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Quote by Dreamcatcher
any process involving member voting will always end up a popularity contest as it is now...
A possible solution might be for the stories & poems to be put the vote anonymously? Okay, some folks have a style of their own, which may be too obvious to some, and then there's the problem of 'canvassing' votes from friends and so on. No system is perfect but an unnamed selection of works might be a more practical solution?
Quote by Dreamcatcher
However, all that being said, there is a shaft of daylight in Andy's recommendation and could possibly alleviate some of the heavy responsibilities of being a mod. Perhaps an esteemed panel of SS authors can be conjoined. Each SS member can nominate a current SS author to be on the panel. The top 7 will be an impartial panel of judges which would read and select the top 3 stories and 3 poems each month, ie. 1st, 2nd, 3rd. ...
Again, the possibility of cries of favouritism would be bandied around, in spite of the best of intentions. We are a small - but growing - community with a core of regulars who attend on a (almost) daily basis who (in my opinion) have a right to expect to be considered as panel members. Personally I agree with you, Larry, but I foresee more angst and hassle down that route. In a true democracy ALL members would get the opportunity to be part of the panel you propose, but that just seems too unwieldy and ultimately unworkable
Quote by Dreamcatcher
Each SS author would be allowed to present for consideration only their "top 2" stories and poems per month. It doesn't matter if they posted 10 pieces of work that month, they would have to decide their best 2 to be judged....
I would like to limit the competition to new works only to encourage new submissions from new contributors. My idea is to ultimately bring new blood to the site: if somebody casually visiting the site believes that they could easily earn the Story/Poem of the Month accolade it surely has to be an open invitation to everybody who visits us to have a go?
Quote by Dreamcatcher
To instill some excitement in the process, all work presented could be listed on the front page and as each judge reads and votes it could be updated daily and shown in a moving up and down accordingly on the list. Each judge would assign his/her vote from 1-10 per story/poem. Obviously the vote totals would be calculated and thus winners would be reflected. A perfect vote would be 70 (a 10 from each judge, highly unlikely). Judges would read and vote independently.
An interesting idea, but slightly unwieldy I think...
Quote by Dreamcatcher
Since it is a voluntary panel as well and we all have other lives, that's why I'm suggesting a 2 piece limit for stories and poems per SS author (max 4 pieces each).
I would be more Draconian: a maximum of ONE story and ONE poem per member per competition.
In reading Larry's reply and responding to it I have come to the realisation that this sort of thing is never quite as straightforward as it first appears. However, I do believe that something workable can be put in place if some sort of agreement can be reached on the format... and if there is a willingness to administer it. Without that commitment this idea, in whatever form, will never see the light of day.
Thanks... I have been on SS long enough to have looked at it thoroughly, as have I spoken to various mods.
Yes, there is a certain amount of negativity from those whose stories do not get selected for 'special mention', but that's perfectly normal. I have yet to see any great fuss being made over the issue...
My idea is to provide a little bit of fun and encouragement. Let's face it, it has been very quiet submissions-wise these past few weeks. Okay, I accept that peaks and troughs occur, but I can see nothing wrong in trying anything 'novel' that might bring new visitors to the site -- and hopefully turn them into members and regulars.
The suggestion does put the onus on the mods: as the 'neutrals' here it makes sense for them to make the decisions as to which stories and poems to offer up for voting. It is, of course, dependent on one or more of the guys being willing to take the job on. It doesn't have to be a monthly competition: every couple of months or quarterly would be just as interesting.
A response from a mod or two would be helpful here. It is not my place or anybody else's to speak for them...
Yes, there is a certain amount of negativity from those whose stories do not get selected for 'special mention', but that's perfectly normal. I have yet to see any great fuss being made over the issue...
My idea is to provide a little bit of fun and encouragement. Let's face it, it has been very quiet submissions-wise these past few weeks. Okay, I accept that peaks and troughs occur, but I can see nothing wrong in trying anything 'novel' that might bring new visitors to the site -- and hopefully turn them into members and regulars.
The suggestion does put the onus on the mods: as the 'neutrals' here it makes sense for them to make the decisions as to which stories and poems to offer up for voting. It is, of course, dependent on one or more of the guys being willing to take the job on. It doesn't have to be a monthly competition: every couple of months or quarterly would be just as interesting.
A response from a mod or two would be helpful here. It is not my place or anybody else's to speak for them...
I'm surprised you don't understand:
The mods suggest maybe five stories as story of the month and the same for poems. The vote is set up like a poll. At the end of a set period (a couple of weeks maybe?) the story and poem with the most votes are declared the winners for that month. A new set of stories and poems is then suggested for the next vote and so on...
The mods suggest maybe five stories as story of the month and the same for poems. The vote is set up like a poll. At the end of a set period (a couple of weeks maybe?) the story and poem with the most votes are declared the winners for that month. A new set of stories and poems is then suggested for the next vote and so on...
Does anybody else think that a shortlist of stories and/or poems could be submitted to the forum for voting on by the members of the site would be a fun way to boost submissions and generate interest?
It would be an interesting experiment at least: if the mods were the arbiters of which items to submit to the voters, it could easily be accommodated utilising the existing 'poll' feature.
A nice shiny new badge to the monthly winner would be a pleasant addition to the collection - as well as the kudos, of course...
It would be an interesting experiment at least: if the mods were the arbiters of which items to submit to the voters, it could easily be accommodated utilising the existing 'poll' feature.
A nice shiny new badge to the monthly winner would be a pleasant addition to the collection - as well as the kudos, of course...