Fortnightly Competition - Do we want it?

Why should John be expected to do anything of the kind?

Maybe you could do it Ken? Making the forum a friendly dynamic environment, encouraging participation and getting lots of people clicking on adverts.

Oh! Such cynicism in one so young.

No need to be a douche, Ken. I simply presumed that as the competition has apparently been moved to the gallery, the same system as the weeklies would be adopted. This involves a PM with copy and paste generic text from John. For all I know it's probably automated.

Oh! Such vulgarity in one so young.

If you class cynicism as the expectation that the "forum" might want dynamic change, keeping in touch with its members, reflecting their interests. And if you class cynicism as a naive expectation that mods might want to enable change and be responsive to customer desires (e.g. pu paid members) then call me a cynic.

Initially we are talking a one off pilot. The smart cookie might facilitate that then palm off the admin or minimise it in future.

A patronizing attitude isn't an attractive feature in a mod.

I wasn't being patronising, your comment "...and getting lots of people clicking on adverts." certainly srikes me as cynical.

OK. Back on track.

Following the discussion around start dates and entry eligibility I've had go at Rule 1. again.

I'm proposing:
1. Each monthly competition will start from the time and date that the theme is set by the previous winner. (In ideal circumstances the first day of the calendar month)

If that works for the majority I suggest we try to organise a pilot to run from 1st July 2012.

Should that read
1. Each monthly competition will start from the time and date that the theme is posted by the previous winner. (In ideal circumstances the first day of the calendar month)

So the fortnightly competition is dead?

I don't recall in this thread, so far, that being stated, merely an assumption that it now appears to be a monthly one. The last monthly one died when the judge didn't judge at all.


Bernard

No Bernard I don't think we need to kill off the fortnightly just yet. Let's see what happens to the monthly pilot.

I think without affecting anything we could try a monthly competition running alongside everything else that already exists, starting with No.1, a new sequence.

The rules of all competitions are held in stickies or Announcements at the top of the competitions thread and very often the person posting the competition mentions a few key points as well. Such as Pentax only images, etc. Just as a reminder.

The PM to the winner is fully automated, so that happens as it is.

Do you want a monthly? In which case we could do a shorter one for June or start 1st July.

Given that one of the reason for extending to a monthly format was more time to take images, I would like to see how the pilot ran over a full period. So I would go for the 1st July.

Then if no snags or other negatives let's give it a go starting 1st July.

That gives time for one more fortnightly after the current one, give or take.

Speaking as a lurker who looks at the comps longingly but has been relucatant to enter, I thought I might share my take on it in case it helps. Sorry if this has already been covered.

1: Uncertainty about the right way to enter, I saw comps on the gallery and comps in the forum and that left me feeling that I'd post in the wrong place, even if I knew how to post images. (I'm not IT illiterate, just shy of messing up in public)

2: The horror of winning and having to set up the next comp. As a lurker I don't get much practice at using the forum and thought I was expected to just 'know' how to set up the next comp. I wasn't aware that John mailed out instructions to the winner, make this more obvious.

I think much of this would be solved by just having a how to enter the competitions sticky along with a sticky of the waht to do if you win so people are clear on both what to do and what to expext.

Feel free to ignore.

Carl.

PS: Judging would also be nerve wracking for a beginner, maybe let beginners mark their entries so the best they can be placed is 2nd for the first few comps they enter ?

Hi Carl

In the competitions section there is a post on Rules and Guidance for the competitions. This is marked as an Announcement, the one for the fornightly is also in there marked as a Sticky.