times favorited and other stats show on your Pixnay page.

Are My Stats and Comments Forever?

We keep total stats but only display them in two-, seven- and 30-day periods. In the coming months, you’ll be able to see stats on your current photo regardless of how long it has been in the system. We also keep comments, but only display the most recent 500. Note that any comment can be deleted by the recepient (or removed by an administrator for violating community standards). Also, remeber that if you decide to change your competition picture, your stats will reset.

How Do I Change My Alias?

Sign in and go to your My Pixnay. You can edit your alias as many times as you like. Be sure to click “Save Changes” before leaving.

How Do I See and/or Delete Comments About Me?

After signing in, see what other users have said about you by going to your Pixnay page. You have complete control over deleting comments about you for any reason at all -- simply click “delete” and it’s gone. Also remember you can opt to not allow comments by clicking “Change Photo/Preferences” and selecting to not allow comments.

How Do I Leave Comments?

When signed in, you can comment on players who are allowing comments. There are comment boxes beneath each photo in battles and in the top center of user Pixnay pages. Just click “Leave Comment” and type your message in the field provided. When done, click the “Post Comment” button and your comment is added to their profile.

How Do I See/Edit Comments I’ve Posted?

You do not have the ability to delete and edit the comments you’ve posted. So don’t post something you’ll want to take back.

How Can I See Who I’ve Fought Against?

In the coming months, you’ll be able to see who you beat (or lost to) in recent battles.

Can I Challenge Another Member to a One-on-One Battle?

Not yet. A throwdown feature is something we'd all love to see, and, code willing, we will soon. Stay tuned.

How Do I Stop Playing?

If you want to remove yourself from battles, but keep commenting on others from time to time, you can change your settings on your Pixnay page to not competing and not accepting comments.

If you want to drop out completely, there is a “Delete Competition Photo and All Its Comments” at the bottom of your Pixnay page -- click this, then verify that you really want to delete. This will effectively remove you from the game and the site.

How Can I View My Friends’ Pixnay Profiles?

You can make a Favorites page with up to 20 community members who you’d want to follow and/or connect with. Just click the “Fave” button beneath the photo of the person you want to favorite and they’ll be added to your Favorites list. When signed in, you can access your favorites by clicking “My Favorites” at the top of any Pixnay page and manage your hot list on the resulting page.

In the coming months, signing in will automatically load up your AIM Buddy List and you’ll be able to follow your friends’ performance or invite them to join the community. You’ll also be able to search members by their current Pixnay attributes, as well as new tags, soon.

Why Can’t I Send a Private Message to Another Player?

We’re very close to cracking this one. Very soon, you’ll be able to pass and receive notes that only you and the sender/recipient can view and reply to.

What’s a Pixnay Rating?

A Pixnay rating is a label our top performers get based on a win ratio over time. The ratings are, in order... Hot, Way Hot, Crazy Hot, Smokin', and Pixnay’s Finest. In the coming months, there will be different sets of ratings based on other rankings and activity.

How Do I Report a Fake?

There is a bar of buttons under photos in Head to Head and on battle pages. Click “Fake” to vote to call out the pic as fake. If enough community members do the same, the member will first be labeled suspected fake and the photo may, in the end, be pulled from the site.

How Do I Report Pictures That Just Don’t Belong?

Come across a photo that isn’t obscene or a clear violation of community standards, but really shouldn’t be in Pixnay? Bounce them.

On the Head to Head and My Pixnay pages, there is a bar of buttons. The “Bounce” button allows community control over photos that don’t belong in battles. Regardless of if the shot is of a sunset, an animal, a houseboat or Big Bird, if enough members vote to bounce a photo from battles, it is taken out of circulation.

My Pic Was Tagged a Suspected Fake, How Do I Prove It’s Me?

Send us a feedback and we’ll work it from there. Once the picture is confirmed legit, we’ll remove the tag and certify you as real, so it won’t happen again.

My Pic Says “Community Bounced,” What Does That Mean?

This means enough members of the community think the photo you uploaded doesn’t belong in battles. You can keep it for commenting and your profile page, you just can’t compete with it.

I’m Competing Against the Wrong Gender. How Do I Fix?

If you specified the wrong gender at sign up (or if your AIM/AOL screenname info is incorrect) this will happen. Please send us a feedback and we’ll get you in the right pool.

It Says I’m Too Young to Compete. I’m Over 18. How Do I Fix?

With Pixnay, IDs are checked at the door via AOL/AIM screennames. If the info from AIM/AOL tells us you are under 18, you won’t be able to upload a picture and fully participate with that screenname. If it tells us you are under 13, you won't be able to sign in at all.

Why is My Photo Gone?

In most cases, a picture removed by someone other than the owner is gone because it violated the Pixnay community standards and/or AOL/AIM Terms of Service. If you think your photo was unjustly yanked, send feedback and we’ll let you know what happened.

Why Did I Get Blocked? Why Did I Get Banned?

Multiple and/or major violations of Pixnay’s community standards and/or AOL/AIM Terms of Service will get you temporarily blocked or permanently banned from signing into the site. If you think you were blocked or banned in error, send us a feedback and we'll look into it. We'd love to be wrong.

How Do I See Someone Specific in a Battle?

If the player is competing, their profile page will have a “See Her/Him in a Battle” link. They will cut in near the front of your line and appear randomly in the next 12 battles. Keep in mind, there are checks against skewing win percentages (either up or down) and you may get a message that this person has reached their limit of battles via that link for the day.

Why Can’t I Search for Other Members?

Hang tight. A Pixnay search is on the way. In the coming months, you’ll also be able to search members by their current attributes as well as tags.

I'm Competing in the Wrong Age Group. How Do I Fix?

After you’ve signed in, click the “My Pixnay Page” button at the top of any page or your linked alias in the upper right. Click on Change Photo/Preferences and change your In this picture I am box to compete in a certain age group and click "Save Changes." If you’re still in the wrong age category, please send us a feedback and we’ll check it out.

Someone Else is Using My Picture. What Do I Do?

Send us a feedback and we’ll work with you. It might take some time, but once we confirm the photo is indeed of you, we’ll remove the imposter and block the member who uploaded it. A suggested first step is to leave that individual who uploaded without your consent a comment that you're on to them –- many times, they’ll comply (and, yes, probably upload a picture of someone who also ain’t them)

I Uploaded a New Photo. Why Did My Stats Reset?

In Pixnay, users vote on the pictures not the people. When a photo goes away, the associated stats do as well.

Where Can I Report a Bug or Ask a Question?

You can send us your feedback here.

Where Can I Report Objectionable Content?

Pixnay is driven by the members of this community. If you see something offensive, click the “Report distasteful, offensive or objectionable content” link at the top right corner of any Pixnay page. Check the boxes provided to alert us to exactly what/where it is, and click “Submit."